In the history of poor movie title decisions, going with "October Sky" instead of the book's provocatively titled "Rocket Boys" remains the champ but "Manhattan Night" instead of "Manhattan Nocturne" comes in pretty high. A few other decisions also plague the production. The movie's most dramatic scene where Porter Ren's 3 year old and his nanny get shot off screen. Seemingly, the scene wouldn't have been expensive to shoot and might have livened up the proceedings. Another issue, particularly for New York audiences, is the concept that somewhere in Manhattan down in a secret passageway is a suburban three bedroom house that a detective could pay the mortgage on. Otherwise, the underlying story brings some intriguing questions and fascinating twists and would make a much better book. As the only known cast member Adrian Brody makes a believable but not particularly compelling New York Post reporter. The rest of the cast is largely forgettable. In short, the strength of the story shines through a shaky production but maybe not quite enough.
Review of Manhattan Night
