Treat-Williams Movie Reviews

"Prince of the City" is, I believe, Lumet's best movie and one of the best films of the 1980s, an intelligent drama about the conflict between loyality and morality.

It's part of Lumet's investigation of corruption amongst the "men in blue" which includes "Serpico", "Night Falls on Manhattan" and "Q & A".

"Prince of the City" is about morality but it does not moralise. Lumet's characters face difficult decisions and he shows their agonising in all its complexity. Treat Williams' character (Danny) moves back and forth between self interest and loyality to friends and the law - never really clear what is right and always on his own.

Whenever there is a police corruption "scandal" in Sydney (and there often is !) I turn to this film to give me perspective - to remind me of how the protagonists are human and how life is never black and white.

A facinating account of a NYC cop who has a crisis of conscience.
He wanted to be a good cop but is caught up by the circumstances around him. A terrific performance by Treat Williams.
Superbly directed by Sidney Lumet. New York City gritty. Long (2 hrs 45 min) but well paced. Profane language but is used well to show the intensity of the film. Go buy it or rent it at a video store!

I saw Prince Of The City years ago and it has stayed with me ever since. Its a long, heartbreaking story but wonderful from start to finish. Like the other reviewers I thought Treat Williams was headed straight to the top. I can only conclude he was sleeping with some Hollywood bigshot's wife. What a performance.

When i was a kid in the 80's this was (and still is) one of my favorite mermaid movies!! Once i saw this i was hooked! This really did get me "into" mermaids! This is actually the "real" story of "The Little Mermaid" (this is "PRE--disneys Ariel") (this is the one where she dosent "battle" the sea witch, and i guess saying much else will spoil it if you dont know the story. the costumes in "The Little Mermaid" are FANTASTIC!! the sea witch is great. considering it was the 80's all the effects arent too bad. i can only say its all good--SEE IT!! if you like mermaids you will appreciate the costumes and the sea witch has INCREDIBLE makeup--really FAB! pay attention to her makeup when you see it!(even my big grown-up boyfriend liked it when we watched it a week ago! lol!

I have watched this movie over and over as a child and I never grew tired of hearing the TRUE story of the Little Mermaid. I love watching the actors and actress perform before they were famous celebraties. I highly recommend this movie and this whole collection to anyone who enjoys fairy tales.

Robert Iscove's version of the "The Little Mermaid" is grand entertainment for fans of the story, and also fans of any tale at all. With lavish sets, a superior cast, a great script and wonderful costumes, this is first-class entertainment for people of any age. I highly recommend Faerie Tale Theatre: The Little Mermaid!

Director Roger Spottiswoode (Shoot To Kill) somehow manages to turn this relatively low-budget, steamy and very stylish tale of intrigue and murderous passions into a masterful movie reminiscent of those with much larger budgets. Treat Williams very effectively portrays Scott Weston, a private investigator and hopeless womanizer, who finds himself with a desperate new client: himself. Hired to trail a millionaire's alluring wife (skillfully played by Virginia Madsen), he falls into a torrid love affair with her, and becomes the main suspect when the millionaire is murdered. Set-up or not? Find out for yourself in this very slick and stylish Paramount offering that is a must see film for fans of the multi-talented and often unheralded Virginia Madsen. Complete with a very effective in setting tone original music score by Charles Gross, this movie is as entertaining as it is well made. A real sleeper in the true sense of the word, this is a rare gem you can enjoy by watching more than once. If you somehow missed this relatively unknown film, do yourself a favor and see it soon! Excellent!

This film intrigued me...very suspenseful. But, it also turned me into a huge fan of Virginia Madsen...wish she was in more films.

Director Roger Spottiswoode (Shoot To Kill) somehow manages to turn this relatively low-budget, steamy and very stylish tale of itrigue and murderous passions into a masterful movie reminiscent of those with much larger budgets. Treat Williams very effectively portrays Scott Weston, a private investigator and hopeless womanized, who finds himself with a desperate new client: himself. Hired to trail a millionaire's alluring wife (skillfully played by Virginia Madsen), he falls into a torrid love affair with her, and becomes the main suspect when the millionaire is murdered. Set-up or not? Find out for yourself in this very slick and stylish Paramount offering that is a must see film for fans of the multi-talented and often unheralded Virginia Madsen. Complete with a very effective-in-setting-tone original music score by Charles Gross, this movie is as entertaining as it is well made. A real sleeper in the true sense of the word, this is a rare gem you can enjoy by watching more than once. If you somehow missed this relatively unknown film, do yourself a favor an see it soon! Excellent!

I avoided this movie because the title sounded like an old PI mystery. Happily, I was wrong. This movie is more like a good football game when your favorite team takes on the odds-on favorite. It's well writen and has charatars to love and route for. Saul Rubinek is a villain so charming and evil you just love hating him and watching him fall. During the final performances of Carroll O'Conner's life he played tough, big hearted guy who would do anything to protect his loved ones. (He played the same type of charatar in "Return to Me. Another movie which I reconmend.) In this movie he is wonderful playing "Balls" O'Malley.

Recovering from a heart attack Noah (Treat Williams)doesn't know what his brother is doing to the company he's spent his life building. The brother is into the mob for some heavy debts and has a scam arranged to bankrupt the company in return for his life. When Noah stumbles onto this plan he and his friends figure out a great way to turn the tables on the mob. Action and suspense all the way. AND you can watch it with everyone-- the hero actually loves his wife and family and learns that they are more important than being a workaholic at his business.

Although made for cable television, I found this movie well written, superbly acted, and very enticing. A love story that spans several decades, the video does a good job of using flashbacks to tell the story and grab your attention; and then never lets it go. It proves that even under the most horrific of conditions, love can survive! And also reminds you that some times knowing the truth doesn't mean you have to tell the whole world the truth!

This is a film about the tragedy of war, and how hope and redemption can be born from the ashes of shattered lives. Simon Wiesenthal has never given up his hunt for the perpetrators of the Holocaust but out of compassion for three victims he allowed one Nazi to escape justice. This is a story about two young lovers who are torn apart by the Second World War. Max is studying to be a Doctor; Helen is the woman he hopes to marry. Both are Jewish and both are about to end up in a brutal Concentration Camp run by the sadistic Werner Schultz who thinks nothing of beating a man to death with his cane. When Max decides to escape, Helen chooses to stay behind for the sake of her sister Miriam. It will be another twenty years before Max sees Helen again. In the years after the war Max ends up in a forced labour camp in Siberia but eventually he is repatriated to his birthplace, Poland. It is only then does he begin the search for Helen and eventually he finds her, living in West Germany under the name of Helen Weiss. But the past has a terrible way of extracting a dreadful price upon the living, and Max is to find this out when he finally meets up with Helen. For Helen was brutally raped by Werner Schultz and her son Marek is also his son. Unable to cope with this revelation, Max leaves Helen but when Wiesenthal comes looking for Max to testify against Schultz, Max refuses, telling the Nazi Hunter why Werner Schultz must be left alone. If he testifies the truth will come out, and Schultz will know that he has a son by the woman he raped all those years ago. As Helen tells Wiesenthal, "What German court will deny Schultz the right to his son?" This is a brilliant film, well acted, well written and hauntingly crafted as it shows the brutality of war and the suffering its many victims have to endure even when the last battle has been won. Treat Williams is excellent as Max, and Alice Krige (remembered for her role as the Borg Queen in "First Contact") is convincing as Helen, Max's lost love. Martin Landau gives a credible performance as Wiesenthal, all in all this is a well made film that should take its place alongside the dramatisation of "The Diary of Anne Frank."

I have seen this movie 64 times, and I plan on seeing it at least 1,000 times more. It has an awesome plot; the chemistry between the actors is absolutely amazing, and it has superb camera work.
I would recommend this movie to anyone seeking a quiet night in front of the television! It is a bit "slow" but the acting and plot make the time well spent.

I caught this on PBS, and it was very good! A great story, and what actors!
It's a period piece, set in the late 1920's. Rip Torn is this lumberjack type guy who has a Native American Indian woman companion he hangs out with all the time. There is a dam being built around his property, and the builders are trying to buy him out. He does everything he can to not give in to their bribery. It's fine drama, and some comedic momments sprinkled in. I thought the acting by both Torn, and the woman was outstanding! I always liked him. She was just amazing. It's movies like this that have the truly talented actors.
PBS doesn't edit either, and there were no commercials. Both my husband and I liked it alot. Highly recommend!

Director Jay Craven's adaptation of Howard Frank Mosher's 'Where the rivers flow north' is one of the finest transitions from literature to the screen I've ever witnessed. Craven is obviously an admirer of Mosher's work -- he also directed 'A stranger in the Kingdom', another piece of fine writing from this Vermont writer.

The cast is absolutely superb -- especially Rip Torn and Tantoo Cardinal. Torn throws himself into what could be the finest role of his career with such totality that he BECOMES Noel Lord, the fiercely independent former lumberjack who is the center of this story. Tantoo Cardinal's portrayal of Lord's live-in housekeeper/common-law wife is dead-on as well. I'm both amazed and disappointed that neither of them were nominated for Oscars when this film was released -- I suppose it was overlooked among all of the 'blockbusters' that year, which is a real shame. Performances of this calibre should be acknowledged. The only character that's a little hard to swallow for me is the power company executive played by Michael J. Fox -- Fox is a good actor in his own right, but he just looks too much like a kid in this role. I guess there's a curse attached to youthful looks, no matter how much people want them.

The score by the Horseflies is also first rate -- it fits the mood and scenery perfectly.

Craven has done a nice job here in bringing the character of early 20th century Vermont to the screen -- locations, angles, sets, all combine to transport the viewer to the time and place of the story.

And the story itself...? One of the most compelling portrayals of the fiercely independent American pioneer spirit ever -- a trait that is on the wane in this day and age. When it appears in modern times, the person is often looked upon with suspicion and disdain. In Noel Lord, we have a character whom we can admire for his values, and even for his stubbornness.

This is not a stodgy 'period piece' -- this is a vibrant look at an era that is gone, and a type of character that has all but vanished. These are not gold-plated heroes, but real people, with both strengths and weaknesses at play within them. struggling in a harsh environment to live their lives and at the same time be at peace with the world in which they live. Like today, there are those who weild power that would have it otherwise.

This is one of my favorite films of the modern era -- I cannot recommend it highly enough.

I have seen this movie 64 times, and I plan on seeing it at least 1,000 times more. It has an awesome plot; the chemistry between the actors is absolutely amazing, and it has superb camera work.
I would recommend this movie to anyone seeking a quiet night in front of the television! It is a bit "slow" but the acting and plot make the time well spent.

I caught this on PBS, and it was very good! A great story, and what actors!
It's a period piece, set in the late 1920's. Rip Torn is this lumberjack type guy who has a Native American Indian woman companion he hangs out with all the time. There is a dam being built around his property, and the builders are trying to buy him out. He does everything he can to not give in to their bribery. It's fine drama, and some comedic momments sprinkled in. I thought the acting by both Torn, and the woman was outstanding! I always liked him. She was just amazing. It's movies like this that have the truly talented actors.
PBS doesn't edit either, and there were no commercials. Both my husband and I liked it alot. Highly recommend!

Director Jay Craven's adaptation of Howard Frank Mosher's 'Where the rivers flow north' is one of the finest transitions from literature to the screen I've ever witnessed. Craven is obviously an admirer of Mosher's work -- he also directed 'A stranger in the Kingdom', another piece of fine writing from this Vermont writer.

The cast is absolutely superb -- especially Rip Torn and Tantoo Cardinal. Torn throws himself into what could be the finest role of his career with such totality that he BECOMES Noel Lord, the fiercely independent former lumberjack who is the center of this story. Tantoo Cardinal's portrayal of Lord's live-in housekeeper/common-law wife is dead-on as well. I'm both amazed and disappointed that neither of them were nominated for Oscars when this film was released -- I suppose it was overlooked among all of the 'blockbusters' that year, which is a real shame. Performances of this calibre should be acknowledged. The only character that's a little hard to swallow for me is the power company executive played by Michael J. Fox -- Fox is a good actor in his own right, but he just looks too much like a kid in this role. I guess there's a curse attached to youthful looks, no matter how much people want them.

The score by the Horseflies is also first rate -- it fits the mood and scenery perfectly.

Craven has done a nice job here in bringing the character of early 20th century Vermont to the screen -- locations, angles, sets, all combine to transport the viewer to the time and place of the story.

And the story itself...? One of the most compelling portrayals of the fiercely independent American pioneer spirit ever -- a trait that is on the wane in this day and age. When it appears in modern times, the person is often looked upon with suspicion and disdain. In Noel Lord, we have a character whom we can admire for his values, and even for his stubbornness.

This is not a stodgy 'period piece' -- this is a vibrant look at an era that is gone, and a type of character that has all but vanished. These are not gold-plated heroes, but real people, with both strengths and weaknesses at play within them. struggling in a harsh environment to live their lives and at the same time be at peace with the world in which they live. Like today, there are those who weild power that would have it otherwise.

This is one of my favorite films of the modern era -- I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Chunky, quivering, middle-class ordinary Gaetano Proclo (Jack Weston) is 'married to the mob' in the form of wife Vivian (Kaye Ballard)--and his crazy brother-in-law Carmine (Jerry Stiller) hates him. Certain that Carmine is about to kill him, Gaetana hops a cab, tells the driver to take him to the last place any one would ever look for him... and suddenly finds himself hiding out from the mob in the middle of a gay bath house.

But this only the first ten or fifteen minutes of the film: there is much, much more to come, and all of it is over the top hilarious. Jack Weston, Jerry Stiller, and Kaye Ballard are perfectly cast in their roles, but would you believe F. Murray Abraham (Oscar winner for AMADEUS) as the screaming queen to end all screaming queens? How about Rita Moreno as a no-talent lounge singer who is busting a gut to become a bath-house star just like Bette Midler? Or Treat Williams as a P.I. with blonde hair and a squeaky voice? My own favorite of the bunch is Paolo Poeti as Claude, a "chubby chaser" who takes one look at Jack Weston and falls in love at first sight--and then proceeds to make his life absolute hell by chasing him all over the bath house. Before it's all over you'll find people hiding under beds, thrown into swimming pools, impersonating the Andrews Sisters, and being pursued by unwanted lovers of the wrong persuasion, all to absolutely hilarious, incredibly giddy effect.

Like most farces, THE RITZ deals in stereotypes--but it is never mean spirited in its portraits, and the cast carries off the eccentric characters (both straight and gay) with considerable aplomb. Filmed long before the AIDS crisis, THE RITZ offers a comic look at a New York gay bath house and a way of life that would soon come to a grinding halt--a fact that gives the film a certain unintended poignancy for gay viewers. Even so, you don't need any specialized background to enjoy this laugh-out-loud movie, which is as much (and really more) for a straight audience as it is for a gay one. Highly, highly recommended... call over some friends, turn up the steam heat, break out some bath towels, and get ready for a true laugh riot.

Jack Weston in one of his best roles plays a garbageman married to Kaye Ballard who gets into trouble with his Mafia-connected brother-in-law. Treat Williams is young and gorgeous and shows his talent for off-beat comedy. Rita Moreno plays no-talent bathhouse entertainer Googie Gomez in one of her best performances. She's well over the top depicting a Puerto Rican singer who has intentions of making the big time... except that she can't sing! The movie is very fast paced with tons of great repeatable lines, and this is one of those movies that grows on you, becoming funnier over time. Every time I watch it, I discover some new line or nuance that delights me. Five stars, one of my all-time favorites. I've worn out my first copy and am working on my second one!

I bought a $1000 Betamax video machine back in the late 70's just to be able to watch a copy of this movie made from HBO. I wore the tape out and was delighted to find a copy on VHS. I only wish it was on DVD. Maybe soon.
A classic farce about being in the wrong place at the wrong time combined with mistaken identity thrown in, this movie is hilarious. Watch closly and you see a few future stars as well as old pros at their best.
I just love this move!

Once again Sergio Leone proves that he is the master of the classically "American" genre film, this time training his exquisite eye from the Western to the gangster film...gangster EPIC, actually.
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This movie takes place via disjointed flashbacks over a period of fifty years, focusing on the life (and death) of crime as experienced by four childhood friends, specifically David "Noodles" Aaronson, portrayed in maturity by Robert DeNiro in another typically inspired performance.
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The movie in its American release nearly 20 years ago was absolutely butchered by the US-based distributor, with over an hour of footage removed from the feature in order to make it more managable for US audiences. The result was that the personality of the movie was essentially siphoned off and the film was savaged by film critics nationwide. When the movie was released for cable a year or so later, a fair bit of the footage was restored (and in fact another edit presented the film exclusively in chronological order from Noodles' youth to old age).
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This restored version does include as much as the film's original footage as can be accounted for (to our knowledge), and the effect is somewhat more enlightening than the cable edit I first saw (and legitimately loved) almost two decades prior. The violence edited back into the movie makes it more difficult for the viewer to find sympathy/empathy with any of the characters (which may have been a stretch to begin with)...but while the extra features are a wonderful addition to the DVD (James Woods' admission on the Leone bio piece that to this day he is asked what exactly happened in "his" last scene...and to this day he's uncertain himself...is worth the price of purchase alone. And Richard Schickel's film-length commentary track is also a joy to watch/listen to.
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But Warner Brothers REALLY dropped the ball by deciding to split the film into two equal lengths for the purpose of placing it on 2 discs; particularly when considering that in fact Leone did make provision for an intermission within 2:45 of the film's original running time. The most obvious issue is that yes, a rather crucial scene was unceremoniously interrupted as Disc One ends and resumed at the beginning of Disc Two. Arguments will be made that this was necessary to include the full-length commentary track for both discs, but even "Pulp Fiction" with a complete running time of over two-and-a-half hours was able to complete the presentation with commentary track on the same disc; you have to believe Warner Borthers could at least have done a better job with Leone's final masterpiece. As it is, the perfect realization of the film that was by all admissions nearest and dearest to the Italian film maestro's heart still eludes him, even in this digital age. Had he lived to see it, he could not have been pleased with this treatment. Nor was I. A terrific film, beautifully and lovingly shot as always, speaking to the emotions of the viewer in a way that so many American directors simply can't pull off...but once again the editors have failed the artist. I own it, and will view it regularly out of respect to its brilliance as a film, but someone should have been sacked over this DVD presentation.

this movie is a must see for any fan of Robert De Niro.its a timeless glance back to the way life was in NewYork after the turn of the century.with a superb cast this is one of my favorites.

This movie stands out because in many ways it is very strange! However, I think that it is very special because it is so different from most movies. It is very LONG but I must admit that once I started watching it I got hooked. Even if you end up not liking it, you too will probably be drawn to it. You'll love it if you love DeNiro and if you love epic film-making! I recommend that you AT LEAST watch the entire film once in your life!

THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD is more than just the best movie title in years; it's also a great movie.

When his mob-sponsored 'warning' inadvertently becomes a hit, Jimmy the Saint finds he has 48 hours to come to internal peace, even if that is at someone else's death. But, with all its Tarantino and "THE USUAL SUSPECTS" type characters and dialogue, it lacks the twists and turns of those films.

Andy Garcia (THE UNTOUCHABLES, THE GODFATHER III) easily carries the film, faring better than he does in Romantic Comedies. Supporting characters like Treat Williams (1941, HAIR), Christopher Lloyd (BACK TO THE FUTURE), William Forsythe (RAISING ARIZONA, DICK TRACY) and the always greasy Steve Buscemi (FARGO) are excellent as is Christopher Walken (VIEW TO A KILL, BATMAN RETURNS) as the 'head' of the organized crime center. Gabrielle Anwar is absolutely stunning and fills her role nicely, although as the romantic interest she gets too much screen time, a distraction from the more gripping murder tension.

The film is creatively photographed and directed. Overall, the film is entertaining and could continue a nice directing career for Gary Felder (KISS THE GIRLS). The DVD has a nice widescreen transfer and a good audio mix.

For those of you who haven't seen this thing, go out and get it. One of the most underrated crime flicks of the last twenty years, it has Andy Garcia as Jimmy The Saint, a former crook who abandons his vocation in favour of the more leisurely business of filming the departing wit and wisdoms of the terminally ill. Life is calm and profitable until Christopher Walken, a wheelchair- bound mob boss calls in an old favour. His son, a... paedophile, has assaulted a young girl and Walken, convinced that the root of the problem is the departure of his son's girlfriend to the arms of another insists the new boyfriend be given a scare. Garcia is reluctantly forced to reassemble the old gang, a now fifty-ish crew of misfits, bums and losers who drift through American lowlife in various guises, the most monstrously entertaining of whom is Treat William's 'Critical Bill' a corpse-punching psychopath whose antics on the night turn the 'scare' into a homicide and whose reaction to Garcia's incredulous wrath is "Well, it was sort of your fault, Jimmy. You trusted me." Walken's response to the unmitigated disaster is to declare 'Buckwheats' on all of them, an instruction that they are each to die in the most painful way possible. ...BR>If this sounds too off-the-wall, let me tell you that it works superbly, partly because of first rate acting by Garcia, Williams and Christopher LLoyd as well as a great script, but mainly due to the criminal argot and patois which at times achieves almost poetic levels and makes anything by Tarantino seem amateurish and contrived. What more is there to say?

Wow, this is probably the best gangster flick nobody knows.Andy Garcia,and Christopher Walken are fantastic.This is better than King of NewYork and Untouchables!Please watch this band of misfits try to get right before mobster Walken Fixes them all.Boat drinks, anyone?