Citizen Cohn (1992) (TV)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Frank Pierson

Writers (WGA):

Nicolas von Hoffman (biography)
David Franzoni (written by)

Release Date:

22 August 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

He was McCarthy's loyal partner. The Kennedys' worst enemy. The F.B.I.'s best friend. The country's greatest nightmare.

Plot:

As lawyer and power broker Roy Cohn lies dying of AIDS in a private hospital room, ghosts from his past visit him as he reflects on his life and loves.

Plot Keywords:

AIDS | Senator Joseph Mccarthy | Senator | Bribery | Ethics

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 8 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

James Woods	...	Roy Marcus Cohn
Joe Don Baker	...	Sen. Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Bologna	...	Walter Winchell
Ed Flanders	...	Joseph N Welch
Frederic Forrest	...	Dashiell Hammett
Lee Grant	...	Dora Cohn
Pat Hingle	...	J. Edgar Hoover
John McMartin	...	Older Doctor
Josef Sommer	...	Albert Cohn
Daniel Benzali	...	Francis Joseph Cardinal Spellman
Tovah Feldshuh	...	Iva Schlesinger
John Finn	...	Sen. Charles Potter
Frances Foster	...	First Annie Lee Moss
Allen Garfield	...	Abe Feller
David Marshall Grant	...	Robert F. Kennedy

Runtime:

UK:107 min | USA:115 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Carnegie Mellon University - 5000 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Breakheart Films

Trivia:

In this film, Lee Grant played Dora Cohn, Roy Cohn's mother. In real life, just as Lee Grant's career was exploding ('Best Actress' winner at Cannes & nominee at Oscars), she fell victim to McCarthyism, being blacklisted in 1951 by the House Un-American Activities Committee for refusing to testify against her husband, blacklisted playwright/screenwriter Arnold Manoff. As a result, she got very little work for about 12 years.

Goofs:

Factual errors: As he is scattering ashes into what is purportedly the East River, Cohn says he consigns his mother to the waters of New Jersey, where she did not live. The East River does not border New Jersey.

Quotes:

Roy Marcus Cohn: If you are a friend of Americas enemies, then you're an enemy too.

Stranger than fiction

Very, very good movie.

This movie is about Roy Cohn, a prosecutor in the McCarthy trials. And let me tell you, Cohn made McCarthy look pretty darn good.

The movie was frightening and it's hard to believe that it's true, but alas it is. The movie is downright bizarre! Also, the acting is excellent and believable. There were also a few good laughs despite the serious matter.

Definitely watch it, especially if you're into history and politics.