| Citizen Cohn | |
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| Genre | Drama |
| Based on | Citizen Cohn byNicholas von Hoffman |
| Written by | David Franzoni |
| Directed by | Frank Pierson |
| Starring | James Woods |
| Music by | Thomas Newman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | |
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| Production locations | |
| Cinematography | Paul Elliott |
| Editor | Peter Zinner |
| Running time | 111 minutes |
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| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | August 22, 1992 (1992-08-22) |
Citizen Cohn is a 1992made-for-TV movie covering the life ofJoseph McCarthy's controversial chief counselRoy Cohn.James Woods, who starred as Cohn, was nominated for both anEmmy and aGolden Globe for his performance.Citizen Cohn also starsJoe Don Baker (as McCarthy),Ed Flanders (as Cohn's courtroom nemesisJoseph Welch),Frederic Forrest (as writerDashiell Hammett), andPat Hingle (as Cohn's onetime mentorJ. Edgar Hoover). It was directed byFrank Pierson. The movie was based on the 1988 book of the same name byNicholas von Hoffman;[1] it was filmed on location inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The film spans Cohn's life from childhood through his initial rise to power as McCarthy's right-hand man in theSenate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearings and his eventual public discrediting a month before his death in 1986 fromAIDS. It is told mostly inflashback as Cohn lies dying at a hospital inBethesda, Maryland,hallucinating that his many enemies (fromRobert F. Kennedy toEthel Rosenberg, a convictedCommunistspy he sent to theelectric chair) are haunting him. It concerns aspects of Cohn's life such as hisclosetedhomosexuality and the measure of his culpability in the "Red Scare" of the 1950s. While the movie portrays Cohn in a decidedly unsympathetic light, it also depicts episodes in his life, such as the death of his beloved mother, in which he showed a more humane, compassionate side.
Thomas Newman composed the largelyminimalistfilm score.