Themes: Inner City Blues, Social Injustice, Race Relations
Main Cast: Vincent Spano, Joe Morton, Tony Lo Bianco, Anthony John Denison, Barbara Williams
Release Year: 1991
Country: US
Run Time: 132 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
A city pulses with racial problems, political corruption, and small-time crime in this ambitious microcosm of urban life, written and directed by John Sayles. Nick Rinaldi (Vincent Spano), a lost soul usually high on drink and drugs, has spent his life in one New Jersey city, getting free rides from his connected father (Tony LoBianco) and hearing the locals talk of his brother's death in Vietnam. Searching for more control, Nick quits the cushy contractor's job provided by his Dad, feeling that major events are about to happen to him. That feeling proves accurate -- by film's end his life will change, as will the lives of many others. Nick is only the center of the movie's sprawling collection of people and plotlines; Sayles takes full advantage of this expansive landscape, as he often begins shooting one conversation, only to pull back and eavesdrop on another, in one smooth, intriguing shot. By listening in, we slowly learn about the citizens and their dilemmas, as the city's woes bubble to a narrative climax. Many of Sayles' regular players are on-screen (the movie features 52 roles), including Joe Morton as a frustrated councilman and David Strathairn as a disturbed street person. ~ Norm Schrager, All Movie Guide
Review
In City of Hope, John Sayles thrusts the audience right into a drama playing out in their own backyard. And what a crowded backyard it is. The mythical city in turmoil is populated with more than a banana bunch of characters. Like Robert Altman, the main American purveyor of ensemble filming, Sayles manages to keep his balls in the air with remarkable acumen. He switches conversations and viewpoints so often that it's remarkable that a story finds its way through, unlike Richard Linklater's gimmicky Slacker from the same year. The film sometimes strays a little too close to a soap opera for a writer of Sayles's ability, but the quality cast keeps everything human and all of the players individualized. Joe Morton and David Strathairn, two of Sayles's regulars and two of America's most underrated actors, stand out, as does Vincent Spano. The scenes between Spano and Tony Lo Bianco (his father) and Barbara Williams his love interest) are worth the price of admission. Sayles, a true American auteur, once again writes, directs, edits, and has a role in the film. ~ Brendon Hanley, All Movie Guide
John Sayles - Carl; Bill Raymond - Les; Angela Bassett - Reesha; Chris Cooper - Riggs; Gloria Foster - Jeanette; Josh Mostel - Mad Anthony; Jace Alexander - Bobby; Ray Aranha - Errol; Bernard Canepari - Stroczyk; Dale Carman - Roger; Jude Ciccolella - Paddy; Miriam Colon - Mrs. Ramirez; Tony Davis - Kyle; Jon de Vries - Dean Milford; Darryl Edwards - Franklin; Frankie R. Faison - Levonne; Gina Gershon - Laurie; Todd Graff - Zip; Rose Gregorio - Pina; John Griesemer - Thomas; Joe Grifasi - Pauly; Serafin Jovet - Ramirez; Maeve Kinkead - Christine; S.J. Lang - Bauer; Marianne Leone - Joann; Eileen Lynch - Dawn; Michael Mantell - Zimmer; Randle Mell - Simms; Stephen Mendillo - Yoyo; Olga Merediz - Nidia; Bob North - District Attorney; Steve Randazzo - Gus; Blair Shannon - Security Guard; Jojo Smollett - Desmond; David Strathairn - Asteroid; Lawrence Tierney - Kerrigan; Kevin Tighe - O'Brien; Scott Tiler - Vinnie; Jaime Tirelli - Fuentes; Edward Jay Townsend, Jr. - Tito; Ginny Yang - Suzanne; Charlie Yanko - Stavros; Louis Zorich - Mayor Baci; Mason K. Daring - Peter; John Farris - Kevin; Maggie Renzi - Connie; Tom Wright - Malik; Barbara Hewson Shapiro
Credit
Charles B. Plummer - Art Director, John Dunn - Costume Designer, John Sayles - Director, John Sayles - Editor, Mason K. Daring - Composer (Music Score), Dan Bishop - Production Designer, Dianna Freas - Production Designer, Robert Richardson - Cinematographer, Sarah Green - Producer, Maggie Renzi - Producer, John Sloss - Producer, Harold Welb - Producer, Carolyn Cartwright - Set Designer, John Sayles - Screenwriter
City of Hope is a not-for profit organization that gives hope to patients with life-threatening diseases such as cancer, diabetes, HIV, and neurodegenerative disorders. The organization provides patient care through its Helford Clinical Research Hospital which has some 145 beds and its Village Hospice facility which includes 40 units. The organization has been designated by the National Cancer Institute as a comprehensive cancer hospital. City of Hope also conducts biomedical research at its Beckman Research Institute. It even manufactures biological drugs and conducts its own clinical trials of new therapies. City of Hope was founded in 1913.
Key numbers for fiscal year ending September, 2008: Sales: $964.1M
Officers:
President and CEO: Michael A. Friedman
EVP and COO: Virginia A. Opipare
EVP Development and External Affairs: Kathleen L. Kane
The film tells the story of Nick Rinaldi (Vincent Spano), who has spent his life in one New Jersey city, getting a free ride from his well-connected father (Tony LoBianco) and hearing the locals talk of his brother's death in Vietnam. He's usually high on drink and drugs.
As Rinaldi searches for more self control, he quits the contractor's job provided by his father, feeling that major events are about to happen in his life.
By the film's end his life will change, as will the lives of many others.
Film critic Roger Ebert wrote, "City of Hope is a powerful film, and an angry one. It is impossible not to find echoes of its despair on the front pages every day. It asks a hard question: Is it possible for a good person to prevail in a corrupt system, just simply because right is on his side? The answer, in the short run, is that power is stronger than right. The notion of a long run, of course, is all that keeps hope alive."[2]
The staff at Variety magazine wrote, "John Sayles' ambitious, wide-ranging study of corruption and community in a small Eastern city has as many parallel plots and characters as Hill Street Blues, while at the same time having a richness of theme and specificity of vision more common to serious cinema."[3]
Film critics Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat wrote about the varied aspects of the film, writing, "Through the diverse activities of over three dozen characters in this film, we see some of the major challenges of urban living including crime, political chicanery, the patronage system, the demise of the work ethic, the rapacious side of capitalism, and the high cost of civic apathy. City of Hope helps us see that community is enriched or torn apart by the ethical decisions we make every day."[4]
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 93% of critics gave the film a positive review, based on 15 reviews."[5]
Distribution
The producers used the following tagline to market the film:
Welcome to the American city. You buy your way in, and you fight your way out. Who says it's a free country?
