Night Of The Juggler

Night of the Juggler (1980)

Runtime: 101 minutes

Directed by: At least some of it by Sidney J. Furie, but also by Robert Butler

Starring: James Brolin, Cliff Gorman, Richard S. Castellano, Linda Miller, Barton Heyman

From: Columbia

Today I went to the sleazy side by watching a cult favorite which is at least partially a cult movie due to it never being officially on disc for various reasons. Some people wanted me to see it and it turns out their recommendation was correct and I rate it quite highly. The Letterboxd review is below and I'll return tomorrow night.

Due to some prodding from a few people on a messageboard, I was finally given enough motivation to see this film, which is barely remembered today except for a cult following. It was only released on VHS and has never officially been on disc. Conjecture says that it's because the film's rights are now owned by some sort of soap company (!) and while there are a number of well-known independent outlets that can put it out on Blu, I guess they've refused all offers up to now. It's a shame. Yes, I'll admit I watched it on YouTube as that's really the only way to see it now.

The film is rather ridiculous and over the top and immoral... but in a gleeful manner. Sean Boyd (James Brolin, w/magnificent beard) is an ex-cop turned truck driver who is back home in New York City after completing a run. His daughter is celebrating her 15th birthday and she's off to school... until she's kidnapped by a racist psychopath (Cliff Gorman) who mistakenly believes he has taken the kid of a rich family, who will acquiesce and pay him a large ransom. Boyd sees the kidnapping and off we go, starting with a long chase scene and from there the breakneck pace rarely lets up as he is ultra-determined to get his daughter back, no matter if it's dealing with a no-nonsense cop (Richard S. Castellano), a Sergeant that he used to work with but he exposed was doing something illegal (Dan Hedaya) and the Sergeant is looking for revenge, or a wide variety of colorful and wacky characters who are happy to say politically incorrect things.

While I understand how some would think it's an unflattering look at New York City, I wasn't too bothered by that and instead I marveled at how that place was so bad that a kidnapping could happen in a busy park and no one bats an eye, or how the South Bronx looked so bad and burned-out it looked like it had just survived the apocalypse. Yet all those vivid characters you meet on the journey are rather memorable and earthy it makes the film feel real and alive... even when you see such things as a police officer trying to kill Boyd with shotgun blasts... on a crowded public street. Liam Neeson's Taken this is not in the genre of "rescuing your kidnapped daughter".

The cast does help with their performances. Brolin is aces as the dad who simply wishes to save his kid. Besides the people I already mentioned there's Mandy Patinkin in a small role as a Puerto Rican cab driver who... well, “manic” may not be a strong enough word for how crazed he acts but he was definitely memorable. The score from Artie Kane was unforgettable too and I don't know what the ratio is but I understand at least parts of the film were done by Sidney J. Furie before he left and Robert Butler (who once directed a Disney film but later went on to do such goofy films as Turbulence and Up the Creek) did the rest.

If you enjoy films involving the Sleazy New York City of old-or just enjoy trashy motion pictures in general-then this is a must-see and maybe one of these days it'll finally be able to be released on disc and find a larger modern audience.