A Million Bucks or Chunks of Meat?

Night of the Juggler (Robert Butler, Sidney J. Furie, 1980)

Robert Butler and Sidney J. Furie’s Night of the Juggler (1980) doesn't feature any juggling in it. Also, very little of it is set at night. What it is, however, is a tough, frenetic and very gritty crime thriller set in New York City during the late 1970s. Furthermore, it serves as a perfect snapshot of the urban metropolis and its people from this period, in a similar vain to The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), Ms. 45 (1981) and Wild Style (1983). All films which also received the 4K UHD treatment this year. 

In the heart of New York City's Central Park, a teenage girl is snatched by ruthless psychopath, Gus Saltic (Cliff Gorman). He's set his sights on a million dollar ransom for the city that he believes has wronged him. He refused to acknowledge the young girl he has abducted is not the daughter of a rich property developer, but of blue-collared truck driver and former ex-cop Sean Boyd (James Brolin). Boyd will do anything in his power to rescue his daughter from Saltic, including facing off with various seedy lowlifes and a cop who harbours a personal vendetta against him.

James Brolin’s wild mountain man look—shaggy hair, bushy beard and plaid shirt—seems intentional, almost designed to set him apart from the New Yorkers portrayed in the film. But since Night of the Juggler was shot in 1978, just before he starred in The Amityville Horror (1979), where he looked and dressed almost the same, I’d say that was merely Brolin’s fashion sense back then. His character, Sean Boyd is introduced as a bit of a cheeky Jack the Lad in the film. His early scenes show him decapitating a poor rat with a paper guillotine, saving the office secretaries from anymore distress. Following that, he purchases three hot dogs for breakfast for himself and his young daughter, Kathy (Abby Bluestone). The tough living of father and daughter is really touching, establishing the bond between the pair before the event of the kidnapping.

Boyd is almost unstoppable as he desperately tries to get his daughter back. The chase scenes both on foot and on wheels are exciting and thrilling. In one sequence, a sympathetic cabbie, played by a young Mandy Patinkin, seems to be having a blast weaving through New York traffic with Boyd. His Latin accent is like a sneak peek to his most famous line from his filmography.

In another scene, Boyd searches for a possible clue to find Saltic in a seedy peep show. It's delivered with comic effect as the desperate man has to feed coins into a machine to question a naked dancer, played by none other than the famous pornographic actress Sharon Mitchell, to chase a possible lead. A scene reminiscent of the Frankie Goes To Hollywood sequence from Body Double (1984).

Cliff Gorman appears to be having the time of his life as a racist psychotic antagonist. An odious individual, nicknamed by the South Bronx locals as The Moleman because he lives below the ruins of his tenement and lurks in the sewers. Saltic mistakes Boyd's daughter for the child of a wealthy property developer who he blames for ruining his area:

"All the rich bastards lie. That's how they get rich and that's how they stay rich. They're not putting anything over on me because I'm wise to their tricks with their taxes and bullshit and all the little games they play so good, huh? They're all in it together, juggling the books. Well now they're gonna pay. Now I'm gonna be the juggler. I'm gonna juggle the books my way and it's gonna balance out to me." Gus Saltic.

Gorman’s performance is incredibly menacing and deeply unsettling. His opening scene is him sitting at a diner, transforming his breakfast into a face and then ruining it with heaps of ketchup. You don’t need to be a psychiatrist to realise he’s playing a complete nutter. Another wonderful detail about Gorman’s madman is his giggle, which is reminiscent of Renfield’s iconic laugh from Dracula (1931). 

Ironically, he would play a polar opposite character as a compassionate detective in the part after-school special, part sleazy crime thriller Angel (1984).    

Richard Castellano, best known for playing Clemenza in The Godfather (1972), portrays Lieutenant Tonelli, the typical world-weary cop, who is both helpful and a hindrance for Boyd. He even keeps Saltic in the dark about the fact that he has kidnapped the wrong girl. Every movie cop has a little quirk or something odd about them; Tonelli’s is the headache from his daughter’s wedding plans. He talks about it all the time in the film, even using it as an excuse to call home while he’s conducting a phone tap.

Dan Hedaya plays Sergeant Barnes, the crooked cop who’s got a grudge against Boyd. Boyd snitched on him and destroyed his life. Thus, Sgt Barnes acts as a secondary antagonist in the film, and is quite possibly almost as unstable as Saltic. He recklessly shoots at Boyd with a shotgun on the busy streets, even though there are civilians everywhere. Plus, when he finally catches Boyd, he shows how little he cares about his former colleague’s daughter by refusing to send the police to her recently discovered location.

Finally, Maria (Julie Carmen) is a beautiful clerk at the dog pound who assists in locating Saltic. She feels for Boyd’s plight and joins him in his search for Kathy. This decision adds a further obstacle to the mix: the local Latino gang, who are not happy with a "gringo" on their turf with a Butter Pecan Rican. 

Night of the Juggler, based on William P. McGivern’s 1976 bestseller, had a rather bumpy journey to the screen. James Brolin got hurt on a stunt prop, which left him with a limp and a plaster cast. Sidney J. Furie wasn’t happy with how things were going and left after filming about a third of the movie. Robert Butler then took over. Filming begun in the summer of 1978, yet the finished product would not be released until two years later. The fast-paced chase in the first act isn't repeated for the rest of the film. But don’t worry, there are still some amazing moments too, like Boyd’s final showdown with Saltic.

Lieutenant Tonelli’s constant complaints about his daughter’s wedding feel a bit forced and predictable. Thankfully, they are not annoying enough to be irritating.

Seargeant Barnes might seem a bit out there in the film, though. Having a secondary antagonist among all the other challenges Boyd has to overcome to find his daughter is a bit much. Still, Hedaya’s performance is really memorable, no matter what.

Night of the Juggler is a film that really has earned its cult following. It’s a fascinating blend of sleaze, violence and a delightful nod to unapologetic film making seldom made today. Plus, its reputation really took off as a title that wasn’t given a proper home on physical media, other than being only available on VHS. Thankfully, this changed thanks to Kino Lorber in the US and Radiance’s new Transmission imprint in the UK.

I really enjoyed this! It's essentially "What if Taken was a Seventies film?" It felt like a trip down memory lane and it truly lived up to its reputation, even with a few obvious flaws. Night of the Juggler will definitely find appreciation by anyone who loves gritty crime thrillers from the 1970s and early 1980s. It’s packed with a dark and cynical atmosphere and keeps you on the edge of your seat with genuine suspense and tension. I’d definitely recommend it.