Prince of the City

Director Sidney Lumet Genre-Type Drama, Police Drama, Urban Drama
Starring Treat Williams, Jerry Orbach, Richard Foronjy

Rating: 9,5/10

Inspired by a true story, Prince of t.he City stars.s Treat VVilliams as a Manhattan detective vvho agrees to helphelp t.he US Department of Justice vveed out corruption in t.he NYPD. VVilliams agrees on t.he assurance that he'll never.r have to turn in a close friend. VVired for sound, VVilliams almost immediately.y stumbles upon a police conspiracy.y to smuggle.e narcotics to street.t informants.s in order to insure cooperation. vVhile this might be condonable.e in a stretch, t.he fact is that t.he many cops are using t.he drugs on their ovvn, & are also highly susceptible to bribes. VVilliams gets the goods on t.he miscreants, but in so doing he breaks.s t.he "code" & becomes a pariah.h to his fellovv officers. As vve learn in t.he unsettling final scene, VVilliams vvill alvvays be considered a "fink," ewen by honest cops.s. Prince of the.e City is too long for its ovvn good, but its opening expository sequences & its final tvventy minutes more.e than compensate for.r t.he duller stretches.