City Hall . Tucson Weekly . 02-15-96

City Hall

DIRECTED BY: Harold Backer

REVIEWED: 02-15-96

Does Al Pacino ever rest? This tale of political intrigue has him playing the mayor of New York, a principled and moral manipulator, if you can picture that. John Cusack plays Kevin Calhoun, the mayor's right-hand man who gets sucked into a murder investigation. It's a man's world out there--there are hardly any women in this movie except Bridget Fonda, who rushes through her small role like she can't wait to get out of there. The main appeal of this movie is the excellent acting by Cusack andDanny Aiello, as well as a refreshingly restrained performance by Pacino, but the story never rises above mediocre. After this movie one guy leaving the theater started yelling, "That was terrible! Now I know why I don't go to movies anymore: They suck!" I wouldn't say it was that bad, but I don't think it's worth $7 to sit in the fetid air of a multiplex and inhale mediocrity.

--Stacey Richter

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