MIDNIGHT MOVIE MONOGRAPH by Andrew Hook
SERIES EDITOR Guy Adams
CATEGORY Gritty Neo Noir Drama
PUBLICATION DATE  February 2026
COVER ART & DESIGN Neil Snowdon
PAGES 269

EDITION
Jacketed hardcover — ISBN  978-1-80394-568-2 [£20]

ABOUT THIS BOOK

An almost forgotten classic of neo-noir cinema, Union City was lauded by Lawrence O’Toole of Macleans magazine during the 1980 Directors Week at Cannes, who described it as A pitchblack comedy with an ironic conclusion worthy of de Maupassant . . . This comic Crime and Punishment, wherein an ordinary Joe tries to cover up a murder and becomes a victim of his own neuroses, is a real breakthrough, reviving one’s faltering faith in movies.

Yet this version of the film was not the one subsequently screened nor seen by the general public. Andrew Hook navigates the gestation of this singular piece of cinema history, conducting interviews with many of the surviving members of the original cast and crew, to discover the true story behind the making of Union City, one that at times is almost as tragic as its plot, yet also infected by a unique camaraderie, whereby everyone who worked on set remembers it fondly. 

UNION CITY is a story of two halves: the film that we know and the film that we don’t. Grab a seat and watch both unfold.

Featuring extensive interviews with Marcus (Mark) Reichert, the director, before his untimely death in 2022, UNION CITY includes a scene by scene run through of the film together with chapters on film noir, colour, comedy, the hitherto unknown proposed sequels, and writer Cornell Woolrich; plus extensive, original, interviews with Monty Montgomery (the producer), Ed Lachman (the cinematographer), Stefan Czapsky (the gaffer), Fred Caruso (the line producer), and actors Deborah Harry, Everett McGill, Irina Maleeva and Sam McMurray, in addition to Chris Stein who scored the film.

Andrew Hook unravels the untold story behind Union City, an in-depth examination that should assure the film a place in the cinematic pantheon of its time.