Countdown in Manhattan - Ein Mann wird zum Zerfetzer!

Night of the Juggler (Robert Butler 1980) is an interesting watch. It's not only a tense thriller with good performances, but it's also one of those movies that give a great impression of New York City before the Disneyfication. Not only that: the deterioration of the city is a major theme in the movie.

You see, Gus (Cliff Gorman) is a psychopath who blames City Hall for the squalor he lives in, and the real estate magnates for the destruction of the old neighborhoods. He lives in a derelict building in The Bronx, which was once owned by his family. Now it's a pile of rubble. 'This used to be real nice up here', he says while he walks past mountains of rubble with his young kidnap victim. He's not thinking of moving. 'I'll always live here. No matter how many *racial slur* they send in to burn the place down'.

Gus has come up with a plan: kidnap the daughter of a real estate magnate, take his money and teach him a lesson. But there's a mix-up and he ends up kidnapping the kid of an ex-cop (James Brolin), who starts a frantic manhunt through NYC's underbelly to track down the kidnapper and get his daughter back. Highlights include a brawl in a peep show, a confrontation with some genuine 'Bronx warriors' and Brolin's constant fights with his former colleagues.

It's a good movie. Not a classic by any means, but I liked the fact that the depressing state of the city was not merely a visual backdrop, but also a theme in the picture. For this reason, Night of the Juggler could make for an excellent double bill with the fascinating Wolfen (Michael Wadleigh), which was made the same year and has a similar theme running though its horror story.

This movie has it all if you love raw b-movie action. Brolin plays an ex-cop turned trucker who's on a personal manhunt to catch the maniac that kidnapped his daughter on her birthday. This sets Brolin's character on a chase across NYC from the subways to strip clubs to dog pounds and beyond.

This movie was a legend back in the day for my friends and I. We caught it on late night cable, but never managed to grab the full name of the film or the stars. What we did catch was the INCREDIBLE chase scene that takes the characters from cars to buses to trains to on foot as they crisscross Manhattan. Yeah, Bullitt and The French Connection are good and all, but the Night of the Juggler chase scene makes the action in those films seem average, if not unambitious.

This movie is sort of like the pinnacle of 70s/80s street-style film making. It has the intense, raw camera work of Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris flicks, paired with a vision of New York City akin to Wild Style (and maybe even just a hint of the Warriors). The characters here are a bizarre amalgam of clichés that still excite despite being retreads in many ways.

The bottom line - score this movie if you can! Far as I know, VHS was the final destination for this film in terms of home video. I bought my copy off of the Internet years ago and the tape was so old that it was broken. But I was determined to watch this flick (because it's so good!), so I cracked the case opened and and spent hours repairing the tape myself. It's just that awesome.

Brolin stars as an ex-cop turned trucker driver who has to track down a psycho extortionist after the guy mistakenly kidnaps Brolin's daughter. Along the way he encounters pimps, prostitutes, crooked cops, youth gangs and, worst of all, his ex-wife. Ouch! Despite the horrible title (exactly what is that supposed to mean?), this is a great little thriller that captures NYC at its sleazy best. There are two great car/foot chases courtesy of stunt coordinator Chris Howell (who even had his preteen son C. Thomas Howell doing stunts on this!). Unfortunately the Media VHS I have is so dark during the last 15 minutes that it is hard to make out exactly what is happening (it is a chase through the sewers). Also featuring Julie Carmen, Dan Hedaya, Mandy Patinkin and porn star Sharon Mitchell (who also appeared in William Lustig's MANIAC).

Columbia went far over the top with NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER! This has got to be the biggest raunchiest production ever released by them! Late-night junkies who saw this on TBS, listen hard! Go out and find the REAL uncut video release starring James Brolin. You'll see what I mean because all the explicitness of its violent subject matter were heavily cut on TV, making it mediocre by comparison. Brolin is an ex-cop searching for his kidnapped daughter (and some answers!), but he faces both urban gangs and the cops at the same time. This may have been his most ambitious role yet as an actor, as he roughs up almost anybody he encounters! Plenty of mean, dirty, and exciting action keeps boredom away. Its urbanized setting and mystery elements make up for a too simple plot. Surprisingly, it's worth a look....if you can find it!

This is an amazing movie if you enjoy hoards of that classic New York ghettoness which we all remember from the 70'sand 80's.

Highlights include abandoned housing, crackers, strippers, guys firing shotguns in the middle of the street, a vicious dog mauling and other crazy antics. Other interesting incidents include the Puerto Rican gang fights , car part stripping in what looks like the Bronx, and to top it off the main plot involves the kidnapping of a child

But ladies and gentlemen, this one ain't about the plot, so bust out your favorite beer and sit down for a wild ride down crack street deep in the jungle of the Big Apple!