Episode 318 - Prince of the City
Welcome back to Not A Bomb, the podcast where we resurrect cinema’s most infamous box office disasters and ask the burning question: is it a bomb? This week, Troy and Brad descend into the gritty, morally tangled world of Sidney Lumet’s 1981 neo‑noir crime epic Prince of the City. It’s one of those underseen gems that cinephiles whisper about, critics champion, and everyone else somehow missed entirely.
Prince of the City follows a narcotics detective pulled into a sprawling corruption investigation, and the deeper he goes, the more the film tightens its grip. At the center of it all is Treat Williams, delivering a performance so raw, so committed, and so quietly devastating that it’s honestly a “treat” to watch him work. This is the kind of role actors dream about, and Williams attacks it with a mix of vulnerability and intensity that feels almost dangerous. If you ever needed proof he was one of the most underrated actors of his era, this is the movie.
Troy and Brad dig into Lumet’s meticulous direction, the film’s sprawling cast of morally compromised characters, and the real‑life case that inspired the story. They also explore how Prince of the City became overshadowed by Lumet’s more famous crime dramas, why it deserves to be mentioned alongside Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon, and how its reputation has quietly grown among fans of hard‑boiled, character‑driven noir.
And because the guys can’t resist calling out cinematic injustices, they make it very clear that Criterion needs to get on making a 4K edition of this film. Prince of the City deserves the restoration, the essays, the spine number, the whole treatment. It’s long overdue.
Grab your badge, question your morals, and settle in. This is one crime saga worth revisiting.
Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs!
We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at NotABombPod@gmail.com or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Welcome back to Not A Bomb, the podcast where we resurrect cinema’s most infamous box office disasters and ask the burning question: is it a bomb? This week, Troy and Brad descend into the gritty, morally tangled world of Sidney Lumet’s 1981 neo‑noir crime epic Prince of the City. It’s one of those underseen gems that cinephiles whisper about, critics champion, and everyone else somehow missed entirely.
Prince of the City follows a narcotics detective pulled into a sprawling corruption investigation, and the deeper he goes, the more the film tightens its grip. At the center of it all is Treat Williams, delivering a performance so raw, so committed, and so quietly devastating that it’s honestly a “treat” to watch him work. This is the kind of role actors dream about, and Williams attacks it with a mix of vulnerability and intensity that feels almost dangerous. If you ever needed proof he was one of the most underrated actors of his era, this is the movie.
Troy and Brad dig into Lumet’s meticulous direction, the film’s sprawling cast of morally compromised characters, and the real‑life case that inspired the story. They also explore how Prince of the City became overshadowed by Lumet’s more famous crime dramas, why it deserves to be mentioned alongside Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon, and how its reputation has quietly grown among fans of hard‑boiled, character‑driven noir.
And because the guys can’t resist calling out cinematic injustices, they make it very clear that Criterion needs to get on making a 4K edition of this film. Prince of the City deserves the restoration, the essays, the spine number, the whole treatment. It’s long overdue.
Grab your badge, question your morals, and settle in. This is one crime saga worth revisiting.
Want to help support the show? Head over to the Not A Bomb Tee Public store and check our merchandise. Special thanks to Ted Blair for the amazing designs!
We're committed to hearing your feedback and suggestions. If there's a cinematic flop you'd like us to delve into, please reach out to us at NotABombPod@gmail.com or through our contact page. Your reviews and feedback are what drive us. If you enjoy our content, consider leaving a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Episode 153 - Masters of the Universe
All hail the Patron Saint of Not A Bomb - Dolph Lundgren! The most reviewed action star on the podcast!
Welcome back to another exciting episode of Not A Bomb. This is the podcast where we go back and reexamine some of the biggest bombs in cinematic history and see if they deserve a second chance. On this week’s episode, the guys are pleased to welcome back Zo from the Back Look Cinema Podcast to discuss 1987’s superhero film - Masters of the Universe. Known as one of the films that bankrupted The Cannon Group, Masters of the Universe was meant to rejuvenate the franchise and increase toy sales. However, the poor critical reception and bad business decisions from Mattel did more damage than Skeletor riding on Panthor through Eternia. The film bombed and the kiddos stopped buying the action figures. Lots of great topics this episode including grown men collecting toys and the best Cannon films of the 80’s. Also, why is Frank Langella in Masters of the Universe delivering a Shakespeare quality performance?
Timestamps: Intro - (2:35), Box Office Results and Critical Response - (23:50), People Involved - (26:09), Production and Development - (38:25), Commerical Break - (61:06), Masters of the Universe Discussion - (63:38), Is it a Bomb? - (109:48), RoboReviewer1000 - (114:03), Listener Feedback - (118:19), and Outro - (129:10)
Masters of the Universe is directed by Gary Goddard and stars Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Courtney Cox, James Tolkan, Christina Pickles, Meg Foster, and Robert Duncan McNeill.
Please check out the Back Look Cinema podcast and if you want to hear Troy discuss Jackie Chan with Zo, listen to the Rumble in the Bronx episode!
If you want to leave feedback or suggest a movie bomb, please drop us a line at NotABombPod@gmail.com or Contact Us - here. Also, if you like what you hear, leave a review on Apple Podcast.
All hail the Patron Saint of Not A Bomb - Dolph Lundgren! The most reviewed action star on the podcast!
Welcome back to another exciting episode of Not A Bomb. This is the podcast where we go back and reexamine some of the biggest bombs in cinematic history and see if they deserve a second chance. On this week’s episode, the guys are pleased to welcome back Zo from the Back Look Cinema Podcast to discuss 1987’s superhero film - Masters of the Universe. Known as one of the films that bankrupted The Cannon Group, Masters of the Universe was meant to rejuvenate the franchise and increase toy sales. However, the poor critical reception and bad business decisions from Mattel did more damage than Skeletor riding on Panthor through Eternia. The film bombed and the kiddos stopped buying the action figures. Lots of great topics this episode including grown men collecting toys and the best Cannon films of the 80’s. Also, why is Frank Langella in Masters of the Universe delivering a Shakespeare quality performance?
Timestamps: Intro - (2:35), Box Office Results and Critical Response - (23:50), People Involved - (26:09), Production and Development - (38:25), Commerical Break - (61:06), Masters of the Universe Discussion - (63:38), Is it a Bomb? - (109:48), RoboReviewer1000 - (114:03), Listener Feedback - (118:19), and Outro - (129:10)
Masters of the Universe is directed by Gary Goddard and stars Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Courtney Cox, James Tolkan, Christina Pickles, Meg Foster, and Robert Duncan McNeill.
Please check out the Back Look Cinema podcast and if you want to hear Troy discuss Jackie Chan with Zo, listen to the Rumble in the Bronx episode!
If you want to leave feedback or suggest a movie bomb, please drop us a line at NotABombPod@gmail.com or Contact Us - here. Also, if you like what you hear, leave a review on Apple Podcast.