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City Hall (film)
Encyclopedia
City Hall is a 1996 film
directed by Harold Becker
. Al Pacino
and John Cusack
star as the Mayor of New York and his idealistic deputy mayor.
The plot follows the aftermath of the death of a boy caught in the crossfire of a shootout between a drug dealer and a detective.
According to the website BoxOfficeMojo.com, the film grossed an estimated $20 million in the U.S.
One day, an off-duty police detective named Eddie Santos is ambushed by Tino Zapatti, a criminal with mob ties. They kill each other in a shootout with a stray bullet also causing the death of an innocent small boy named James Bone.
An investigation leads to a question as to why Judge Walter Stern, an old friend of the mayor's, had set Zapatti free on probation for a recent crime rather than send him to jail. Legal aid Marybeth Cogan, meanwhile, attempts to see that Santos' widow receives his full benefits, but there seems to be a conspiracy to paint the slain detective as less than honest.
Calhoun digs for the truth. He encounters Frank Anselmo, a Brooklyn politician who has connections to organized crime boss Paul Zapatti, the uncle of the cop-killer. Anselmo plants money at Zapatti's behest to smear the detective's good name.
The deputy mayor and Cogan continue to seek the truth from a number of sources, including Santos' partner and another Zapatti relative. After the murder of probation officer Larry Schwartz, they ultimately come to the conclusion that Judge Stern had to be on the take.
Pappas agrees that Stern must resign. The scandal snowballs to the point that Anselmo is instructed by Paul Zapatti to "take the pressure off" himself, by which he means commit suicide rather than become an informer or go to jail. To protect his family, Anselmo shoots himself.
The scandal is nearly at an end, but Calhoun knows one more thing -- his idol, the mayor, is also involved. He is the one who put Stern together with Anselmo to receive a bribe and leave the young Zapatti on the street. Calhoun soon tells Pappas there is only one choice -- to quit as mayor and leave politics for good ("You're gonna take yourself out, John. You're gonna take yourself out.").
, the city enjoyed modest success under the leadership of popular mayor Ed Koch
. Democratic Queens borough president Donald Manes
was a popular politician who turned his role into more of a proactive office, rather than ceremonial. A series of corruption investigations revealed he was using his office to orchestrate various kickback schemes. Many of his associates were forced to resign or faced prosecution. The result of these 1986 investigations led Manes to have a nervous breakdown, and eventually commit suicide
. Mayor Ed Koch's popularity was shaken by the Queens borough president's suicide and the indictment of his associates. Further investigations revealed no connection between Koch and Manes' kickback schemes. While the plot of City Hall uses a child's wrongful death and cover-up, the dramatic investigation of an equally powerful mayor (Pappas) and borough president (Anselmo) draw many similarities.
Koch himself has a brief cameo in the film as a newscaster.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed by Harold Becker
Harold Becker
Harold Becker is American film director and producer from New York.-Biography:After studying art and photography at the Pratt Institute, Becker began his career as a still photographer, but later tried his hand at directing television commercials, short films and documentaries...
. Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
and John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
star as the Mayor of New York and his idealistic deputy mayor.
The plot follows the aftermath of the death of a boy caught in the crossfire of a shootout between a drug dealer and a detective.
According to the website BoxOfficeMojo.com, the film grossed an estimated $20 million in the U.S.
Plot
John Pappas is the mayor of New York and has far more grand ambitions, including the governor's office and the White House. His loyal deputy mayor is Kevin Calhoun, a young man from Louisiana who grew up loving politics.One day, an off-duty police detective named Eddie Santos is ambushed by Tino Zapatti, a criminal with mob ties. They kill each other in a shootout with a stray bullet also causing the death of an innocent small boy named James Bone.
An investigation leads to a question as to why Judge Walter Stern, an old friend of the mayor's, had set Zapatti free on probation for a recent crime rather than send him to jail. Legal aid Marybeth Cogan, meanwhile, attempts to see that Santos' widow receives his full benefits, but there seems to be a conspiracy to paint the slain detective as less than honest.
Calhoun digs for the truth. He encounters Frank Anselmo, a Brooklyn politician who has connections to organized crime boss Paul Zapatti, the uncle of the cop-killer. Anselmo plants money at Zapatti's behest to smear the detective's good name.
The deputy mayor and Cogan continue to seek the truth from a number of sources, including Santos' partner and another Zapatti relative. After the murder of probation officer Larry Schwartz, they ultimately come to the conclusion that Judge Stern had to be on the take.
Pappas agrees that Stern must resign. The scandal snowballs to the point that Anselmo is instructed by Paul Zapatti to "take the pressure off" himself, by which he means commit suicide rather than become an informer or go to jail. To protect his family, Anselmo shoots himself.
The scandal is nearly at an end, but Calhoun knows one more thing -- his idol, the mayor, is also involved. He is the one who put Stern together with Anselmo to receive a bribe and leave the young Zapatti on the street. Calhoun soon tells Pappas there is only one choice -- to quit as mayor and leave politics for good ("You're gonna take yourself out, John. You're gonna take yourself out.").
Real-life background
Elements of the story are loosely based on New York City's political turmoil in the mid-1980s. Emerging from a crippling near bankruptcyBankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, the city enjoyed modest success under the leadership of popular mayor Ed Koch
Ed Koch
Edward Irving "Ed" Koch is an American lawyer, politician, and political commentator. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and three terms as mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989...
. Democratic Queens borough president Donald Manes
Donald Manes
Donald R. Manes was a controversial Democratic Party politician from New York City. He served as borough president of the New York City borough of Queens from 1971 until just before his suicide in 1986.-Career:...
was a popular politician who turned his role into more of a proactive office, rather than ceremonial. A series of corruption investigations revealed he was using his office to orchestrate various kickback schemes. Many of his associates were forced to resign or faced prosecution. The result of these 1986 investigations led Manes to have a nervous breakdown, and eventually commit suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. Mayor Ed Koch's popularity was shaken by the Queens borough president's suicide and the indictment of his associates. Further investigations revealed no connection between Koch and Manes' kickback schemes. While the plot of City Hall uses a child's wrongful death and cover-up, the dramatic investigation of an equally powerful mayor (Pappas) and borough president (Anselmo) draw many similarities.
Koch himself has a brief cameo in the film as a newscaster.
Cast
- Al PacinoAl PacinoAlfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
as Mayor John Pappas - John CusackJohn CusackJohn Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
as Kevin Calhoun - Danny AielloDanny AielloDaniel Louis "Danny" Aiello, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon, Two Days in the Valley, and Dinner Rush...
as Frank Anselmo - Bridget FondaBridget FondaBridget Jane Fonda is an American actress. She is best known for her roles in films such as The Godfather Part III, Single White Female, Point of No Return, It Could Happen to You, and Jackie Brown...
as Marybeth Cogan - Tony Franciosa as Paul Zapatti
- Martin LandauMartin LandauMartin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
as Judge Walter Stern - David PaymerDavid PaymerDavid Paymer is an American actor and television director, seen in such films as Quiz Show, Searching for Bobby Fischer, City Slickers, Crazy People, State and Main, Payback, Get Shorty, Carpool, The American President, Ocean's Thirteen, and Drag Me to Hell...
as Abe Goodman - Richard SchiffRichard SchiffRichard Schiff is an American actor. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on the NBC television drama The West Wing, a role for which he received an Emmy Award...
as Larry Schwartz - Harry BuginHarry BuginHarry Bugin was an American film, stage and television actor and musician.-Life and career:Born in the Bronx, New York City, the son of Isidore and Sadie Bugin,and brother to Ruth Bugin, he was a graduate of the New York Public School system and a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts...
as Morty the Waiter
External links
- Mayor Papas' Eulogy in Text and Audio from AmericanRhetoric.com