Product Details

• Actors: James Woods, Penelope Ann Miller, Michelle Nolden, John Bourgeois, Kirsten Bishop
• Directors: Robert Dornhelm
• Writers: Stanley Weiser, Wayne Barrett
• Producers: Anthony Katagas, Callum Greene, Gary Goldberger, Jane Walmsley, Jody Brockway
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Bfs Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: September 2, 2003
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009WVLO
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #87,561 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
With a standout performance by James Woods, Rudy: The Rudolph Giuliani Story is a warts-and-all portrait of New York City's lame-duck mayor, who rose from political disfavor to unexpected heights of heroism and leadership in the wake of September 11, 2001. Originally broadcast on the USA Network and based on Wayne Barrett's muckraking biography, it's a condensed, Cliff's Notes rendition of Giuliani's political career, with each commercial break serving as a chapter stop, beginning on the eve of 9/11 and alternating past and present highlights from Giuliani's rise to power. The film offers an unflinching portrait of a devoted public servant who's as fallible as he is competent: his wife (Penelope Ann Miller) understandably suffers while extramarital affairs and political fearlessness are all seen as byproducts of Giuliani's compulsion to improve the city he loves. As Robert Dornhelm's clunky direction combines actual news footage with exacting recreations of 9/11 and its aftermath, Woods's charismatic performance wisely avoids mimicry to show us a flawed but noble man who, in the final analysis, deserves our conditional respect. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description
When two hijacked planes crashed into New York's World Trade Center, one man rose to save the city. To his political opponents, Mayor Rudy Giuliani (James Woods) was a bully and a tyrant. To women, he was irresistible, but couldn't be faithful. Yet, on 9/11, he became an American hero. This is the inside story of the man who held a terrified city - and a shaken nation - together with sheer guts and heart as the skies rained fire on its citizens.

From his days as a tenacious D.A. to the mistresses who put him in the headlines, see how the events of his complicated life all led to one moment of extraordinary courage. Scandal may have rocked his personal life, ego may have dominated his professional life - but when it really mattered, Rudy stood tall even as the Twin Towers crumbled.

(c) 2003 Hamdon Entertainment. All Rights Reserved.

DVD Special Features: Bonus Documentary - The Day the Towers Fell Produced for The History Channel by Lou Reda Productions, West Easton, Pennsylvania (approx. 61 mins. col.), Rudolph Giuliani Timeline, Biographies, Selected Filmographies, Interactive Menus and Scene Selection.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rudy as Abrasive Egomaniac, March 1, 2004

By	Peter V. Tamas (New Brunswick area, NJ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I recall meeting Rudy Giuliani at a book signing. The bookstore employees warned us several times that Giuliani will be unable to speak with us or personalize the signatures because the turnout was much greater than expected. When we got there, he very pleasantly asked us how we were, what our names were, gave us a personalized signature and wished us a good day. He struck me as someone who, generally, would be a decent person to work with. I realize he is a politician and politicians know its wise to be pleasant in public, but this side of Giuliani was missing from this documentary. The Giuliani of this documentary is an egomaniac who's abrasive 100% of the time. This documentary definitely gives you the feeling that you have to be obnoxious to get ahead.

The flashbacks between September 11 and the chronological depiction of his life were done unskillfully, at best.

Among the "special features" is a documentary on September 11 from the perspective of the photographers that was created with much more skill.

I can imagine some reasons to buy this DVD, certainly for a school library or as audiovisual material for a current events class. May be worth watching once. However, I doubt anyone would watch this more than once.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Woods is great but the film is a hatchet job on Rudy., January 2, 2004

By	Roger J. Buffington (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I have always liked James Woods and I always will. I did not much care for this film despite Woods' fine portrayal of Giuliani. The film is watchable, and more than watchable, that I'll grant. But it focuses obsessively on Giiuliani's marital problems and foibles, and only touches briefly on the truly wonderful things he did for New York. Golly, you don't suppose the producers were Democrats, do you? I mean, you could almost feel the pain of the producers of this film each time they were forced to discuss something intelligent that Giuliani did as mayor, and then of course the film would snap back to its main theme--that Giuliani was possibly a less-than-ideal husband or has other faults as a person, i.e. ego, ambition, vanity. What great man or woman lacks these traits, anyway? Nothing wrong with including this as part of the film, but I felt that the story lacked balance and shows an underlying hostility to what Giuliani set out to and did accomplish as mayor of New York.

I was disappointed in the film and the only good thing about it is James Woods. He makes the film watchable, but this movie falls far short of its potential. Then again, one cannot realistically expect Hollywood to make a movie about conservative politics rescuing New York City from turning into an ungovernable mess.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars James Woods Shines, November 30, 2003

By	M. Hencke "m hencke" (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is a fascinating portrait of a complex political figure. James Woods gives an incredible performance. That said the film suffers greatly from an abrupt and weak ending. I also didn't understand some the of characters...The people in his life. Some of their motives and their backgrounds just weren't clear enough. Worth seeing for the effective 9/11 sequences and for Woods'performance in the title role.