NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER (1980)

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