I tuned in last night to see "Night and the City" starring Richard Widmark; that's what the TV cable listing showed was playing. It was already a minute or so after the opening credits rolled, and with no hint of a glorious black and white 1940 flick I was ready to change channels. Then DeNiro comes on screen and curiosity got the better of me. It took a while to sort out what was going on with his character, a shyster lawyer by the name of Harry Fabian. Yet at the same time, there was a train-wreck quality to his acting here that made me want to continue the ride. What makes the film memorable is the utter creepiness of his character, a despicable self promoter who's willing to use anyone and anything to get what he wants, as in money and lots of it. He gets the bright idea of becoming a boxing promoter, and almost immediately becomes embroiled in a scheme that's bound to land him in big time trouble with friends and foes alike. Mostly foes, as who would be friends with this guy? Which is why I couldn't figure where the fascination came from for Helen (Jessica Lange) to play Harry along in a convoluted romance. Yeah, he might be able to pull a few strings to get her a state liquor license, but that was a fake, like just about everything else to do with Harry.
Depending on your mood, the finale will leave you perplexed or glad that it's over. However if you can appreciate some clever acting, you won't be disappointed by DeNiro's turn as Harry Fabian here. Some might call it over the top, but I didn't get the sense that DeNiro was forcing the characterization. He WAS Harry Fabian. I also liked Alan King's out of character turn as hood Boom Boom Grossman, and Jack Warden as his retired boxing brother Al. Warden reminded me here of Burgess Meredith in the Rocky films, and I tried picturing him in the role of Mickey Goldman. It might have worked with a little more crust.
Hard to say whether to recommend this one. The clue seems to be whether you're a DeNiro fan or not. Fans will get a different look at his range as an actor, but with an ending that might leave you frustrated after having sat through Harry's ordeal. At least now I have an incentive to get hold of the Richard Widmark original to see if he fared any better or worse.
Depending on your mood, the finale will leave you perplexed or glad that it's over. However if you can appreciate some clever acting, you won't be disappointed by DeNiro's turn as Harry Fabian here. Some might call it over the top, but I didn't get the sense that DeNiro was forcing the characterization. He WAS Harry Fabian. I also liked Alan King's out of character turn as hood Boom Boom Grossman, and Jack Warden as his retired boxing brother Al. Warden reminded me here of Burgess Meredith in the Rocky films, and I tried picturing him in the role of Mickey Goldman. It might have worked with a little more crust.
Hard to say whether to recommend this one. The clue seems to be whether you're a DeNiro fan or not. Fans will get a different look at his range as an actor, but with an ending that might leave you frustrated after having sat through Harry's ordeal. At least now I have an incentive to get hold of the Richard Widmark original to see if he fared any better or worse.