City Hall Reviews

More like Shitty Hall.

The acting is fairly good all around in this solid suspense film, but the script is a little too uninvolving to rise above a level of mediocrity. Pacino is superb, of course, performing with a range of emotions most actors can only dream of.

I have to say, I do like my political thrillers like the next person, but human interest and direct emotional connection must always be the primary concern of a movie, i my opinion. This one is just a mess and a confused and entangled heap of intrigue and chess, with no room for the characters to breath and spread the human energy. A stale and dry offering which never clicks, despite the good cast.

Started off good at the beginning but then it started to turn into just another movie.The speech Al Pacino gave at the kids funearal was Waaaaaay overdone

Only giving it 3 because of al pacino. Amazing monologues and the emotion was good but it was just so slow at times and everything was so haphazardly hard to follow, i got lost.

I think when it comes to this kind of movie, intense thriller of who is really behind the crime.....John Cusack is a master, I love his acting

Average in almost every way. Aiello was pretty good. If you think Pacino is good in this, you're an idiot. He's miscast and brings no emotional depth. Waste of talent, no suspense, no reason to care.

Outside of maybe Two For The Money, this is the worst Al Pacino movie I've ever seen. Of course it's more of a John Cusack movie than an Al Pacino movie, and when Pacino is in it, he's brilliant, as always.

I had to watch this my senior year in college to get a better idea of how city governments work. Was so-so. Nothing great.

Oh my! this is such a good movie...if you like this kinda stuff which I do! and Al Pacino did a marvalous job as always.

this movie is great with the way it is filmed and keeps you on your toes but pay atttention if you watch it...you'll love it

Pacino is good, but the movie is a bit formulaic

Think of it as a serious version of spin city with a little detective story tossed in.This film is by and large underrated and represents a solid effort at political drama, not a subject often explored in mid 90's big screen offerings. If there are some weak points to the story, which admittedly can be found in its pacing, they are made up for in the overall arc of the plot. The narrative explores the pitfalls of big city politics at the end of the 20th century subtlety making references to the news cycle and political spin without an overly moralistic approach. Solid performances from Pacino, Aiello and the supporting cast including Richard Schiff from the West Wing and Martin Landau, outweigh the lightweight showing from some of the other cast members.

quite good movie, because Al PAcino and Cusack rly work together, but some other characters were just too ingenuous. Mayor Pacino should be a future lead for the NYC politics, but of course he has to act better than Pappas! I didnt fully understand the ending of the movie, but I guess Calhoun had his little revenge.

underrated powerhouse

Should have been so much more but not bad.

It was pretty good but very boring, but performances are good and not bad all round.

The script is lazy, confused and left the actors with little to work with. With a great cast of talent, City Hall is truly underwhelming. I would be surprised to find someone able to finish the movie. The first thirty minutes make you believe in the potential of the film, but quickly it detours the minute Cusack and Fonda get off the train in the snow. This movie is full of cliches (Fonda: "who da thunk it?") and poor writing (Fonda: "I got a question for ya- are you hungry?"). SO bad this movie is, please grab the acid reducer pills and prepare for a room full of groans and sighs.
Pacino's speech in the church is nauseating. Way overacted, but who can blame him? Cusack wanders between accent and no accent and at times appears bored in the film. Fonda is embarassingly bad with a performance worthy of a high school drama.
Save yourself the trouble and avoid this trainwreck, as you cannot change City Hall.

Although enjoyed it to the limit, but it failed to let the plot boil up to seek the suspense at the end of the film.

The plot is coherent, and the script has some true gems (Al Pacino's speeches above all).
The icing on the cake are John Cusack's and Al Pacino's strong performances.

Despite ticking many boxes off, the movie does not have the stature of a classic though, and is easily forgettable, lacking an original view on the various topics it deals with and energy in the direction.