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Mad City
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Mad City (1997)

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User Rating: 6.1/10 (7,430 votes)
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Overview

Director:
Costa-Gavras
Writers (WGA):
Tom Matthews (story) &
Eric Williams (story) ...
more
Release Date:
7 November 1997 (USA) more view trailer
Genre:
Drama | Thriller more
Tagline:
One man will make a mistake. The other will make it a spectacle.
Plot:
A normal guy blows his top, and a news reporter turns into a national spectacle. full summary | add synopsis
User Comments:
Media Frenzy leads to... more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

John Travolta ... Sam Baily

Dustin Hoffman ... Max Brackett

Mia Kirshner ... Laurie Callahan

Alan Alda ... Kevin Hollander
Robert Prosky ... Lou Potts

Blythe Danner ... Mrs. Banks

William Atherton ... Malt Dohlen
Ted Levine ... Chief Alvin Lemke

Tammy Lauren ... Miss Rose

William O'Leary ... CTN Junior Executive #1

Raymond J. Barry ... Special Agent Dobbins
Lucinda Jenney ... Jenny Baily
Akosua Busia ... Diane Williams
Ebbe Roe Smith ... Travis Bartholomew
Bingwa ... Nat Jackson
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for depiction of a hostage situation, including violence and brief language.
Runtime:
114 min | Argentina:115 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Colour:
Colour (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
MOVIEmeter: ?
^ 20% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Quotes:
Sam: Don't negotiate my emotions! more
Movie Connections:
References Dog Day Afternoon (1975) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful:-
Media Frenzy leads to..., 25 October 1999
7/10
Author: Maxi-14 from West Coast

This movie gets off to a slow start. To be honest it doesn't build much suspense. It does, however, have a message about modern society. People have a fascination with crisis situations and media personalities feed on that fact like sharks in a frenzy. That can lead situations to escalate out of control.

Dustin Hoffman stole the show as Max Brackett. A fellow viewer couldn't believe that he was the same man that had played in Rainman. He delivers a standout performance as TV news reporter Max Brackett who is looking to inject life back into his career but at the same time retains some sense of compassion and justice. The forces battle inside him through out the film.

John Travolta was on the money but not stellar as Sam Bailey, a recently unemployed security guard on the cusp of losing everything that he owns. Sam is a bit of low watt bulb, but he is basically a good person caught up in a very bad choice and situation that runs awry of his plans. He is very distraught about his situation and popping caffiene pills to stay awake doesn't help his state of mind much either. Not one of Travolta's best but it is still good.

What a pleasure to watch Alan Alda in front of the camera again. As Kevin Hollander he is the guy that you love to hate. Hollander is Max Brackett's nemesis and antagonist. Alda easily departs from his compassionate portrayal of Dr. Haweye Pierce on TV's MASH for this one.

This isn't a perfect film but it is a good one. It will leave you thinking about the message that it has. The acting is good to great.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Other movies about media manipulation binc_kato
Mel Gibson arunsah
UNDERRATED? cristilogo
hail travolta - media is sucha sob (slight off topic) shahabkalim-1
Missed the end asia_06-1
Slanting news stories rentcrazybaby
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