Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- manic
- sardonic
- bleak
- late night noir viewing
- crime movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the colorful supporting performances and the film's energetic neo-noir acting while finding the direction overly busy and the central performance divisive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Harry Fabian relies on fine talk and schemes to enter boxing promotion despite knowing nothing about the sport, escalating his own problems.
Harry navigates promoters, fighters, lawyers, and fixers through New York's boxing milieu, with every opportunity tied to exploitation.
The film combines Harry's manic hustling and colorful dialogue with a grim downward spiral and disreputable supporting characters.
The direction and acting emphasize Harry's frantic energy, colorful criminal milieu, and heightened desperation within a neo-noir framework.
Films like Night and the City, and why
The King of Comedy
shared neo-noir atmosphere, criminal underworld, desperate schemer protagonist, and morally compromised urban characters
Mean Streets
shared crime drama, fast-talking hustler energy, tragicomic desperation, and robert de niro lead performance
Mona Lisa
shared neo-noir fatalism, boxing-world corruption, volatile criminal relationships, and downward-spiral structure
The Set-Up
shared boxing subculture, crime-centered drama, disreputable operators, and bleakly comic tone
Movie Details
- Director
- Irwin Winkler
- Release Date
- 1992-10-16
- Runtime
- 105 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (82)
Cast
- Robert De Niro
- Jessica Lange
- Cliff Gorman
- Alan King
- Jack Warden
- Eli Wallach
- Barry Primus
- Gene Kirkwood
- Gerard Murphy
- Clem Caserta
Common questions
- What is Night and the City about?
- A disgraced New York lawyer talks his way into boxing promotion and drags his already fragile relationship toward criminal catastrophe.
- What is Night and the City like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Night and the City as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Night and the City violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Night and the City as moderate.
- What did critics think of Night and the City?
- Critics broadly praised the colorful supporting performances and the film's energetic neo-noir acting while finding the direction overly busy and the central performance divisive.
- Which films are like Night and the City?
- Films with a similar feel include The King of Comedy, Mean Streets, Mona Lisa, and The Set-Up.
- How long is Night and the City?
- Night and the City runs 105 minutes.
