MAD CITY
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: ** OUT OF ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 11/7/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:54 MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity, violence, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Dustin Hoffman, John Travolta, Blythe Danner, Mia Kirshner, Alan Alda, William Atherton, Robert Prosky, Ted Levine, Bill Nunn, Lucinda Jenny Director: Costa-Gavras Producers: Arnold Koppelson and Anne Koppelson Screenplay: Tom Matthews Cinematography: Patrick Blossier Music: Thomas Newman U.S. Distributor: Warner Brothers
MAD CITY is one of innumerable motion pictures that gets derailed on the long track from premise to realization. The semi-serious film, which stars high-profile actors Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta, and is directed by Costa-Gavras (BETRAYED), becomes the latest in the recent flurry of movies to make a statement about the growing lack of ethics in broadcast journalism. It's all ratings and entertainment value, not integrity! Unlike some of the more worthy contenders, MAD CITY fails to bring anything new to the table. Every aspect of this movie has been presented before in a better film with a more involving setup. If you've seen NETWORK, TO DIE FOR, WELCOME TO SARAJEVO, and especially Billy Wilder's 1951 biting satire, THE BIG CARNIVAL (aka ACE IN THE HOLE), MAD CITY will seem like a tired retread.
The absence of originality and inspiration isn't MAD CITY's only problem -- it also suffers from a shocking lack of subtlety. The film's goal of skewering the media is pursued with such single-mindedness that nearly every supporting character is reduced to a familiar type: the empty-headed local news personality, the arrogant network anchor, the innocent camera person seduced by fame and fortune, and the old- fashioned news director who looks on sadly as the story is manipulated. Even John Travolta's Sam Baily isn't all that interesting -- he's basically a dumb lug who lets circumstances get away from him. Only Max Brackett (Hoffman), an ambitious TV reporter covering the story from the inside, is worth a second look.
"The story" is a hostage situation at the local Museum of Natural History. Sam, an out of work security guard, returns to the site of his dismissal to plead with his former boss (Blythe Danner) to get his job back. When she refuses to hear his case, he pulls out a gun and starts shooting. In the process, he accidentally hits his best friend, Cliff (Bill Nunn), the museum's only remaining security guard. Sam, suddenly in over his head and unsure what to do, locks up the building and takes everyone inside hostage -- including a class of young children there on a school trip. Unbeknownst to Sam, Max is on hand, hiding out in the mens' room. It isn't long before Max is on the air with an exclusive, and, after Sam discovers him, his role changes from covering the situation to manipulating it by offering Sam advice how to solidify his position and do damage control.
The centerpiece of MAD CITY is obviously the interaction between Sam and Max, as the former tries to figure a way out of the mess he has gotten himself into and the latter tries to exploit the situation. Max has no compunction about crossing over the blurred line that divides reporting a story from becoming part of it, while Sam doesn't understand the dynamics of the situation -- until, that is, he looks out a window and sees the throng of reporters and law enforcement officials that has gathered around the museum. Sadly, however, while the relationship between Sam and Max starts out interesting, it rapidly turns routine as Max gets an attack of conscience. MAD CITY says everything it wants to say in its first forty-five minutes. After that, it spins its wheels for over an hour, waiting for the inevitable conclusion.
Despite Costa-Gavras' best manipulative efforts, Sam never captures our sympathy. The intent is for us to identify with him as a victim at the end of his tether (sort of like Michael Douglas in FALLING DOWN), but he comes across as someone who's so stupid that he deserves what he gets. Worse still, he's a static personality with no dramatic arc. He's the same at the end as at the beginning, and it's difficult for an audience to connect with an individual who exhibits no growth. Travolta does an adequate job in this role, but he doesn't have a character of substance to work with.
Hoffman, who previously played the less jaded but equally energetic Bernstein in ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, is excellent as Max, MAD CITY's dubious moral compass. But, although Hoffman gives Max flair, there's little that he can do to correct the overlong and derivative script. None of the supporting actors really stands out with the possible exception of Alan Alda, who does a credible imitation of a snake in the grass. His character, Kevin Hollander, "the man America trusts for news" is so self-serving that he makes Max look like an ethical pillar.
In his examination of the media feeding frenzy, Costa-Gavras throws in everything but the kitchen sink. There are tabloid reporters who manufacture questionable witnesses and harass a man lying in a hospital. There are "straight" reporters who edit interviews to reflect the angle they're looking for. There are fringe elements of the press who play up the racial card (the man Sam shot is black). There are network executives who are only concerned about ratings. There are police who won't move until public opinion is on their side. MAD CITY's overall picture of the media is decidedly unflattering.
The movie is also awash in subplots, none of which amount to much. In fact, they seem like filler to pad the movie out to its nearly two hour length. For a film that covers so much material, MAD CITY seems surprisingly drawn out, but the reason is that it fails to do much of anything well. The satire isn't sharp and the drama isn't effective. Watching MAD CITY, I felt much the same way that I did 5 years ago while sitting through Hoffman's HERO -- great idea, poor execution. MAD CITY doesn't work because it's an exercise in themes and ideas that never gels into a compelling story.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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