So evil/so transfixing: Matt Tyrnauer's absorbing doc, WHERE'S MY ROY COHN?

Sure, he was the guy you loved to hate. And you could so easily get away with it because Roy Cohn was one hateful son-of-a-bitch -- working for and/or representing some of the country's most disgusting people, from Joe McCarthy to John Gotti to Donald Trump (yes, Trump learned his sleaze not only from his dad but from his other mentor, Mr. Cohn).

The most amazing thing about Matt Tyrnauer's new documentary, WHERE'S MY ROY COHN?, is how the filmmaker has managed to show us Cohn in all his evil glory while simultaneously flabbergasting us with this man's singular abilities. It's like watching a cobra weave and sway in front of your hypnotized eyes, fascinating you, even as you finally succumb.

This encompassing movie by Mr. Tyrnauer (shown at left) -- who has also given us fine documentaries about Studio 54, Scotty Bowers, Jane Jacobs and Valentino -- here combines America's history with that of Mr. Cohn's, in the process making us further aware of the ways in which power not only corrupts but congregates and so often wins the day. Even when Cohn and/or his employers lost, it is simply amazing to watch and marvel at how this piece of sleaze would rise from the ashes and reinvent himself (in something of the same old guise) again and again.

Especially unnerving is the section in which we see and learn how Cohn's playbook served as a tutor to the liar, racist and cheat (above, right) who is now the President of the United States.

The movie moves back and forth in time, but thanks to Tyrnauer's skill (along with that of his editors, Andrea Lewis and Tom Maroney), we're kept nicely in place.

We learn about Cohn's family history (I believe that's his mother at left, above), which is interesting and, of course, germane. And while it goes some distance in explaining his character, nothing quite accounts for the monster the man became.

A sometimes flamboyantly gay fellow who was not merely closeted but rather seemed to seal himself behind a brick wall, his behavior and comments -- regarding the fact that, could he possibly be gay? -- are so bizarre and head-spinning that you'll wonder how he managed all this in his own sick mind. The documentary may bring some viewers to recall how beautifully Tony Kushner created and captured Cohn in his play, Angels in America. (That's Cohen's first major amour, below, right.)

The more you hear and see, the crazier Cohn seems -- yet the more successful he becomes. Until he isn't. At which point his supposed friends, clients and contacts desert him, Barbara Walters included. (TrustMovies dearly hopes that this lifetime shill for the wealthy and connected, whose obituary ought to be coming up soon, gets the kind of write-up she so richly deserves.)

It's all here and bigger than life (than the lives most of us plebes lead, at least). What Mr. Tyrnauer has given us should stand the test of time as a welcome and necessary reminder of what one of the most famous sycophant power brokers and his shit-ass clients gave to these United States.

From Sony Pictures Classics and running 97 minutes, Where's My Roy Cohn? opens this Friday, September 20, in New York City at Film Forum and in West Los Angeles at The Landmark, after which it will expand its run to cities across the country.

DVDebut for Matt Tyrnauer's timely, thoughtful doc, CITIZEN JANE: BATTLE FOR THE CITY

Of course Jane Jacobs is the hero is this new documentary, while Robert Moses is its chief villain. This is to be expected of any work that explores our cities, their past and (we can only hope) their future. What is maybe not so expected is that the movie fairly teems with humanity, diversity and life. I suspect that Ms Jacbos, who died more than a decade ago, would be pleased with what producer/director Matt Tyrnauer (shown below) has put together here. CITIZEN JANE: BATTLE FOR THE CITY is a combination of history, personality, struggle and (for a change) success in preventing the powers-that-be from imposing their too-often stupid and destructive ideas upon cities such as New York and (eventually) Toronto. Jacob's landmark book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities, is explored at length and in some depth, and bits of her glorious writing are prominently featured, too. Together all this makes for an exultant look back at what can happen when a woman who's both a talented writer with smart and important ideas also discovers her ability to organize and protest, in the process garnering some amazing results.

Mr. Tyrnauer has filled his film with great archival footage -- of New York, Philadelphia, Jacobs (and her nemesis, Moses) and especially of the wonderful diversity and energy present in cities that ought to be harnessed, rather than destroyed by the kind of projects of which Mr Moses was so in favor.

We see Le Corbusier and how his work was often bastardized in the name of modernity to create sterile and non-productive low-income housing. Instead, as Jacobs told us, the city should be a place where "enterprises and people are mutually supportive."

We're there with Jane and others, as she leads the fight to prevent Moses' highway through Washington Square Park. His now infamous quote that "Nobody's against us except a bunch of mothers" is shown to be all too true -- and effective.

Jacobs' real test comes as she opposes Moses and his ludicrous Lower Manhattan Expressway, which would have destroyed the entire neighborhood of Soho and displaced thousands of citizens. Her goal was not to prevent change, but to manage it well, rather than simply "freezing time."

Sure, the film is anti-Moses, but it does give the man, along with some of his better projects, his due. But mostly it's about the miracle of the city -- when it works the way it should and could. It's all about "the safety of the street and the freedom of the city," two ideas that Jacobs cherished. Best of all, perhaps, the documentary helps us understand Jacobs' "new" theory about cities and how she arrived at it. The final quote we get from her glorious book, describing the city as a kind of wonderful dance, is so perfect and beautifully realized that you may want to watch the movie all over again, just to hear it once more, spoken against those enticing visuals. (Jacob's voice is read by Marisa Tomei, while Moses' words come via Vincent D'Onofrio.)

From IFC Films and running a just-about-perfect 93 minutes, Citizen Jane: Battle for the City will hit the street on DVD this coming Tuesday, September 12 -- for purchase and/or rental.