Almost impossible to see for decades, “Night of the Juggler” now returns in a brand-new 4K restoration, ready to be rediscovered on the big screen. Shot at the height of a rough and restless late-1970s New York, the film follows 24 hours of pure tension as a desperate man (Cliff Gorman, Cops and Robbers, All That Jazz) kidnaps a teenage girl by mistake, believing her to be the daughter of a wealthy real estate tycoon. Her father (James Brolin, The Car, The Amityville Horror), a tough ex-cop, launches an unrelenting pursuit through the city’s decaying streets, crumbling buildings, and grimy tunnels — a portrait of an urban landscape on the verge of collapse.

Based on the novel by William P. McGivern (The Big Heat, Odds Against Tomorrow), the film also features Richard S. Castellano (The Godfather), Julie Carmen (Fright Night 2, In the Mouth of Madness), Dan Hedaya (Blood Simple), and Mandy Patinkin (The Princess Bride). It was a troubled production — director Sidney J. Furie (The Ipcress File) was replaced by Robert Butler (Up the Creek, Turbulence) just weeks into shooting — yet “Night of the Juggler” survived as a cult title, remembered by most only through worn VHS copies.

Often compared to classics like The French Connection and Taxi Driver, Night of the Juggler pushes the urban thriller to a new level, exposing a society in conflict with itself. In Portugal, the film hasn’t been screened theatrically since 1982; this new showing restores it to its natural context and recovers the visual impact that made it legendary — a raw, fast-paced, no-holds-barred urban thriller, finally available as it was always meant to be seen.