Giuliani Time 2005

Veteran documentary cinematographer Kevin Keating spent more than five years working on this film about the notoriously autocratic New York mayor, but then faced a stonewall from an industry unwilling to handle a critique of the man many saw as the hero of 9/11.

“Investigative biographer and Village Voice editor Wayne Barrett acts as Keating’s guide through Giuliani’s well-hidden family past, with its ties to gambling joints, the Mob, and Sing Sing. A brief discussion of the early years leads to Giuliani’s rapid promotion in the D.A.’s office and his controversial role in the deportation of Haitian boat people… [Most] time is spent on Giuliani’s years as mayor, when his zero tolerance policies received worldwide attention and outsiders praised the Disneyfication of Babylon-on-the-Hudson. Through well-chosen commentators ranging from lawyers, community activists and assorted politicos, Keating strips away the self-aggrandizement and analyzes the record.” — Jay Weissberg, Variety