City Hall (1996)

Al Pacino	Mayor John Pappas
John Cusack	Deputy Mayor Kevin Calhoun
Bridget Fonda	Marybeth Cogan
Danny Aiello	Frank Anselmo
Martin Landau	Judge Walter Stern
David Paymer	Abe Goodman
Anthony Franciosa	Paul Zapatti
Richard Schiff	Larry Schwartz
Lindsay Duncan	Sydney Pappas
Nestor Serrano	Det. Eddie Santos
Mel Winkler	Det. Albert Holly

Director	Harold Becker
Producer	Harold Becker Ken Lipper Charles Mulvehill Elizabeth Carroll
Writer	Ken Lipper Paul Schrader Nicholas Pileggi

Three A-list screenwriters — ( Nicholas Pileggi , Bo Goldman , and Paul Schrader ) — contributed to the script of this idealistic political drama. John Pappas ( Al Pacino ) is the popular, ethical Mayor of New York; Kevin Calhoun ( John Cusack ) is his even more idealistic and principled deputy. When a detective and mobster kill each other and an innocent six-year-old black child in a shootout, questions arise about what the cop was doing meeting with the gangster in the first place. The Mayor and his staff handle the situation ably, but Calhoun digs deeper and finds troubling evidence that even his seemingly incorruptible boss has not escaped the shadier aspects of political life. The Mafia boss ( Tony Franciosa ) whose nephew was the dead gangster, along with a Brooklyn political boss ( Danny Aiello ) with his own agenda, come into the story, becoming part of a series of larger links, secret relationships, and bonds of "honor" between men who, on the surface, would have no reason to be in business with each other. — Don Kaye

Edition Details
Chapters	30
Release Date	7/27/1999
Packaging	Snap Case
Screen Ratio	1.85:1
Subtitles	English; French
Audio Tracks	ENGLISH: Dolby Digital Surround [CC] FRENCH: Dolby Digital Surround
Layers	Dual Side, Single Layer
No. of Disks/Tapes	1

Personal Details
Purchase Date	2/4/2003
Owner	Thomas Eisenmann
Store	WalMart
Purchase Price	$7.88
Condition	Excellent
Reviewed	Widescreen Review
Bit Rate	192 KB
Anamophic	Yes
Links	IMDB

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Story Synopsis:
City Hall is the suspenseful drama with Al Pacino as popular New York City Mayor John Pappas and his idealistic aide Kevin Calhoun (Cusack). A formidable team, they deftly handle the daily crossfire of crime, poverty and urban politics until the morning when, during a shoot-out between a cop and a drug dealer, a six-year-old child is killed in the crossfire. In that moment, the fabric of City Hall begins to unravel, torn by the suspicious events that led to the deadly confrontation.

DVD Picture:
The anamorphically enhanced DVD, viewed in component video exhibits nicely rendered image quality in all aspects. While the LaserDisc reviewed in issue 22 was slightly dark, the DVD is more refined, with improved clarity, shadow delineation and contrast. Images are sharp and finely detailed, with good resolution throughout. Colors are naturally balanced, with accurate fleshtones, warm colors and deep, pure blacks. Minor pixelization is apparent, as well as edge-enhancement for a picture that is otherwise pleasing throughout. The anamorphic and letterbox aspect ratio measures 1.78:1.

Soundtrack:
The Dolby® Digital matrix encoded Dolby Surround soundtrack is quite conventional. Dialogue is the predominant element of the sound mix, and sometimes sounds a bit close-miked. The music is nicely recorded and is spatial in dimension. Sound effects, as well, are generally multidimensional. There is also effective use of surround envelopment.