Mad City (1997)

This earnest effort at media criticism is never convincing enough to stir a viewer's outrage in the way filmmaker Costa-Gavras (Music Box) might have intended. John Travolta plays a barely educated museum guard who is laid off from his job and ends up holding his former boss (Blythe Danner) and a bunch of schoolchildren hostage. Dustin Hoffman is a former television-network journalist making a grab at the limelight again by pushing and controlling press coverage of the story. What follows is by the numbers and not nearly as enlightening or enthralling as other films (such as Dog Day Afternoon or Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole) about simple events manipulated into a media circus. Despite Travolta's tragic performance and Hoffman's impassioned one, the film breaks up over efforts to blame electronic voyeurism for social chaos. The DVD release has optional full-screen and widescreen presentations, production notes, theatrical trailer, television spots, optional French soundtrack, French or Spanish subtitles, and Dolby sound. --Tom Keogh Amazon.com

COMPLETELY ENGROSSING IF NOT COMPLETELY PLAUSABLE!

'Mad City' is an exceptional film with some minor flaws. The subject matter is intriguing and provocative. John Travolta deserves much of the credit for playing his character both sympathetically and unpredictability. Hoffman is great as usual in this tale of desperation, media manipulation and greed! It's easy to get engrossed in this drama although it's not completely plausible when it comes to police tactics allowing the media and civilians to bum rush scene in question etc., but it's a fascinating film and should not be passed up! The DVD transfer is very good. September 1, 2008

A good message, but flawed movie

I think this movie depicts how the media blows many incidents way out of proportion. In fact, they will desperately go to great lengths and alter what people said in order to present a more catchy, dramatic news headline. John Travolta portrays a man who lost his job a museum. All he wants is his job back. He brings in a gun to be used as threat but accidently fires it and kills a security guard. He realizes that his whole life is ruined. Meanwhile a reporter tries to portray Travolta as a working class man who was simply trying to provide for his family. He shuold serve some time but then should be granted a second chance. Basically he was trying to portray that not every criminal is evil at hurt. However, the media quickly revamped his story and turned it into a sick twisted, racist pig who is holding kids hostage.

As far as the movie goes, it is rather long and boring. Most of it is slow and dragged out over the 2 hour mark. This movie could have been made into an hour and a half. It starts and ends well but the middle became a bit confusing and can be very disinteresting for the viewer to follow. April 15, 2008

Wow - I didn't know John Travolta had such depth.

I was truely impressed with the acting of both Dustin Hoffman & John Travolta. You think these men are the people they're portraying here. I honestly can not believe this movie got any bad reviews. I bought mine as a Previously Viewed from a Video Rental Store and then go to Amazon and notice the low prices and think to myself - This is going to be a lousy movie to watch -- Wrong. I watched it from start to finish like reading a good book and can't wait to see how it turns out.
Do yourself a favor and buy this movie at these low prices. You won't be sorry. February 12, 2008

An Interesting Misfire

Lord knows the media is a worthy target for social commentary. However, it is also an easy one, and has been often targeted in the past. Thus the central problem with "Mad City," Costa-Gavras' updating of Billy Wilder's "Ace in the Hole." The film spends nearly two hours denouncing the media---namely print and television news---for a variety of social ills, for not all of which it can so easily be blamed. And those things it can be blamed for, we kind of already knew.

Nonetheless, an excellent cast works hard to bring off this story of reporter Max Brackett (Dustin Hoffman), who `lucks into' an exclusive when a disgruntled, laid-off security guard (John Travolta) takes his former employer and a group of kids hostage in a museum while Brackett just happens to be in the bathroom. Travolta is to be commended for taking on a part that is not particularly sympathetic, in the form of a character that is not very bright. He and Hoffman carry the film as far as it can go, but by the end you are likely to feel that you're being hit over the head with the simplistic central message, such that the tragic coda loses impact. It's not a bad film, and with these talents it can't help but have its moments, but overall it's a bit of a missed shot. July 10, 2006

Travolta does it again...

... he battles against the greatest obstacle an actor can face and almost pulls it off. What's that obstacle? you ask. Well, it's having a script that's so paper thin that it must have been written on toilet paper. Travolta proves over and over again that good scripts are not neceesary to prolong a career in Hollywood.

I once met John Travolta at a charity event in Bel Air. I said to him, "Hey Travolta, who the heck is your agent and why do you keep taking these cripey roles?" I give him credit though, he looked back at me very cooly and said, "I fly airplanes and I'm married to Kelly Preston, you're wearing an enormous sombrero and spandex bike shorts -- who are you to judge me?"

Touche, Senor Travolta. Touche. June 7, 2006

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