"I know the law. The law doesn't know the streets."

Prince Of The City (1981)
****
Dir: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Lindsay Crouse, James Tolkan
MPAA: R

Sidney Lumet has made some of my all-time favorite movies (12 Angry Men and Deathtrap being particular standouts), and I was still stunned by how gripping and powerful this sprawling tale of police corruption was.

Treat Williams is Danny Ciello, a cop who, despite not being entirely on the side of the angels himself, is lured into a sting operation to curtail police corruption. He's in virtually every scene of a 167-minute movie featuring over 125 speaking roles, and he OWNS it. From his brash cockiness as the story unfolds to his rage and disillusionment as the operation drags on, he is mesmerizing, aided by a who's-who of versatile New York character actors. 

This is a procedural in the truest sense. There aren't any shootouts or explosions, no over-the-top movie moments that remind you that oh yeah, you're watching a movie. Despite all the recognizable faces in the cast (mostly unknowns at the time, including Williams) the movie feels real, like if you touched the screen your hand would come back covered in authentic NYC grime.

Speaking of NYC, Lumet and cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak (which I just spelled from memory, go me!) create a world that feels lived-in and foreboding, while also managing some truly beautiful shots of the city and its surrounding boroughs. The movie is hardly a travelogue, but it presents a New York now lost to gentrification, a place that is at times dangerous, alluring, and not just a little bit seedy. 

If you haven't seen it, I couldn't give you a higher recommendation. It's a frank, sometimes brutal meditation on the nature of honesty that is thoroughly engaging all the way through to the bitter final line. It's also a master class in wringing tension out of scenes that show nothing but people talking. Don't be daunted by the epic length...epics don't get more intimate than this.