Night of the Juggler is the kind of lean and mean, gritty action thriller that one continually searches for but rarely finds.
Ex-cop turned truck driver Sean Boyd (James Brolin), back from a long haul, has nothing more on his mind than celebrating his daughter Kathy’s (Abby Bluestone) birthday with tickets to the Ballet. Gus (Cliff Gorman) has plans of his own. He plans to make a rich real estate developer pay for the loss of his buildings by kidnapping the developer’s daughter. In a mix-up, Gus kidnaps Kathy, setting off a fevered race against the clock for the kidnapper and ex-cop. Sean has to contend with NYC and everything it has to offer, from corrupt cops, pimps, sex workers, vicious gangs, and the lot, all intent on devouring before saving his daughter.
No matter whether one has never seen or heard of Night of the Juggler. The film is an expertly crafted, tense thriller that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go for its entire 100-minute run time. Based on the novel by William P. McGivern, the film tosses out most of the plot and character, and in its stead places a ticking clock narrative of a father’s race to save his daughter.
Directed by Robert Butler (and Sidney J. Furie), Night of the Juggler is the kind of action thriller that understands economy in storytelling, not just in its action set pieces but in its character moments. The action is never gratuitous or salacious, but the right injection of hard-hitting and gritty. The drama and character moments never feel out of place or navel-gazing.
That balance of tone between the character moments and thrilling action is never more on display than in the mid-film chase/shootout between Sean and rogue killer cop Barnes (played with wild eye perfection by Dan Hedaya). From the moment we set eyes on Barnes, we know something is amiss, and things go from bad to worse for Sean as the dialogue ramps up between the two, going from combative to violent in no time flat. The escalation from that point forward is a study in action storytelling that most current action directors and screenwriters could take note of.
Few action films are as well executed as Night of the Juggler; even fewer have been as ignored as this film has over the last forty years. Hopefully, with this new release, this perfectly executed action thriller gets a wider audience and acceptance as the action classic it is.
The Transfer
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is a revelation. Having sampled much older versions of the film, the difference is night and day. The Dolby Vision encoding gives the Victor Kemper shot film an entire glow and details to the blacks that only HDR can. The new master is clean and without any defects, not a scratch, blemish, or fleck of dirt appears through the runtime of the film. The transfer is beautifully filmic with a wonderful patina of film grain that gives it the look of a freshly struck 35mm print. Night of the Juggler, in its 4K UHD iteration, is without a doubt one of the best transfers of 2025.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson
Summer of ‘78: NEW Interview with Actor James Brolin
The Sweet Maria: NEW Interview with Actress Julie Carmen
Pandemonium Reflex: An Inquest into Sidney J. Furie’s Night of the Juggler
Theatrical Trailer (Newly Mastered in 2K)
The all-new Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson opens with their credentials before diving into their personal experiences with the actual production and excitement for this New York-based gritty action film. Some of the other details include a discussion of the work of Novelist William P. McGivern, on whose novel the film is based; a discussion of McGivern’s work on Kojak (specifically the entirely shot in NYC season 4), Brannigan and more; the casting what-if of Gregory Peck in the lead; the career and work here of James Brolin; the films of similar ilk that were made at the time; how Mayor Lindsey and his formation of the Mayor’s film office allowed for Hollywood to come back to shooting on location, and many of the benefits they promoted; the real life crimes of child kidnapping that were huge in NYC in the 1980s; the appearance of Mandy Patinkin; a discussion of the car chase in the film – larger discussion of the great NYC car chases, including name dropping the great Seven-Ups; the changing of directors from Sidney J. Furie to Robert Butler; a discussion of Bulter’s style – including a discussion of his pilot direction and style setting on Hill Street Blues; the themes that the film deals with and how they are very relevant to 2025; the fact that Jerry Goldsmith was originally supposed to score the film, and the music by Artie Kane; the reason why this showed up on TV with regularity – beyond the pay cable stations which it was a staple as well; the mid-film chase shootout between Brolin and Dan Heydya – how it was accomplished; the work and career of cinematographer Victor J. Kemper; the differences between the source novel and the film – including the ends, characters, story setup, and more; a larger discussion of the various locations the film used; a larger discussion of the cultural touchstones of New York City during the era and what has changed; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; and much more.
Summer of ‘78: Interview with Actor James Brolin (13:50) – in this all-new interview with the star opens with a discussion of the original director of the project, Sidney J Furie. Brolin goes on to discuss the terrible apartment he got while researching the part – including a great anecdote about Amityville Horror; where Brolin drew inspiration from for his character; the sections that Furie directed and what Bill Butler directed; how Brolin hurt his foot and Furie decided to leave the film at that time when the production shut down; the differences between Furie as a director and Butler as a director; the ease of shooting in New York – including a discussion of filming on location in and around 42nd Street; working with the various cast; how he repaid Furie later in his career for this and other work early in his career; and much more.
The Sweet Maria: Interview with Actress Julie Carmen (14:21) – in this all-new interview with the actress opens with her discussion of this role and how it was of a type that she played. Carmen goes on to discuss growing up in the Bronx, New York; her view was that it wasn’t as violent as it was portrayed or had a reputation for; how the production found her and was cast by Furie and then directed by Butler; her use of an accent; working with James Brolin and the physicality of his performance; working with Cliff Gorman in this and a later film; her day job when she was filming the film as a drama therapist at Riker’s Island – which leads to a great discussion about portrayal of Latinos in film; and much more.
Pandemonium Reflex: An Inquest into Sidney J. Furie’s Night of the Juggler (14:02) – a new visual essay by Daniel Kremer dives into the particulars of how Furie discussed with him how he began but did not finish Night of the Juggler. Using Furie’s other New York set film, Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York as a reference point, Kremer goes on to discuss the differences between the two productions that are in stark contrast to one another. One was a backlot made film (Sheila); the other was shot on location (Juggler). The essay also includes audio from Furie during the time that he told Kremer about the Juggler experience and why he decided to leave the production. The result is a truly great and fascinating look at an aspect of a film we rarely get – the director who left a project.
Rounding out the special feature are trailers for Night of the Juggler [Newly Mastered in 2K] (1:52); Hardcore (1:22); Vice Squad(0:58); The Hunter(3:15); Stick (1:21); Death Wish 3 (1:40);
The Final Thought
Kino Lorber has done it again. Bringing another undiscovered classic to home video in a beautiful 4K UHD release. Highest possible recommendations!!!
The little-seen cult action thriller Night of the Juggler gets a 4K UHD release from Kino Lorber with extras and a new 4K Restoration.
The Film
Night of the Juggler is the kind of lean and mean, gritty action thriller that one continually searches for but rarely finds.
Ex-cop turned truck driver Sean Boyd (James Brolin), back from a long haul, has nothing more on his mind than celebrating his daughter Kathy’s (Abby Bluestone) birthday with tickets to the Ballet. Gus (Cliff Gorman) has plans of his own. He plans to make a rich real estate developer pay for the loss of his buildings by kidnapping the developer’s daughter. In a mix-up, Gus kidnaps Kathy, setting off a fevered race against the clock for the kidnapper and ex-cop. Sean has to contend with NYC and everything it has to offer, from corrupt cops, pimps, sex workers, vicious gangs, and the lot, all intent on devouring before saving his daughter.
No matter whether one has never seen or heard of Night of the Juggler. The film is an expertly crafted, tense thriller that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go for its entire 100-minute run time. Based on the novel by William P. McGivern, the film tosses out most of the plot and character, and in its stead places a ticking clock narrative of a father’s race to save his daughter.
Directed by Robert Butler (and Sidney J. Furie), Night of the Juggler is the kind of action thriller that understands economy in storytelling, not just in its action set pieces but in its character moments. The action is never gratuitous or salacious, but the right injection of hard-hitting and gritty. The drama and character moments never feel out of place or navel-gazing.
That balance of tone between the character moments and thrilling action is never more on display than in the mid-film chase/shootout between Sean and rogue killer cop Barnes (played with wild eye perfection by Dan Hedaya). From the moment we set eyes on Barnes, we know something is amiss, and things go from bad to worse for Sean as the dialogue ramps up between the two, going from combative to violent in no time flat. The escalation from that point forward is a study in action storytelling that most current action directors and screenwriters could take note of.
Few action films are as well executed as Night of the Juggler; even fewer have been as ignored as this film has over the last forty years. Hopefully, with this new release, this perfectly executed action thriller gets a wider audience and acceptance as the action classic it is.
The Transfer
The all-new HDR/Dolby Vision Master – From a 4K Scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative is a revelation. Having sampled much older versions of the film, the difference is night and day. The Dolby Vision encoding gives the Victor Kemper shot film an entire glow and details to the blacks that only HDR can. The new master is clean and without any defects, not a scratch, blemish, or fleck of dirt appears through the runtime of the film. The transfer is beautifully filmic with a wonderful patina of film grain that gives it the look of a freshly struck 35mm print. Night of the Juggler, in its 4K UHD iteration, is without a doubt one of the best transfers of 2025.
The Extras
They include the following;
DISC 1 (4KUHD):
DISC 2 (BLU-RAY):
The all-new Audio Commentary by Film Historians Steve Mitchell and Nathaniel Thompson opens with their credentials before diving into their personal experiences with the actual production and excitement for this New York-based gritty action film. Some of the other details include a discussion of the work of Novelist William P. McGivern, on whose novel the film is based; a discussion of McGivern’s work on Kojak (specifically the entirely shot in NYC season 4), Brannigan and more; the casting what-if of Gregory Peck in the lead; the career and work here of James Brolin; the films of similar ilk that were made at the time; how Mayor Lindsey and his formation of the Mayor’s film office allowed for Hollywood to come back to shooting on location, and many of the benefits they promoted; the real life crimes of child kidnapping that were huge in NYC in the 1980s; the appearance of Mandy Patinkin; a discussion of the car chase in the film – larger discussion of the great NYC car chases, including name dropping the great Seven-Ups; the changing of directors from Sidney J. Furie to Robert Butler; a discussion of Bulter’s style – including a discussion of his pilot direction and style setting on Hill Street Blues; the themes that the film deals with and how they are very relevant to 2025; the fact that Jerry Goldsmith was originally supposed to score the film, and the music by Artie Kane; the reason why this showed up on TV with regularity – beyond the pay cable stations which it was a staple as well; the mid-film chase shootout between Brolin and Dan Heydya – how it was accomplished; the work and career of cinematographer Victor J. Kemper; the differences between the source novel and the film – including the ends, characters, story setup, and more; a larger discussion of the various locations the film used; a larger discussion of the cultural touchstones of New York City during the era and what has changed; a larger discussion of the various actors that appear in the film; and much more.
Summer of ‘78: Interview with Actor James Brolin (13:50) – in this all-new interview with the star opens with a discussion of the original director of the project, Sidney J Furie. Brolin goes on to discuss the terrible apartment he got while researching the part – including a great anecdote about Amityville Horror; where Brolin drew inspiration from for his character; the sections that Furie directed and what Bill Butler directed; how Brolin hurt his foot and Furie decided to leave the film at that time when the production shut down; the differences between Furie as a director and Butler as a director; the ease of shooting in New York – including a discussion of filming on location in and around 42nd Street; working with the various cast; how he repaid Furie later in his career for this and other work early in his career; and much more.
The Sweet Maria: Interview with Actress Julie Carmen (14:21) – in this all-new interview with the actress opens with her discussion of this role and how it was of a type that she played. Carmen goes on to discuss growing up in the Bronx, New York; her view was that it wasn’t as violent as it was portrayed or had a reputation for; how the production found her and was cast by Furie and then directed by Butler; her use of an accent; working with James Brolin and the physicality of his performance; working with Cliff Gorman in this and a later film; her day job when she was filming the film as a drama therapist at Riker’s Island – which leads to a great discussion about portrayal of Latinos in film; and much more.
Pandemonium Reflex: An Inquest into Sidney J. Furie’s Night of the Juggler (14:02) – a new visual essay by Daniel Kremer dives into the particulars of how Furie discussed with him how he began but did not finish Night of the Juggler. Using Furie’s other New York set film, Sheila Levine is Dead and Living in New York as a reference point, Kremer goes on to discuss the differences between the two productions that are in stark contrast to one another. One was a backlot made film (Sheila); the other was shot on location (Juggler). The essay also includes audio from Furie during the time that he told Kremer about the Juggler experience and why he decided to leave the production. The result is a truly great and fascinating look at an aspect of a film we rarely get – the director who left a project.
Rounding out the special feature are trailers for Night of the Juggler [Newly Mastered in 2K] (1:52); Hardcore (1:22); Vice Squad (0:58); The Hunter (3:15); Stick (1:21); Death Wish 3 (1:40);
The Final Thought
Kino Lorber has done it again. Bringing another undiscovered classic to home video in a beautiful 4K UHD release. Highest possible recommendations!!!
Kino Lorber’s 4K UHD Edition of Night of the Juggler is out now
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