City of Ghosts (2002)

Matt Dillon in over his head

Matt Dillon wrote, directed and acted in this sort of pulp fiction tale about a con artist feeling guilty about bilking victims of a Hurricane Katrina-like mess. The cutting is a little too quick and the muddled plot is hard to follow for most of the movie. The soundtrack gets annoying with its endless southeast Asian whining sounds. James Caan is interesting, as usual. Maybe if Dillon had not tried to do too much, this film would have come out better. As it stands, it's worth a watch, I guess. But you won't remember it a day or two later. Also, the title makes no sense. I still don't see how it applies to the movie. August 4, 2008

MATT DILLON, OPUS 1

**** 2002. Written with Barry Lost Highway Gifford and directed by Matt Dillon. Jimmy flies to Cambodia in order to find Marvin, the man with whom he uses to swindle people for years now. There, Marvin is about to build a casino with an ex-general while Russian ex-partners are searching for him. I liked a lot Matt Dillon's first and only film to date, the director giving the impression that he really loves his characters. The description of life in Cambodia is also well observed and almost palpable, thanks to a great Gérard Depardieu as Emile the bartender. The dream scenes are for once smart and reminded me the way Alfred Hitchcock handled them decades ago. All in all, I highly recommend this movie. July 22, 2008

MISLEADING TITLE?

Wasn't quite sure what the title of this movie was meant to convey. Perhaps that the characters were ghostlike? From the title, I expected a very different movie than what actually unfolded. There are no supernatural beings (ghosts) portrayed in this movie. Having lived in both Vietnam and Thailand for a number of months, I presume Cambodia is similar in look and feel. This movie really captures the feel of the region. I don't think I have seen a movie capture the flavor of a place as well as this one; not even documentaries. This couldn't have been made on a movie set; they must have done it mostly in Thailand. I wonder if they actually did go to Cambodia for some of the filming? The characters are believable too. What would have made this a near perfect movie would have been a better plot. The plot was a little difficult to follow and seemed a little thin at times. I never did quite figure out what exactly was going on, but given that the story was about con men, perhaps that was part of the point? Not an easy movie to watch because it is hard to pick a hero to identify with, as almost everyone is either a con or just trying to survive in a harsh environment. This movie is a little different than most of the standard action/adventure movies we see. It lumbers along, never really picking up any momentum. On the other hand, it never gets boring; the pace keeps up just enough to keep you interested. It would be hard to doze off during this movie, but you aren't going to be on the edge of your seat either. It is a movie that is merely quite good but with a little effort could have been wonderful.
I think it is worth watching just because it is a little different and doesn't follow a standard formula. You might be left feeling a little unsettled or unsatisfied when the movie is done, but you probably will not be indifferent. October 20, 2007

Extremely powerful movie telling the tale of a Ponzi scheme fugitive

CITY OF GHOSTS is an extremely powerful movie, telling a story that
will pull the audience's intellectual, moral, rational and emotional
strings, but may lie outside of the grasp of the younger audiences,
with lower IQ's.

The strengths of this picture, is its no-nonsense, mature approach in
telling the tale of a Ponzi scheme creator, an insurance company that
had no underlying reserves and no intentions in paying any claims
that could arise from the policies underwritten. These were popular
from their under-priced competitiveness, sold by Matt Dillon. Of
course, when a hurricane hits Florida, the Carolinas, and people
submit claims for their losses, the owner disappears, leaving many
home owners destitute, the company decapitalized as all $10 m of
premiums were funnelled into the Cayman Isles and Swiss numbered bank
accounts, beyond the reach of regulators.

Matt Dillon and James Caan, demonstrate extreme acting skill, and
credibility, with a subtle, meaningful presence throughout the 90
mins. Natasha McElhone has a natural, shining presence playing an
archeologist.

The cinematography is simply excellent, in all filming situations,
night, day, action scenes and not, with a quasi-wide screen release
that is sharp, clear and well edited.

The soundtrack is also equally outstanding, with immense discernment
in the numbers selected, in the many tense moments. It is able to
enhance a multitude of emotions, and moods set in the film, some
reminiscent of the Louis Armstrong style in the saloons, other times,
popular music from Cambodia, and Thailand, were the entirety of the
film unfolds.

Intelligently, the script touches upon the various foreign heritage
of the area, with Gerard Depardieu playing a hotel owner and barman
in Phnom Penh (French colonial presence), shows one or two burnt out
former US military, and a group of "rave-scene" party goers from the
UK and USA doing tourism.

Wisely, the Director chose to film the more historical aspects with
many artistic shots and choices of streets, its people, merchants,
ancient ruins, cultural practices, etc. Seeing taxis in the form of a
tri-cycle pedaled by human power or other taxis on a low cylinder
motorcycle engine with a single passenger seat will be intriging, as
are the hotels with baboons climbing the windows, or snakes and
elephants in the streets.

An aspect that will worry the audience, throughout, is the morality
and the character of the individuals who are comparable to quicksand.
The characters dealing with those who ran the Ponzi, and laundered
the profits (Russian mobsters), often think they have a firm footing,
only to be later fooled, as double crossing, houses of mirrors are
put up to trap unsuspecting marks, in or out of their own
organization.

The Third World status nature of those locales is reinforced, as the
film shows still existing mine-fields, devastated farm
infrastructure, high ranking officials leaking the identities of
incoming visitors arriving at the airport to the mobsters, corrupted
law enforcement. The fact that those powerful government officials
are all military underlines that those are not democracies.

The poverty aspect is not hidden. The lack of safety in public
streets, against kidnapping, random brutality from thugs is not
surprising, since no city is safe at all times, in every single
place, especially for tourists.

Some aspects, may be difficult to stomach for some audiences, such as
executions, kidnapping, ransoms, or the absolute power of those
holding cold hard cash in a nation with a big disparity of incomes.

Clearly, this story will leave the audience in the theatres immensely
satisfied in having been taken on this dream-like voyage, showing the
horrible human consequences of certain wrong choices, in this case,
the embezzlement of funds. June 7, 2007

Great Movie!

Its a shame when I don't see a movie for quite a while just because it doesn't get the respect it deserves. This is a great crime drama. Its no soft drama either, it will keep other types of viewers interested as well. A story about a group of individuals connected only through their criminal activities can only turn out violent. Just the amount of distrust being spread around is entertaining enough.
Of course there is one true friendship which developes and is quite endearing throughout the movie. Sort of a guardian angel type of relationship that feels rewarding amongst all the deceit.
And the locations are perfect, there couldn't have been a better place to have this story take place. Its like the frosting on the cake. You will want to see how it all comes together and who survives. Buy this movie, support well made films not just the ones Hollywood blows out it's arse. March 30, 2007

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