They skimp on subway graffiti, but everything else is in place on this tip-top template of grit & grunge ‘80s NYC style, the Daily News FORD TO CITY; DROP DEAD era of near bankruptcy and soaring violence. You know, the good old days. TV director Robert Butler, stepped in when journeyman hack Sidney J. Furie ankled*, while leads James Brolin and Cliff Gorman only feel like they’re stepping in for starrier names. (Cheaper than the A-team, say Kurt Russell and Al Pacino, but here, the B-team probably a better choice, lesser stars & director offering a useful lack of polish and upping the film’s ‘gonzo’ factor.) Brolin, ex-cop/truck driver, gives chase (by foot/by car; pedestrians be damned) when his teenage daughter is mistakenly kidnapped by Gorman who thinks he’s grabbed a real estate developer’s kid. And we’re off; never stopping to look back on a race thru parks, avenues & down & dirty city streets. (Bonus points for getting Manhattan logistics right for a change.) Local obstacles include traffic jams; street gangs; crashes; even the police. One in particular, Dan Hedaya, has a beef to settle with Brolin. Only top detective Richard S. Castellano (unbeatable here) understanding what’s going on. This mid-range actioner deserves its cult following. Find it on-line now in halfway decent prints; or wait for the upgrade coming from Kino Lorber, as detailed in the LINK below.
DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: After the unintentionally ironically named ‘Fun City’ of the ‘60s, ‘70s Manhattan ran on fumes, with films like ACROSS 110TH STREET/’72 and THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE/’74 pointing the way toward ‘80s Manhattan Armageddon. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2015/04/across-110th-street-1972.html https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2008/06/taking-of-pelham-one-two-three-1974.html
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID/LINK: More on JUGGLER’s difficult path to restoration and distribution. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/30/movies/night-of-the-juggler.html
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