Prince of the City

Prince Of The City (1981)

  • 94% of critics liked it
    (17 reviews)

  • 83% of users liked it
    (1,063 ratings)

Inspired by a true story, Prince of the City stars Treat Williams as a Manhattan detective who agrees to help the US Department of Justice weed out corruption in the NYPD. Williams agrees on the assurance that he'll never have to turn in a close friend. Wired for sound, Williams almost… More

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R,
Directed By
Written By
Sidney Lumet, Jay Presson Allen
Genres
Drama
In Theaters
Aug 19, 1981 Wide
Warner Home Video

Critic Reviews

  • Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

    One of Sidney Lumet's most complex and detailed New York City dramas about the dark, dirty side of police work, boasting a splendid performance from Treat Williams in the lead.

  • Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    Directs another Serpico, but with improvements.

  • Clint Morris, Moviehole

    The movie that should've turned Treat Williams into a huge star. This is one of Sidney Lumet's finest hours.

  • Sean Axmaker, MSN.com

    ... explores the blurred lines between virtue and vice, the tangled nature of effective cops and the messy reality of justice.

  • John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

    ...overlong, confusing, a bit muddled with too many characters, and really, really talky.

Read all 7 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Pierluigi P


    Prisons of the mind can be worse than the fisical ones. When you want atonement, to walk the right path, to come clean about your past dirty deeds, to tell the truth about the lawless world you're living into, where the only god is money; you won't come out fine. though some… More

  • jay n


    Fine performances are hindered by slow pace and the fact that the film is just too long. Original impact of story is muted by years of police proceduals.

  • Ken S


    Sidney Lumet presents Law and Order: The Movie

  • Walter M


    [font=Century Gothic]In "Prince of the City," detective Danny Ciello(Treat Williams) is the youngest member and leader of the Special Investigative Unit(SIU), an elite detective squad without supervision in New York City designated to fight the illegal drug trade. While… More

  • Danny R


    A fascinating, emotionally powerful crime drama brilliantly directed by Sidney Lumet, scripted by Jay Presson Allen & Sidney Lumet based on a true story and starring Treat Williams in the performance of his career as undercover narcotics cop Daniel Ciello who decides to reveal the… More

Read all 9 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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