Search - City Hall on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Profanity Movie Release: 1996 DVD Release: 07/27/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV,Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 51 mins Studio: Warner Home Video Total Copies: 47 Genres: Drama, Political Drama

Three A-list screenwriters -- (Nicholas Pileggi, Bo Goldman, and Paul Schrader) -- contributed to the script of this idealistic political drama. John Pappas (Al Pacino) is the popular, ethical Mayor of New York; Kevin Calhoun (John Cusack) is his even more idealistic and principled deputy. When a detective and mobster kill each other and an innocent six-year-old black child in a shootout, questions arise about what the cop was doing meeting with the gangster in the first place. The Mayor and his staff handle the situation ably, but Calhoun digs deeper and finds troubling evidence that even his seemingly incorruptible boss has not escaped the shadier aspects of political life. The Mafia boss (Tony Franciosa) whose nephew was the dead gangster, along with a Brooklyn political boss (Danny Aiello) with his own agenda, come into the story, becoming part of a series of larger links, secret relationships, and bonds of "honor" between men who, on the surface, would have no reason to be in business with each other. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Al Pacino - Mayor John Pappas
John Cusack - Kevin Calhoun
Bridget Fonda - Marybeth Cogan
Danny Aiello - Frank Anselmo
Martin Landau - Judge Walter Stern

Harold Becker's urban political drama City Hall comes to DVD with a pair of transfers. The widescreen image preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and is preferable to the standard full-frame transfer. English and French soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. Subtitles are accessible in both of those languages as well. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence. This is an acceptable if average disc from Warner Bros. that is recommendable mostly because of its inexpensive list price. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide