THE ANDERSON TAPES: a master director disappoints

Question: what's the thread that links 'The Wizard of Oz' with 'Kangaroo Jack', 'Diff'rent Strokes,' Cary Grant, 'St Elmo's Fire' and 'The Hunt for Red October'?
Answer: the 1971 crime thriller THE ANDERSON TAPES.

How come? Well, Margaret Hamilton played the Wicked Witch of the West in 'The Wizard of Oz.' Christopher Walken sullied his reputation in the 2003 movie starring a digitally created Kangaroo. Conrad Bain played the adoptive father of Willis and Arnold Jackson in tv's 'Diff'rent Strokes. Cary Grant was married to Dyan Cannon, Martin Balsam played a pushy dad in 'St Elmo's Fire' and Sean Connery starred in 'The Hunt for Red October.
And Hamilton, Walken, Bain, Cannon, Balsam and Connery all appeared together in THE ANDERSON TAPES.
And other than mentioning that a very young Walken is impressive in his big screen debut, that's really the only interesting thing I have to say about this film. I wish there was more, particularly as it's directed by Sidney Lumet, who's made some outstanding films ('The Verdict', '12 Angry Men', 'Network', 'Dog Day Afternoon' etc etc). For me, this is one of his misses. Sean Connery appears uncomfortable playing an American with a Scots accent, Martin Balsam camps it up outrageously as a parody of a gay antiques dealer, the cutting edge technology which plays such an important part in the story, looks terribly dated, and Quincy Jones headache inducing 'sci-fi' score is just an irritating racket.
Lumet was prescient in his portrayal of how much of our daily lives and conversations are watched and monitored by a multitude of government agencies none of whom are coordinating with one another but the end result doesn't quite hang together.
Perhaps he hoped we'd be so caught up in the unfolding caper that we wouldn't notice the holes in the plot.

PRINCE OF THE CITY: a little longer than a New York minute

Director Sidney Lumet's painstaking and multi-layered portrayal of an investigation into corruption in a New York Police Narcotics Unit is so long that by the end of it I felt like I'd watched the two year inquiry play out in real time.
PRINCE OF THE CITY runs almost 3 hours but there's never a wasted moment. This is a story that demands plenty of time in the telling. At it's heart is Danny Ciello (Treat Williams), a Detective with a small, hugely successful Special Investigative unit which comes under investigation itself by a Federal Task Force.
The feds assure Danny that he's clean and ask for his help in rooting out corruption among his fellow officers. Reluctantly, and after gaining assurances that he won't be asked to turn in anyone he's worked with directly, Danny goes undercover wearing a wire to record dozens of hours of incriminating conversations with cops and criminals. 
His motivation for turning informer isn't entirely clear, even to Danny himself. But as the story unfolds we watch him change from a swaggering confidence to conflicted and tormented vulnerability. He wants to do the right thing but naively believes he can do it on his terms, and doesn't appreciate until he's in too deep the inevitable consequence of the investigative train he's set in motion.
Lumet tells his story in a restrained docu-drama style. There's no flashy camerawork, no car chases or shoot-outs and no star turns. The biggest name in the cast is Treat Williams (and he won't mean much to anyone under the age of 35) and this lack of recognisable faces adds to the film's feeling of authenticity. Star names bring expectations with them and without this distraction it's easier to believe in the characters as real characters rather than actors playing a part.
Williams acquits himself well in his first starring role although there are a couple of scenes where he goes a little over the top in conveying Ciello's inner turmoil at being "a rat."
An excellent companion piece to Lumet's 1973 corrupt NYC cops drama "Serpico" PRINCE OF THE CITY rewards the viewer who has patience and attention. Both are required to get the most out of this movie. It's not necessarily what you expect but you won't be disappointed with what you get.