I really wanted to love this movie. It was beautifully written. Pacino's speeches as the mayor of New York City were powerful and full of melodrama . . . the good kind of melodrama that made you realize that he was manipulating everyone until the very end. Cusack was great in this movie that gave him a chance to show off his superb acting skills. He completely takes on the persona of the naive politican from Louisana who realizes that the fine web of political intrigue he's in the middle of may be the trap that destoys him and New York. Bridget Fonda also stars as a lawyer wholly devoted to getting justice for her client, the wife of a murdered police officer. As I said, I wanted to love this movie, but I never really got a chance to identify with the characters. But, on the other hand, that may have been the idea all along. A great realistic drama, that I would recommend to see at least once.