Night of the Juggler (1980) Columbia/Action-Thriller RT: 101 minutes Rated R (language, strong violence, nudity, sexual references, sleaze) Director: Robert Butler Screenplay: Rick Natkin and Bill Norton Sr. Music: Artie Kane Cinematography: Victor J. Kemper Release date: April 1980 (US) Cast: James Brolin, Cliff Gorman, Richard Castellano, Abby Bluestone, Julie Carmen, Dan Hedaya, Sully Boyar, Linda G. Miller, Barton Heyman, Mandy Patinkin, Marco St. John, Frank Adu, Dorothy Lyman, Steve Inwood, Saundra McClain, Delphi Harrington, Robyn Finn, Arthur French, Richard Gant. Box Office: N/A
Rating: ***
Some movies are merely sleazy, but Night of the Juggler wallows in sleaze like a pig in you-know-what. Given that it’s set in pre-Giuliani New York City circa late 70s/early 80s, you shouldn’t expect otherwise. Director Robert Butler (Up the Creek) takes the audience to places like 42nd Street, Times Square and the South Bronx in this story of an ex-cop (Brolin, The Amityville Horror) destroying half the city while trying to rescue his 13YO daughter from the clutches of the psychopath (Gorman, Angel) that kidnapped her in broad daylight.
Adapted from the novel by William P. McGivern (The Big Heat), Night of the Juggler is a surprisingly effective action-thriller that makes great use of its natural locations while keeping the audience riveted with some really cool action sequences and a hero that’s equally tough and likable. I remember when it played in theaters here in Philadelphia circa spring ’80. As I recall, it didn’t get very good reviews and was gone in about a week, two at the most. I didn’t get to see it until summer ’84 when it aired on Cinemax late one Saturday night. I thought it was totally bad ass! I recently came across my old VHS copy of Night of the Juggler and decided to pop it into my trusty old VCR. Guess what? I still dig it!
The bad guy/kidnapper is one Gus Soltic and he’s fed up. He hates what’s happened to his beloved home city, the South Bronx. He lives in a vacant building amidst the rubble, garbage, abandoned cars and gang violence. While he blames minorities- blacks and Puerto Ricans, I won’t print the actual terms he uses- for the current state of things, he also holds a wealthy real estate developer responsible, believing he masterminded it. Gus’ plan is to kidnap his young daughter and hold her for a million dollars in ransom. Well, it just so happens that she bears a close resemblance to Kathy (Bluestone, Little Darlings), the daughter of ex-cop Sean Boyd. On this day, the two girls happen to be wearing nearly the same outfit, so you can see why Guy ends up snatching the wrong kid. Oh boy, does he ever grab the wrong kid! Boyd hears her scream, sees him dragging her into his car and naturally gives chase. Let me tell you, this dude is un-freaking-stoppable. He causes quite a bit of damage and gets arrested by Lt. Tonelli (Castellano, The Godfather), a typical NYC cop with a lot on his plate.
Now you’d think that Boyd has enough to worry about with his daughter being snatched, but he’s about to hit an additional snag in the form of a former colleague, Sgt. Barnes (Hedaya, Running Scared), who blames him for almost destroying his career and marriage by reporting him for illegal activity while on the job. Barnes wants his pound of flesh and doesn’t care about finding Boyd’s daughter. Boyd manages to escape from the police station to continue his search with a shotgun-toting Barnes in close pursuit. Meanwhile, Gus calls the family whose daughter he thinks he has and freaks them out enough for the father (St. John, Tightrope) to bring in Lt. Tonelli. Eventually, he manages to piece together this situation with Boyd’s. Hey, give the guy a break, he has a lot on his mind like his daughter’s upcoming nuptials. Yes, weddings are expensive and complicated. Boyd gets help from Maria (Carmen, Blue City), a city worker who enters the picture a bit late in the game. Too bad, I would have liked to have seen more of her.
Night of the Juggler has a distinctive New York flavor with its colorful characters (love the cabbies!) and gritty surroundings. I’ve always been fascinated by Times Square before good old Rudy cleaned it up. Much like The French Connection from ’71, it documents a major city at a particular point in time. High crime rates, racial tensions, dirty cops, burned-out buildings, street gangs terrorizing decent people …. feeling nostalgic yet? Filmed in summer ’79, Butler perfectly captures the Big Apple during the hot months, a time when New Yorkers are more volatile than usual.
Night of the Juggler really gives you a sense of time, place and history. It’s also a fairly exciting action movie which is really what you came for, am I right? It gives you plenty of bang for your buck and does so without spending hundreds of millions of dollars on fancy CGI effects. In the course of his pursuit, Boyd wrecks a lot of cars and kicks a lot of ass while still remaining grounded in some form of reality. Night of the Juggler may not be completely plausible, but you’re willing to accept what transpires because the hero’s actions are very personal. What father wouldn’t risk death if something like this happened to his child?
Brolin is very good as Boyd, as fallible a hero as they come. It was his strong sense of right and wrong that caused him to lose his job when the NYPD laid off all those cops. It also brought about the end of his marriage. But did we really need the scene between him and his ex-wife (Miller, An Unmarried Woman)? It just slows things down. Gorman is very good as the slimy, racist creep who has Boyd’s daughter. Man, this guy is all over the map with his peculiarities. He appears to have a mother fixation as evidenced by him dressing Kathy in one of her old dresses. It’s also suggested he might have a thing for children even though he kills a wino for making similar advances towards the girl. One thing for sure, Gus is one sick mo-fo! Castellano is good as the cop leading the hunt for Gus. He’s overworked and spread thin, but nonetheless determined to solve the crime. Bluestone does well as Kathy. She’s scared, but not one of those simpering kids crying for her daddy. Did I mention that it’s her birthday? Uh huh, kidnapped and held by a psycho for the 13th birthday. Not the best theme for a birthday party.
All in all, I really like Night of the Juggler. It’s sleazy, gritty and action packed. Brolin is a solid leading man. Butler directs with a sure hand. It’s a really good movie. So what if it didn’t win over critics or audiences?
