Mad City (1997)

reviewed by
Ben Hoffman


                              MAD CITY

John Travolta was originally given the role of the reporter in MAD CITY but fortunately he opted for being Sam, the bewildered security guard at a local art museum. The brash reporter, Max Brackett, belongs to Dustin Hoffman who does a bang up job.

How many times have we witnessed a reporter shoving a microphone in the face of an injured person being carried to an ambulance, asking "How did you feel when you learned you lost your leg?" How many times have we seen a TV News crew on the front steps of the home of bereaved parents, asking them, "What was your first reaction when you learned your little daughter had been killed by a hit and run driver?" The point of MAD CITY, is that the story comes first, the reporter wanting to milk the situation for as long as he can. His exposure on the small screen is the name of the game.

Max, formerly with a network, has been banished to a small station at the behest of the big city anchor, Kevin Hollander (Alan Alda) who did not like frequently being upstaged by Max. To keep Max in tow, the station's manager, Lou Potts, (Robert Prosky) assigns him to cover a small story about finances at the local art museum. He assigns a young, pretty woman, Laurie (Mia Kirshner) to assist Max.

Best laid plans and all of that, while covering this non-story, Sam, who had been fired by the art director Mrs. Banks (Blythe Danner) for drinking a bit too much at the museum's party, comes by to demand his job back. When Mrs. Banks says she will not rehire him, the naive young man pulls a gun which he had no intention of ever using but brought to the museum along with some sticks of dynamite thinking to scare Mrs. Banks into giving him back his job. He has seen too much TV and has been led to believe that this is how you get your job back.

In the museum are a couple of dozen children on a tour. They are now hostages. So far, that is enough to land SAM in a lot of trouble but when the gun accidentally goes off and he shoots a fellow guard, the stakes skyrocket. Witnessing in an adjacent room is Max who whispers on the connection to Laurie to alert the station that they have a major hostage situation. The bigger the tragedy, the better the story; it is as simple as that.

MAD CITY then goes on to show Max discovered and coming out of hiding, befriends Sam whom he advises. But all the time, he really does not want the drama to end too soon; not before he can again become nationally known. The big city anchor, Hollander, wants to dump Max and turn this major event into his story. He promises Max that if the story is turned over to him, he will see that Max is returned to big time.

Both Travolta and Hoffman are utterly believable. Sam. bewildered, not meaning to hurt anyone, just wanting his job back . . . and Max orchestrating the proceedings to prolong the drama.

There is a delightful punch line delivered by Laurie to Max at the film's end but you will have to hear it for yourselves.

                     Directed by Costa Gavras.
3 Bytes
4  bytes  =  Superb
3  bytes  =  Too good to miss
2  bytes  =  Average
1  byte   =  Save your money
                 Copyright  1997         Ben Hoffman

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