prince of the city is a 1981 american neo-noir crime drama film about an nypd officer who chooses to expose police corruption for idealistic reasons. the character of daniel ciello, played by treat williams, was based on real-life nypd narcotics detective robert leuci. the script was based on robert daley's 1978 book of the same name. sidney lumet was the director and co-screenwriter; the large supporting cast also featured actors jerry orbach, bob balaban, and lindsay crouse.