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.