Perfect cast and a good story

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Night of the Juggler (Robert Butler 1980) is an interesting watch. It's not only a tense thriller with good performances, but it's also one of those movies that give a great impression of New York City before the Disneyfication. Not only that: the deterioration of the city is a major theme in the movie.You see, Gus (Cliff Gorman) is a psychopath who blames City Hall for the squalor he lives in, and the real estate magnates for the destruction of the old neighborhoods. He lives in a derelict building in The Bronx, which was once owned by his family. Now it's a pile of rubbish. 'This used to be real nice up here', he says while he walks past mountains of rubble with his young kidnap victim. He's not thinking of moving. 'I'll always live here. No matter how many *racial slur* they send in to burn the place down'.Gus has come up with a plan: kidnap the daughter of a real estate magnate, take his money and teach him a lesson. But there's a mix-up and he ends up kidnapping the kid of an ex-cop (James Brolin), who starts a frantic manhunt through NYC's underbelly to track down the kidnapper and get his daughter back. Highlights include a brawl in a peep show, a confrontation with some genuine 'Bronx warriors' and Brolin's constant fights with his former colleagues.It's a good movie. Not a classic by any means, but I liked the fact that the depressing state of the city was not merely a visual backdrop, but also a theme in the picture. For this reason, Night of the Juggler could make for an excellent double bill with the fascinating Wolfen (Michael Wadleigh), which was made the same year and has a similar theme running though its horror story.

There is no question that this film is dated, New York is much nicer than before. But the chase scene involving ex-cop Sean Boyd (James Brolin) vs psychotic Gus Soltic (Cliff Gorman), who kidnapped his daughter Kathy out of error (He thought she was rich), vs corrupt cop Sgt. Otis Barnes (Dan Hedeya), makes the film work. Barnes is without question the worst of the worst, he not only wanted to get Boyd for testifying against him, but wanted to let Soltic get away with his daughter. Spoilers: I liked it when this guy got torn apart in the zoo. Maria (Julie Carmen) really works well as the love interest. He meets her on the (6) train, and she helps him navigate around through the South Bronx, and at the zoo, she also stands up to gang bangers who complain about Boyd being with "Our Women." The best character is Lt. Torelli (Richard Castellano), who starts out very suspicious of Boyd, then starts to take his side, and along with Maria become the only allies that Boyd has. I liked the film a lot, but the dating requires a deduction of 2 stars. 8/10.

Night of the Juggler is set in New York City & starts as ex-cop, truck driver & loving father Sean Boyd (James Brolin) arrives home to wish his fifteen year old daughter Kathy (Abby Bluestone) a happy birthday, Sean decides to walk with Kathy to school through the park. Meanwhile the bitter & psychopathic sewer worker Gus Soltic (Cliff Gorman) has been watching a girl named Virginia Clayton (Robyn Finn) the daughter of rich property developer Hampton Richmond Clayton III (Marco St. John) who has used gangs of thugs to drive people of of his neighbourhood in order to buy the land cheaply, Gus plans to kidnap Virginia & hold her to ransom for one million dollars but his plan goes wrong & he ends up kidnapping Kathy Boyd by mistake. Having seen his daughter taken Sean sets out on a mission to find & rescue her, he has to deal with bent cops, pimps, gangs, his ex-wife & Gus himself in a final showdown to the death...This oddly titled late 70's New York set action thriller is apparently also known as New York Killer here in the UK, Countdown in Manhattan in Germany, New York Connection in France & Pursued in Canada & was directed by Robert Butler, under any name Night of the Juggler was based on the novel by William P. McGivern & is a pretty decent film that probably doesn't deserve to be as obscure as it currently is. The plot is pretty good, the script doesn't waste much time in getting going & once Kathy is kidnapped the pace is pretty relentless as we get car chases, fights, a brawl at a peep show, hostile gangs, pimps, dirty cops & a variety of oddball character's from stripper's to homeless drunks & surprisingly helpful taxi cab driver's. I wouldn't say any of Night of the Juggler is breathtaking & I wouldn't describe it as a lost masterpiece (it's neither lost nor a masterpiece so why would I?!) but for what it is I liked it enough. The New York setting really helps, in fact the city & it's inhabitants & locations are as much the star as any of the character's, I suppose it's a touch predictable & maybe a little bit too long at 100 minutes but I had a decent time watching it. The character's are alright & serve their purpose & the script has a reasonable go at tackling some themes like racism, poverty, corruption & the basic concept of community or the lack of it.From the skyscrapers of the city to Central park to the graffiti covered trains & tube stations to the porno district with pimps, hookers & peep shows to the dark underground sewer system to housing estates that look like someone dropped a nuclear bomb on it Night of the Juggler spans just about most of New York & it's gritty, sleazy late 70's early 80's cesspool feel & look. If nothing else Night of the Juggler is a bit of a nostalgia trip as the New York seen here is very different to the New York of today. The action scenes are pretty good, from an impressive car chase to a shoot-out in the middle of New York to fights & the final somewhat forgettable climax inside the sewer system. There's some nudity & a fair bit of violence but nothing gory or sadistic.Filmed on location in New York you could not make Night of the Juggler now, apart from the landscape of New York looking completely different just think how much it would cost to stage the car chases & shoot-outs in filming permits alone. There's very little information about Night of the Juggler out there, as far as I am aware at this point it has never even been released on DVD. The acting is pretty good as various actor's bring the odd assortment of New York character's to life. Richard S. Castellano from The Godfather (1972) looks like he is one fry-up away from a heart attack.Night of the Juggler is a decent action thriller with some seriously sleazy overtones, it has a decent story & good action scenes while the Big Rotten Apple as it was back then provides some stark settings. I liked it & despite the awful title I would recommend it, I didn't love it but I liked it.

My word what a ride! Bizarre and spiteful, but dynamically boundless. Now that they don't make urban action thrillers like this any more. They just wouldn't dare. But boy do I miss them. "Night of the Juggler" is a jaunty, outrageous and politically incorrect very late 70s chase thriller filled with a lot running, chaotic driving (stealing police cars), chewy dialogues and ballsy beat-ups. It's a relentlessly raw and intense barrage, as our protagonist violently bounces from here to there encountering cops, corrupt cops, an ex-wife, pimps, prostitutes, bouncers and street gangs along the authentically seedy strips of New York in his quest to find his kidnapped daughter. In what was a bungled napping attempt of mistaken identity… although the kidnapper still believes he has the right girl; that of a wealthy real-estate owner. Now just wait until James Brolin's ruggedly scruffy ex-cop character gets his hands on the madcap kidnapper. There'll be hell to pay! Everyone he comes across that stands in his way have felt it. The pulpy plot might be "heavily" contrived, unpleasant and fairly ridiculous, as it goes beyond and pushes reality many times. However this one-man riot machine provides on-going gritty, seedy and unapologetic excitement. No one is safe from this one man's devotion. "I've got to find my little girl." A chiselled Brolin is fitting in the central role, looking and acting the part. Cliff Gorman is particularly edgy as the scummy kidnapper. Then you have Richard S. Castellano bringing some solidity and Dan Hedaya is memorable as a psychotic cop. Director Robert Butler provides great location staging for its action and keeps a frenetic pace keeping things rough and ready. It might not be high-art, but this grungy, slam-bang action fodder is smashing entertainment.