By Desson Howe
Washington Post Staff Writer
February 16, 1996
The ultimate verdict on "City Hall" is easy: It's no good. The movie, a corruption-in-the-city saga starring Al Pacino, John Cusack and Bridget Fonda, ends on such a false, unsatisfying note, any faith you had built up in the movie is dashed. But that there's faith to lose in the first place is something of an achievement.
What prevents "City Hall" from being an outright failure is its intriguing sense of detail. Between the story's formulaic convolutions, we get to know the everyday workings of New York Mayor John Pappas (an enjoyably flamboyant Pacino): the way he strikes deals with makeshift allies, handles the political crises of the day and puts the best face on everything for the voracious media. This element of the movie—one assumes—comes chiefly from co-scriptwriter Ken Lipper, a former deputy mayor of New York under Ed Koch.
Unfortunately, the rest is Hollywood bunk. Central character Kevin Calhoun (Cusack), a go-getting, idealistic mayoral aide, believes in good government and his boss. He and the mayor make a great, efficient team. Calhoun paves the way for Pappas's public appearances, writes his speeches, then whisks him off to the next photo opportunity. Working on the mayor's behalf, he also deals quietly and firmly with the city's movers and shakers. Pappas, who's big on public displays of sincerity, spares no effort to charm his constituents and keep the city running.
Things become particularly nettlesome when a gun battle in Brooklyn leaves a detective, a drug dealer and a 6-year-old black child dead. Calhoun takes this politically dangerous matter in perfect stride, trying to get to the bottom of the story. But, as you might expect, Calhoun finds out there's more to this event than mere tragedy. His investigations bring him face to face with, among others, Brooklyn political boss Frank Anselmo (Danny Aiello), Judge Walter Stern (Martin Landau) and Marybeth Cogan (Fonda), an attorney for the Detective's Endowment Association who's highly suspicious about the matter.
"City Hall," directed by Harold ("Sea of Love") Becker, does a good job of establishing a complicated situation and, initially, making it engrossing. But the movie quickly becomes overwrought, a broth spoiled by a scriptwriting committee of big-name cooks Paul Schrader, Bo Goldman and Nicholas Pileggi.
Although the character he plays isn't a perfect creation, Pacino keeps the film going longer than it deserves. Unfortunately, he participates in the worst scene of all: a funeral for the child, at which he delivers a hand-wringing speech before black mourners who blame him for the tragedy. After delivering a speech which—to any movie audience member—comes across as complete B.S., he wows this crowd to cheers, as if they're the most gullible people that ever drew breath. The conclusions to be drawn are not pleasant. And the scene, fairly early in the movie, heralds other false notes to come, including a dreadful, unconvincing conclusion that tries to hoodwink you much like Mayor Pappas does.
CITY HALL (R) — Contains profanity and violence.
Top of This Movie PagencG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZMSxedKrrWirpK65pnvLqKWgrJWnunC5zq%2Bgnqtfq7alsc6sZpyhpK61orjLZ5%2BtpQ%3D%3D