Director: Robert Butler, Sidney J. Furie (uncredited)
Screenplay: William W. Norton, Rick Natkin
Based on a Novel by: William P. McGivern
Starring: James Brolin, Cliff Gorman, Richard S. Castellano, Abby Bluestone, Dan Hedaya, Julie Carmen, Linda Miller, Mandy Patinkin, Barton Heyman, Sully Boyar
Country: USA
Running Time: 106 min
Year: 1980
BBFC Certificate: 15
The Night of the Juggler was a troubled production. John Frankenheimer was originally slated to direct the film, which was based on a 1975 novel by the influential noir author William P. McGivern, but Sidney J. Furie had taken over by the time production began. However, after Brolin broke several toes during production (reportedly about one-third of the way through the shoot) and one of the executives asked Furie to carry on, having Brolin’s character wear a cast and use crutches for the rest of the film, the director left and was replaced by Robert Butler. Whilst not a big name feature film director, Butler was responsible for the pilots and early episodes of a number of classic TV series, including Star Trek, Batman (the 60s series) and Hogan’s Heroes.
Due to the various problems the production faced, the film wasn’t released until 1980, despite starting production in 1978. It just kind of came and went too. It flopped at the box office and was only screened occasionally on TV. Further down the line, it got even harder to get hold of, due to rights issues, on top of the initial disinterest. For a long time, the only way you could see the film was through bootlegs and revival screenings.
Thankfully, The Night of the Juggler was picked up for restoration recently, and Kino Lorber put it out on UHD and Blu-ray in the US. Now, Radiance Films have obtained the UK rights and are using the film to launch their new offshoot label, Transmission.
In their words, Transmission is “a new imprint for UK Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases, focusing on offbeat cult classics and underappreciated genre film-making.
Equally inspired by late-night TV oddities, all-night cinemas such as the Scala and 42nd Street grindhouses, and the video shop experience of the 80s and 90s, Transmission will invite new audiences to recapture that same thrill of discovery with its upcoming slate of left-of-the-dial UHD and Blu-ray titles.”
That sounded good to me, and the film looked to be right up my alley, so I got hold of a screener to share my thoughts.
The plot of The Night of the Juggler, to quote the Radiance site once again, is as follows: “A young girl is kidnapped in broad daylight in Central Park by a murderous psychopath (Cliff Gorman, All That Jazz), who plans to demand a huge ransom for her return, mistakenly believing she is the daughter of a wealthy property developer. Unfortunately for him, she’s actually the daughter of Sean Boyd (James Brolin, True Grit), a devoted dad and grizzled ex-cop who will stop at absolutely nothing to get her back, even if it means taking out the kidnapper, his enemies in the NYPD, and the entire scuzzy underworld populating the mean streets of 1970s New York…”
My prediction that The Night of the Juggler would be “right up my alley” proved to be correct, as I loved it. It reminded me of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, which I reviewed recently, and adored. Like that, The Night of the Juggler is very much a New York movie, where the city is a character in itself.
The film perfectly captures the texture and atmosphere of the city during a time when it was in decay. More importantly though, it captures the vibrancy of its population. Like The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, The Night of the Juggler is packed with memorable characters, each with their own particular brand of tough, no-nonsense attitude.
These characters are brought to life by a wonderful cast. James Brolin is a solid lead, who you can believe in both the family scenes at the start and the action scenes later on. Richard S. Castellano is a lot of fun as the police lieutenant who is assigned to the kidnapping case. He doesn’t appear to take his work too seriously, but deep down, you know he cares. Cliff Gorman crafts a complex, not entirely unsympathetic and clearly troubled villain. Don’t get me wrong, the character is psychotic and racist, but you can see what made him lose it, and there’s a vulnerability beneath the surface.
On top of the leads, you get a wealth of superb character actors keeping the story alive. Most notably, there’s Mandy Patinkin as a gung-ho taxi driver, Barton Heyman as a flustered preacher and the legend that is Dan Hedaya, who has quite a big role as a vengeance-fuelled police sergeant who had been called out for corruption by Boyd in the past.
This isn’t just a character piece though. The Night of the Juggler is primarily an action movie and, on that front, it works like gangbusters. After an efficient, highly effective setup, the chase to rescue Boyd’s daughter begins, the pace moves into high gear, and it never lets up.
There are some great set pieces too, with that 70s aesthetic that I love. Most notably, there’s an epic car chase that kicks off as soon as Boyd’s daughter is snatched. This switches in and out of vehicles, with cars ploughing through heavy traffic and swerving off onto pavements (or sidewalks). It gives The French Connection a run for its money.
It doesn’t feel like the film was made by two different directors. It remains cohesive, and the escalation of threat that builds throughout is well handled. In the wrong hands, it could have got ridiculous.
All-in-all, The Night of the Juggler is a tense, gritty action thriller overflowing with character and paced to perfection. It’s 70s genre filmmaking at its best, and it’s a true blessing that the film has been rediscovered and re-released in all its glory.
Film: 
The Night of the Juggler is out on 8th December in a limited edition UHD and region-free Blu-Ray set, released by Transmission (an offshoot of Radiance Films). I watched the Blu-ray, and the film looks great. The grain structure looks natural, colours are pleasing, and there’s no notable damage. The blacks can be a bit heavy in the darker scenes, but this might be as intended. I’ve used screengrabs throughout this review to give you an idea of how it looks, though these have been compressed. The mono audio is strong too.
LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY FEATURES
– New 4K restoration from original 35mm camera negative, presented in Dolby Vision HDR
– 4K UHD and Blu-ray presentation of the feature
– Original uncompressed mono PCM audio
– New audio commentary with film historians Kim Newman and Sean Hogan*
– New interview with actor James Brolin (2025, 14 mins)
– New interview with actress Julie Carmen (2025, 14 mins)
– The Meanest Streets – Night of the Juggler locations tour with journalist/filmmaker Michael Gingold and production associate Chris Coles (2025, 29 mins)*
– Fun City Limits: Fear & Loathing in Hollywood’s NYC – new visual essay on the depiction of New York in 70s and 80s exploitation cinema by Howard S. Berger (2025, 29 mins)
– Pandemonium Reflex: An Inquest into Sidney J. Furie’s Night of the Juggler – new visual essay on Furie by Daniel Kremer, author of Sidney J. Furie: Life and Films (2025, 14 mins)*
– Trailer
– Stills and poster gallery
– Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
– Reversible sleeve featuring original artwork
– Pull-out poster and six lobby-card style postcards
– Limited edition 40-page perfect bound booklet featuring new writing from Glenn Kenny, Barry Forshaw, and Travis Woods
– Limited edition of 5000 copies, presented in rigid box and full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
*created exclusively for this Transmission edition
Kim Newman and Sean Hogan provide a commentary over the film. It’s a strong track that looks at the production history, offers a little analysis and often compares the film with the original novel. I enjoyed listening to the pair a great deal.
Howard A Berger talks about New York on film. It’s a rich, thought-provoking piece that delves into a range of films and the changing views of the city over the years.
Sidney J. Furie biographer Daniel Kremer talks about the film and Furie’s involvement. It includes an excerpt from an audio interview with the director himself, which is great to hear.
James Brolin is interviewed about the film too. He’s on fine form, talking jovially about his experiences making it. I enjoyed his contribution.
Julie Carmen is also interviewed. She’s equally as lively and likeable as Brolin, telling various anecdotes about the production.
I’m not usually all that interested in location featurettes, but the one here is good. What sets it apart is that it mixes the location comparisons with some fun facts about the production and an interview with production associate Chris Coles, who has some wild stories to tell.
I didn’t receive a copy of the booklet or other physical extras to comment on those, unfortunately.
Overall, Transmission have got off to a great start with this release. Loaded with a nice mix of extras that are both valuable and enjoyable, all accompanying a fantastic film, it gets a strong recommendation from me.
Disc/package: 
