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 313 - 1941
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, the guys march into the chaos of Steven Spielberg's 1979 war comedy 1941. Fresh off the unprecedented successes of Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg was handed the ultimate Hollywood blank check to make whatever he wanted. The result was an enormous, effects-driven comedy about panic erupting across Southern California in the days following Pearl Harbor. While 1941 wasn't a full-blown box office bomb, it fell well short of the massive expectations surrounding Spielberg's first comedy, becoming one of the earliest examples of how even Hollywood's hottest director wasn't immune to a stumble.
But was the film unfairly judged, or is 1941 simply too loud, too chaotic, and too overstuffed for its own good? Troy and Brad break down the film's incredible cast, jaw-dropping practical effects, and the fascinating production that saw Spielberg pushing his filmmaking ambitions to new heights. The hosts also discuss how the film's reputation has evolved over the decades, why it has developed a passionate cult following, and how its perceived failure may have helped shape Spielberg's remarkable run of classics that followed.
Sound the air raid sirens, keep an eye on the Ferris wheel, and join Not A Bomb as they revisit one of Hollywood's most fascinating near-misses, proving that sometimes even a box office disappointment can become an unforgettable piece of blockbuster history.
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, the guys march into the chaos of Steven Spielberg's 1979 war comedy 1941. Fresh off the unprecedented successes of Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Spielberg was handed the ultimate Hollywood blank check to make whatever he wanted. The result was an enormous, effects-driven comedy about panic erupting across Southern California in the days following Pearl Harbor. While 1941 wasn't a full-blown box office bomb, it fell well short of the massive expectations surrounding Spielberg's first comedy, becoming one of the earliest examples of how even Hollywood's hottest director wasn't immune to a stumble.
But was the film unfairly judged, or is 1941 simply too loud, too chaotic, and too overstuffed for its own good? Troy and Brad break down the film's incredible cast, jaw-dropping practical effects, and the fascinating production that saw Spielberg pushing his filmmaking ambitions to new heights. The hosts also discuss how the film's reputation has evolved over the decades, why it has developed a passionate cult following, and how its perceived failure may have helped shape Spielberg's remarkable run of classics that followed.
Sound the air raid sirens, keep an eye on the Ferris wheel, and join Not A Bomb as they revisit one of Hollywood's most fascinating near-misses, proving that sometimes even a box office disappointment can become an unforgettable piece of blockbuster history.
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 152 - Dead Heat
Welcome back to your favorite podcast about some of the biggest cinematic bombs of all time. This week, the guys are so excited to have Amy and Freddy Morris from the longest running horror podcast of all time - Night of the Living Podcast. If you have some of the foremost experts on horror on your show, you have to jump into the zombie realm and that’s actually what we did! This week, the gang tackles the 1988 buddy cop action zombie comedy film - Dead Heat. As one of the more insane buddy cop films, Dead Heat failed to make an impact upon release with both audiences and critics. The movie fell short of expectations forcing the studio to cancel the planned sequel. Does Dead Heat deserve a second look? Are pee and poop jokes funny when you’re in your 40’s? Is Vincent Price the greatest horror actor of all time? Listen to this week’s episode and find out!
Timestamps: Intro - (2:09), 5 Burning Questions - (3:30), Box Office Results and Critical Response - (16:02), People Involved - (19:50), Production and Development - (42:04), Why did it Bomb? - (43:37), Commerical Break - (50:06), Dead Heat Discussion - (52:06), Is it a Bomb? - (86:52), Robo Reviewer100 - (90:35), and Outro - (101:46)
Dead Heat is directed by Mark Goldblatt and stars Treat Williams, Joe Piscopo, Darren McGavin, Lindsay Frost, and Vincent Price.
Freddy and Amy host one of the longest running horror podcasts on the internet - Night of the Living Podcast, please go check it out! They just celebrated 17 years in podcasting!
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.
Cast: Brad, Troy, Amy, Freddy
Welcome back to your favorite podcast about some of the biggest cinematic bombs of all time. This week, the guys are so excited to have Amy and Freddy Morris from the longest running horror podcast of all time - Night of the Living Podcast. If you have some of the foremost experts on horror on your show, you have to jump into the zombie realm and that’s actually what we did! This week, the gang tackles the 1988 buddy cop action zombie comedy film - Dead Heat. As one of the more insane buddy cop films, Dead Heat failed to make an impact upon release with both audiences and critics. The movie fell short of expectations forcing the studio to cancel the planned sequel. Does Dead Heat deserve a second look? Are pee and poop jokes funny when you’re in your 40’s? Is Vincent Price the greatest horror actor of all time? Listen to this week’s episode and find out!
Timestamps: Intro - (2:09), 5 Burning Questions - (3:30), Box Office Results and Critical Response - (16:02), People Involved - (19:50), Production and Development - (42:04), Why did it Bomb? - (43:37), Commerical Break - (50:06), Dead Heat Discussion - (52:06), Is it a Bomb? - (86:52), Robo Reviewer100 - (90:35), and Outro - (101:46)
Dead Heat is directed by Mark Goldblatt and stars Treat Williams, Joe Piscopo, Darren McGavin, Lindsay Frost, and Vincent Price.
Freddy and Amy host one of the longest running horror podcasts on the internet - Night of the Living Podcast, please go check it out! They just celebrated 17 years in podcasting!
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.
Cast: Brad, Troy, Amy, Freddy