Director: Sidney Lumet
Screenplay: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Andy Garcia, Lena Olin, Richard Dreyfuss, James Gandolfini, Ian Holm, Ron Leibman, Shiek Mahmud-Bey
Country: United States
Running Time: 113 minutes
Year: 1996
In any debate featuring Quentin Tarantino, I would never have thought the answer might be Sidney Lumet, but the key opening scene of Night Falls on Manhattan is one of the director’s most brazen. Almost a “hold my beer” moment, with cold violence in the middle of comic book farce. But it’s just a mask. His distinctive moral narrative which started in 12 Angry Men, based on a handful of well-drawn characters, is still here. He was always an actor’s director first and foremost. He’s just having fun here in 1996 Hollywood, and perhaps making a point.
It’s not just the casual, haphazard violence of a stake-out gone spectacularly wrong. James Gandolfini and Ian Holm play two detectives with post-Tarantino banter; a couple of guys talking about not very much at all, yet you get a real insight into their characters. Holm in particular is having great fun with a New York accent before getting brutally shot down in a shower of bullets. That’s not a spoiler. He lives. Also, not a spoiler.
The film’s emotional focus is Holm’s son, played by Andy Garcia, an up-and-coming lawyer who is given the big case of trying the villain that the cops were descending on. However, he quickly uncovers a nest of potential corruption; why were the cops gathering the way they did? Is his father involved?
The film settles into Lumet’s favourite modes of court cases and corruption, recalling both The Verdict, a marvellous film with Paul Newman, and also one of his most famous in Serpico. Night Falls on Manhattan is not as engaging as either of these, but a muddled Lumet film is still engaging nonetheless. It has a flabby middle but pulls everything together in an affecting final act.
Lumet was known for melodrama, which I thought was a dirty word genre-wise until I saw Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, his final film, where he leaned into excessive melodrama and worked it in a positive way. It is absolutely clear why Ian Holm was hired for this film. He’s the last person you would expect to have such a New York accent, but he gets to chew some amazing dialogue that gets to the heart of all of the characters.
Because melodrama is really just that; strong dialogue wrapped in unashamed emotion, and when handled correctly by the right director, it doesn’t have to bring to mind black-and-white histrionics. Andy Garcia too gets into this mode more than other roles would give him credit for. He is excellent, though a more focused narrative could have exploited him more I think. The much-missed James Gandolfini is great too, in a pre-Sopranos role. His cornered detective is no thug, but definitely has Tony’s “woe is me” demeanour. The cast also features a brilliant Richard Dreyfuss, walking a thin line between being a considerable adversary and confidante to the hot-shot Garcia. Meanwhile, Lena Olin is short-changed by a screenplay that saddles her with a predictable and reduced role.
While not a 12 Angry Men classic, Lumet films age like the fine wines The Verdict’s Paul Newman is a little too fond of. Problems with pacing, reheating themes from better films and not giving Olin more to do are at least outweighed by an entertaining, dependable courtroom thriller with a cast enjoying themselves immensely. It’s time this film found itself a new audience.
VIDEO
I’ve always enjoyed Sidney Lumet’s films for the pastel, naturally lit photography, but it’s easy to appear too soft as a result. This is an excellent transfer, sharp, detailed, but creamy. A cold New York is given some warmth.
EXTRA FEATURES
This seems like a modest release, but it sneaks up on you with some heavyweight content. Archival commentaries are included, but the stand-out for me was the 2002 feature on Lumet. He was one of Hollywood’s most important directors, but had a quiet profile nonetheless. Arrow’s release is as much a tribute to him as the film.
- 2K remaster from the original negative by Arrow Films
- High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
- Original lossless 5.1 surround and 2.0 stereo audio
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Archive commentary by director Sidney Lumet
- Archive commentary by actors Andy Garcia and Ron Leibman, with producers Josh Kramer and Thom Mount
- The Directors: Sidney Lumet, an hour-long archive documentary from 2002 featuring interviews with Lumet, Garcia, Leibman, Jack Lemmon, Rod Steiger, Christopher Walken and others
- On-set interviews with Lumet, Garcia, Dreyfuss, Olin, Holm and Leibman
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Theatrical trailer and TV spots
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tom Ralston
- Collectors’ booklet featuring writing on the film by Nick Clement and original production notes
Night Falls On Manhattan
Screenplay: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Andy Garcia, Lena Olin, Richard Dreyfuss, James Gandolfini, Ian Holm, Ron Leibman, Shiek Mahmud-Bey
Country: United States
Running Time: 113 minutes
Year: 1996
In any debate featuring Quentin Tarantino, I would never have thought the answer might be Sidney Lumet, but the key opening scene of Night Falls on Manhattan is one of the director’s most brazen. Almost a “hold my beer” moment, with cold violence in the middle of comic book farce. But it’s just a mask. His distinctive moral narrative which started in 12 Angry Men, based on a handful of well-drawn characters, is still here. He was always an actor’s director first and foremost. He’s just having fun here in 1996 Hollywood, and perhaps making a point.
It’s not just the casual, haphazard violence of a stake-out gone spectacularly wrong. James Gandolfini and Ian Holm play two detectives with post-Tarantino banter; a couple of guys talking about not very much at all, yet you get a real insight into their characters. Holm in particular is having great fun with a New York accent before getting brutally shot down in a shower of bullets. That’s not a spoiler. He lives. Also, not a spoiler.
The film’s emotional focus is Holm’s son, played by Andy Garcia, an up-and-coming lawyer who is given the big case of trying the villain that the cops were descending on. However, he quickly uncovers a nest of potential corruption; why were the cops gathering the way they did? Is his father involved?
The film settles into Lumet’s favourite modes of court cases and corruption, recalling both The Verdict, a marvellous film with Paul Newman, and also one of his most famous in Serpico. Night Falls on Manhattan is not as engaging as either of these, but a muddled Lumet film is still engaging nonetheless. It has a flabby middle but pulls everything together in an affecting final act.
Lumet was known for melodrama, which I thought was a dirty word genre-wise until I saw Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, his final film, where he leaned into excessive melodrama and worked it in a positive way. It is absolutely clear why Ian Holm was hired for this film. He’s the last person you would expect to have such a New York accent, but he gets to chew some amazing dialogue that gets to the heart of all of the characters.
Because melodrama is really just that; strong dialogue wrapped in unashamed emotion, and when handled correctly by the right director, it doesn’t have to bring to mind black-and-white histrionics. Andy Garcia too gets into this mode more than other roles would give him credit for. He is excellent, though a more focused narrative could have exploited him more I think. The much-missed James Gandolfini is great too, in a pre-Sopranos role. His cornered detective is no thug, but definitely has Tony’s “woe is me” demeanour. The cast also features a brilliant Richard Dreyfuss, walking a thin line between being a considerable adversary and confidante to the hot-shot Garcia. Meanwhile, Lena Olin is short-changed by a screenplay that saddles her with a predictable and reduced role.
While not a 12 Angry Men classic, Lumet films age like the fine wines The Verdict’s Paul Newman is a little too fond of. Problems with pacing, reheating themes from better films and not giving Olin more to do are at least outweighed by an entertaining, dependable courtroom thriller with a cast enjoying themselves immensely. It’s time this film found itself a new audience.
VIDEO
I’ve always enjoyed Sidney Lumet’s films for the pastel, naturally lit photography, but it’s easy to appear too soft as a result. This is an excellent transfer, sharp, detailed, but creamy. A cold New York is given some warmth.
EXTRA FEATURES
This seems like a modest release, but it sneaks up on you with some heavyweight content. Archival commentaries are included, but the stand-out for me was the 2002 feature on Lumet. He was one of Hollywood’s most important directors, but had a quiet profile nonetheless. Arrow’s release is as much a tribute to him as the film.