This “Limited Edition” Blu-ray is now available from Arrow Video.
During his lengthy career as both an actor and director, Sidney Lumet built a reputation as being one of the most talented in the business. His filmmaking credits include 12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, The Verdict and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead to name but a few. He was nominated for five Academy Awards over his career before eventually being presented with an Academy Honorary Award for his incredible body of work.
Indeed, most of his films are worth checking out. Like all moviemakers, some titles are better than others, but even his imperfect entries still have interesting stuff in them. Night Falls on Manhattan marks a later effort in the director’s career. It underperformed at the box office, but still has a lot of positives going for it. In fact, the cast alone is reason enough to check it out. The movie has been challenging to find on disc for some time, but Arrow Video have acquired it from Paramount and are releasing a “Limited Edition” Blu-ray with a 2K picture restoration. It’s an excellent disc and one that should please anyone who enjoys Lumet’s work or crime dramas.
Set in New York and very loosely based on a true story, the plot follows Sean Casey (Andy Garcia), an idealistic ex-cop in his early 30s beginning a career as a young lawyer at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. His father Liam (Ian Holm) is a detective at the NYPD partnered with Joey Allegretto (James Gandolfini). The pair get a stool pigeon to tell them where notorious drug dealer Jordan Washington (Shiek Mahmud-Bey) is hiding out and go to arrest the criminal. Chaos reigns as multiple precincts arrive at the same time and Washington escapes. Three officers die in the process and Liam is admitted to hospital in critical condition.
Eventually, Washington’s lawyer Sam Vigoda (Richard Dreyfuss) announces that the fugitive will be turning himself in. With a big election coming up, District Attorney Morganstern (Ron Leibman) decides to assign Sean as prosecutor in the case, passing over his rival and political opponent Elihu Harrison (Colm Feore). After the trial, Sean begins seeing Peggy Lindstrom (Lena Olin), a member of Vigoda’s legal team and runs for District Attorney himself. As he rises to power, he finds his position complicated when he discovers that several cops involved in Washington’s arrest were on the take. Some evidence even suggests that his father and partner may also have committed illegal acts.
The movie’s main emphasis is showing just how easily everyone’s morals and ethics can be twisted to achieve their own goals. It also presents the choices that some make afterward to protect themselves from Internal Affairs. There is corruption present in most departments. While the lead initially just wants to prosecute and win his case, the District Attorney Morganstern is focused on optics and the upcoming election. In the meantime, Morgenstern’s rival wants to see everyone fail for his own benefit. Even the defense council Vigoda has altruistic but ulterior motives in trying to expose corrupt officers. Nasty little details are also revealed about the arrest and Washington’s own relationship with police. There are also preexisting relationships between police officers, judges and attorneys that further complicate the story.
This film does a great job of detailing all of the maneuvering and complexity that is going on, from obtaining an arrest warrant to capturing a criminal and putting him on trial. The botched raid is quite tense and effectively captured, with officers accidentally gunning down one of their own in the process. All of the cast make strong impressions and Garcia does well as a romantic who sees his vision of law slowly come apart over the course of the picture.
There are a few story qualms from this reviewer. It’s juggling a lot of material and the movie is extremely hard-boiled with some of the characters constantly shouting at each other. This is fun as it occurs, but occasionally is pitched a bit too high. And while perhaps these events all could theoretically happen, Sean’s meteoric rise is a bit of a stretch (and it does seem like a conflict of interest for him to be the prosecuting attorney on a case in which his injured father is the lead witness).
However, these are minor issues. Beyond a few over-the-top moments, the film has an authentic feel (the locations and environments seem particularly genuine), features wonderful performances and makes its point in a direct and effective way. It’s a solid crime picture/courtroom drama that adds intriguing story wrinkles and makes viewers consider all of the complications in a seemingly straightforward case.
The restored image is very good. This picture utilizes real locations whenever it can, as well as simple lighting and moody outdoor shots that are occasionally foggy. The film emphasizes a real-world appearance, so the shots aren’t always jaw-droppingly clear, but this is intentional and the transfer still presents a much sharper and pleasing image throughout. I particularly liked the look of the nighttime raid and a beautifully composed scene between Sean and Joey set against a twisted bridge backdrop.
This disc contains two really wonderful archival commentary tracks as extras. The first features late director Lumet describing his directing technique and the choices he made in bringing this story to the big screen. He talks in detail about casting and, being a New Yorker himself, how much time he spends finding the right background actors in each scene. One of many fascinating comments is how he avoids trouble while shooting in rundown areas. Apparently, Lumet avoided bringing in outside security and instead hired locals living at and around the locations to help with the production. He believes it created a safe, happy environment for everyone as well as bringing much needed cash into these communities. He also notes spending a lot of time in police stations and some of the curious things he has noted in there.
Lumet discusses the locations and sets and explains why choices were made to use one or the other. During important scenes between characters, the director preferred sets based on actual places he had visited in order to avoid having to loop dialogue. The movie maker also talks about having trouble with the picture’s ending, describing two previous finales that he shot but tossed out. It’s all fascinating to listen to.
Equally enlightening is the commentary with cast members Garcia and Liebman, alongside producers Josh Kramer and Thom Mount. One of the many interesting secrets they reveal is that Lumet loves rehearsing (and shooting his rehearsals), typically for a full two weeks before production begins. Garcia says that he wasn’t initially sure of the technique, which he feared might ruin any spontaneity during the shoot, but found the opposite to be true. The actors and producers noted that everyone involved had a very clear idea of what was required and that Lumet would rarely ask for more than a couple of takes, which created an air of excitement. The producers and actors noted that movies made this way always come in under time, under budget and feature superior performances.
Additionally, there is an excellent hour-long TV episode devoted to Lumet’s career up until 2002, in which the director comments on all his films and feelings towards them. There is also a series of on-set interviews with cast members and Lumet, as well as a behind-the-scenes promo piece. A theatrical trailer and TV spots are also included. And the set comes with a booklet with an essay on the picture, production notes and more.
Night Falls on Manhattan is an engaging picture with some interesting ideas that fell between the cracks during its initial release. Thanks to this excellent release from Arrow Video, everyone can discover or revisit the movie with the best possible presentation.