Plot Summary

Hudson City, New Jersey, is a decaying shell of a city where whites, blacks, unions, and the police form their own tribes and where having juice--political influence--often means toeing the tribal line. City of Hope presents the lives of the several of Hudson City's residents, ranging from the inhabitants of a decrepit tenement to the fat cats in city hall. Two men in particular--the son of a corrupt contractor and a black politician accused of being a sellout--struggle to deal with the city's political structure, which reaches a crisis when a white professor is accused of sexually assaulting two black youths. Director John Sayles has said that City of Hope is one of his most autobiographical works, an amalgamation of his experiences in a variety of midsize cities, including Albany, East Boston, Atlanta, and Hoboken. Often compared with Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Sayles's film considers similar issues from a broader perspective, including more sympathetic portraits of the police. Intricate camerawork ties together more than 50 speaking parts, often without cuts. The seamless transitions between characters emphasizes that these people are all connected, whether they realize it or not.