Rotten Tomatoes
Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Plot Against Harry

Play trailer Poster for The Plot Against Harry 1990 1h 21m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Dour Jewish mobster Harry Plotnick is finally released from prison after two decades. Returning to a very different world, Harry tries to ease back into his criminal ways on his old turf, but it soon becomes clear that he's thoroughly out-dated. When he encounters his ex-wife and his now-adult daughters, whom he doesn't even know, he decides to clean up his act.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Plot Against Harry

Critics Reviews

View More
Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 05/12/2022
3/4
Harry is basically a sad, sweet character, a classic fall guy, but Roemer doesn’t try to sentimentalize him or steer away from his more callous traits. Go to Full Review Richard Brody The New Yorker 10/06/2014
Bares unhealed and unspoken wounds of New York Jewish life. Go to Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 05/14/2005
3.5/4
The Plot Against Harry is one of those comedies with a sprung rhythm, so that the jokes pay off by working against themselves. Go to Full Review Mark Demetrius FILMINK (Australia) 10/05/2024
14/20
It’s unclear just what it’s trying to say — or even be — and may be less than the sum of its parts, but those parts are impressive. Go to Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills 11/30/2023
...the film’s sensibility was simply ahead of its time, anticipating the bubbling-under ensemble humor of 1970s Robert Altman joints and deadpan 1980s efforts by Jarmusch & co... Go to Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 04/02/2012
A
Wickedly funny and observant slice of life NYC gangster pic, that's decidedly Jewish, quirky and anarchistic. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
06/01/2014 The Plot against Harry is hilarious and often poignant. It was shot in 1969 but was held up because of a lack of completion funding. B&w pic is a sociological fossil of manners, mores and life in the 1960s. See more 04/01/2008 A slice of life film along the lines of movies like "Shadows", "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie", and "Killer of Sheep". The story is fairly loosely structured, though with a more clear beginning, middle, and end then the aforementioned movies. It really hinges on the performance of Martin Priest as Harry, a Sad Sack of a second-tier Jewish mobster, who slowly and mostly accidentally ingratiates himself back into the life of his estranged family. It's really Priest's performance that makes this so enjoyable. His hang-dog "Why me?" expression makes you root for him even though he is a bit of a heel. It's also another great example of the great independent filmmaking of the '60's and '70's that Harry's moment of clarity is a subtle one; in a modern movie, it would probably be accompanied by a swelling score and over-the-top waterworks to make it beyond obvious that we're seeing Harry's redemption, but thankfully here the filmmakers trust the audience to make that discovery on their own. A quick, satisfying watch. See more Read all reviews
The Plot Against Harry

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

View All

Michael Roemer

Director

Martin Priest

Harry Plotnick

Ben Lang

Leo

Henry Nemo

Max

Maxine Woods

Kay

Jacques Taylor

Jack
View All

The Plot Against Harry

View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Dour Jewish mobster Harry Plotnick is finally released from prison after two decades. Returning to a very different world, Harry tries to ease back into his criminal ways on his old turf, but it soon becomes clear that he's thoroughly out-dated. When he encounters his ex-wife and his now-adult daughters, whom he doesn't even know, he decides to clean up his act.
Director
Michael Roemer
Producer
Robert M. Young, Michael Roemer
Screenwriter
Michael Roemer
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Production Co
King Screen Productions
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 12, 1990, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Apr 26, 2005
Runtime
1h 21m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
Most Popular at Home Now