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The Cotton Club
1984
Drama
Crime
2h 9m
The Cotton Club was a famous night club in Harlem. The story follows the people that visited the club, those that ran it, and is peppered with the Jazz music that made it so famous. (imdb)
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The Cotton Club
1984
Drama
Crime
2h 9m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 45.21% from 433 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews
(436)
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Rated 22 Aug 2022
40
1st
Rating the Encore Cut. This is one of the most unfocused films I've ever seen. Instead of showing scenes and emotions characters just talk about them. The dialogue is corny. The editing lets scenes go on in an odd way. The acting is inconsistent. It does a poor job of reconciling the themes and racial politics. And the song and dance numbers go on so long it seems like Coppola is filming a cosplay nightclub. It should only be screened to film students as an example of what not to do.
Rated 22 Aug 2022
Rated 16 Aug 2011
55
21st
Coppola, always a capable craftsman, occasionally a deficient storyteller, fails to do much with "The Cotton Club", which has an interesting setting but ultimately derails. There are several gorgeous shots to distract from the practically nonexistent plot, totally uninteresting characters (Gere and Hines' lukewarm performances don't help much) and an annoyingly upbeat conclusion. Still, the aesthetically high production and the interesting backdrop are enough to make the film relatively decent.
Rated 16 Aug 2011
Rated 28 Dec 2017
63
54th
T.C.C suffers from a surplus of ideas. It's a gangster film and a musical; it wants to provide commentary on the relationship of crime films to the realities of mob life; it addresses racial discrimination to realistically evoke the mood of the period beyond surface aesthetics. Unfortunately, the result is an overly busy film whose story threads never truly cohere, but the use of montage is stunning, and its best moments make us wish that Coppola had located its narrative centre.
Rated 28 Dec 2017
Rated 30 May 2014
88
47th
A highly underrated and entertaining Jazz Age saga which serves as a showcase for a number of great talents. Beautifully shot, and while the tone bounces around a bit there's an infectious charm to the whole affair.
Rated 30 May 2014
Rated 12 Jan 2020
10
96th
watched Coppola's new Encore cut, which nudged this from Near-Masterpiece to Masterpiece. and also reminded me to add Bad Company: Drugs, Hollywood, and the Cotton Club Murder to my reading list.
Rated 12 Jan 2020
Rated 19 May 2013
65
31st
Like Bugsy Malone - but with adults - it never really balances the music and gangster genres well enough for either of them to be satisfying...it's entertaining, but you soon tire of the extravagant dance sequences put together with somewhat extreme violence, considering the context and setting. Not the best work of anyone involved...could've been SO much better.
Rated 19 May 2013
Rated 22 Feb 2007
60
62nd
Whilst the film is decent, it lacks that glitter to make it special.
Rated 22 Feb 2007
Rated 01 Apr 2020
75
49th
I felt that the film ran way too long, but the Gregory Hines' portion of the film is the where the film shines. I just wish that they didn't have to keep cutting back to Richard Gere as I found his stuff to be rather boring.
Rated 01 Apr 2020
Rated 14 Jun 2020
74
52nd
This is rating the Theatrical Cut. I read that the Encore Cut is a different beast of its own. Make a page for it, you cowards. The final montage is fantastic but the rest is fine. Coppola's New York New York
Rated 14 Jun 2020
Rated 26 May 2009
20
44th
The club itself, or anyway the music it showcased (Cab Calloway doing his "Hi-di-hi-di-hi-di-ho" -- what else?), is strictly second fiddle to the hackneyed gangster plot. The one moment when the music world overlaps the underworld is, in a sense, memorable: a tap dancer in mid-performance neatly kicks the gun out of a gangster's hand without missing a tap.
Rated 26 May 2009
Rated 10 Apr 2009
0
15th
A lumpy vehicle, eventually costing $50 million, for some of the talents who made _The Godfather_ ten years earlier. Despite a few effective moments, a prime example of the careless extravagance which all but killed the film business.
Rated 10 Apr 2009
Rated 28 Apr 2008
57
45th
Pleasantly stylish, but quickly forgotten.
Rated 28 Apr 2008
Rated 25 Jan 2024
70
42nd
I absolutely do not understand the critical reversal on this film due to the "Encore" version because I simply do not buy that this is a substantially different film from the theatrical release. I do understand that there's 20 more minutes, the majority of which extends musical numbers and provides more of the Gregory Hines/Lonette McKee plotline, but it's patently absurd to declare that the problem with the theatrical cut of this film was not enough music or not enough Gregory Hines.
Rated 25 Jan 2024
Rated 06 Nov 2012
70
10th
69.500
Rated 06 Nov 2012
Rated 20 Sep 2022
70
65th
I've only seen the Encore cut but even in this by all accounts improved edition the spectacular production values and some very decent gangster scenes can't quite make up for the fact that the storylines don't quite crackle and pop as much ad they ought to.
Rated 20 Sep 2022
Rated 10 Jun 2019
40
12th
şaşırtıcı biçimde, sanki çok gangster filmi izlemiş aşırı hevesli bir sinefil yazmış gibi senaryosunu. bir dönem atmosferi yaratılıp orada birkaç karaktere - dönem filmlerini anımsatan biçimde ama daha üstünkörü- bir bakış olarak planlanmış gibi film fakat karman çorman, işlemeyen bir şey çıkıyor ortaya nihayetinde. coppola'nın harika kamerası var, gerisine yazık olmuş.
Rated 10 Jun 2019
Rated 20 Aug 2012
73
69th
Really liked it. Didn't really get anyhing due to being very stoned. Seemed really cheesy, though.
Rated 20 Aug 2012
Rated 01 Jul 2012
80
63rd
Evocative, compelling examination of gangster life in the 20s. Stylistically, Coppola is at the top of his game, utilising gorgeous set design and cinematography, and wonderful eclectic cast, to recreate the era. But presentation of characters and story is weak, resulting in a hopelessly muddled narrative at times, to the point where it is difficult to ascertain the 'whys' of what's happening. Stunning dance sequences (and Hoskins' and Gwynne's wonderful double act) keep the film enthralling.
Rated 01 Jul 2012
Rated 14 Oct 2007
89
63rd
I can overlook its flaws (there are many) because I simply love gangster films. Still, this film could have been so much better, it's sad.
Rated 14 Oct 2007
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