Its maker's best since 1988's Running on Empty and maybe even '82's The Verdict.

It is about characters who have held onto what values they could while dealing in a flawed world. It has characters who do wrong and are therefore bad, but it doesn't really have "villains'' in the usual movie sense of the word.

It is a thought-provoking experience, which might unsettle some, but that’s precisely what makes it worth watching.

Night Falls on Manhattan is a modern-day classic with solid writing, direction, acting, cinematography, and just about everything else, making for a very well-rounded film that is easy to rewatch this many years later.