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City of Ghosts

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City of Ghosts (2003)

47%
48%
66%
N/A
N/A
N/A
47 %
Reviews Counted: 66 Fresh: 31  Rotten:35 Average Rating: 5.5/10
 
Consensus: Atmospheric, but that's about it.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Theatrical Release: Apr 25, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $275,998

Synopsis: Jimmy Cremmins (Matt Dillon) has been working as a front man for a bogus insurance company set up by his longtime mentor, Marvin (James Caan). In the aftermath of a disastrous hurricane, claims against their fabricated coverage come pouring in. With Marvin living as an expatriate in... Jimmy Cremmins (Matt Dillon) has been working as a front man for a bogus insurance company set up by his longtime mentor, Marvin (James Caan). In the aftermath of a disastrous hurricane, claims against their fabricated coverage come pouring in. With Marvin living as an expatriate in Southeast Asia, Jimmy is forced to face the subsequent chaos and investigation on his own. He decides instead to flee and re-group with Marvin in Asia, against Marvin's wishes.

After a short stay in Bangkok, Jimmy goes to Cambodia in search of Marvin. During his pursuit he finds himself a stranger in the mysterious and often hostile environs of Southeast Asia. With the aid of the duplicitous Kaspar (Stellan Skarsgård), another of Marvin's business associates, Jimmy eventually finds Marvin, who attempts to convince Jimmy to join him in his latest venture, the development of a large scale casino with a Cambodian ex-general. But Cambodia is another world - one in which the rules are different, a world where violence isn't merely a threat but a reality - and even the savvy Marvin ends up in over his head.

As Jimmy finds himself drawn further down a darkening path of deception, it also becomes his path of self-discovery.

United Artists, Mainline Productions, and Banyan Tree present, in association with Kintop Pictures, the byzantine drama City of Ghosts. The writing/directing debut of actor Matt Dillon, City of Ghosts stars Dillon, James Caan, Natascha McElhone, Gerard Depardieu, and Stellan Skarsgård. Written by Dillon & Barry Gifford, the film was produced by Willi Baer, Michael Cerenzie, and Deepak Nayar with line producer Rony Yakov and co-producers J.B. Meyer & Olivier Granier. The talented production team includes music by Tyler Bates, production design by David Brisbin, editing by Howard E. Smith, and cinematography by Jim Denault. [More]

Genre: Dramas

Starring: Matt Dillon, James Caan, Natascha McElhone, Gerard Depardieu, Stellan Skarsgaard

Director: Matt Dillon
Screenwriter: Barry Gifford, Matt Dillon
Producer: Willi Baer, Michael Cerenzie, Deepak Nayar
Composer: Tyler Bates

DVD Info

Release:

Oct 28, 2003

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 1.85

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Ratings Image
2/5

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Ratings Image
3/5

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Ratings Image
6/10

can be criticised of many things, but wasting locations and local talent is not one of them

Full Review | comment Comment
09/16/05
Dragan Antulov
Draxblog Movie Reviews
Ratings Image
3

The surprise is not necessarily that Dillon has a unique voice, but rather that the voice is so bizarrely dark and uninhibitedly exotic.

Full Review | comment Comment
12/27/04
Jordan Hiller
Bangitout.com
Ratings Image
69/100

Shows some promise in that it wants to say something, but there are plenty of forgettable moments to go along with it.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/22/04
Ryan Cracknell
Apollo Guide
Ratings Image
1.5/4

There's nothing interesting about this half-baked noir plot...

Full Review | comment Comment
10/27/03
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
Ratings Image
7/10

The movie fairly oozes with atmosphere, and its cast contains enough colorful characters to make Casablanca blush.

Full Review | comment Comment
10/16/03
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com
Ratings Image
3/5

Matt Dillon is a hero worried about his karma

Full Review | comment Comment
10/16/03
Marcy Dermansky
About.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
10/09/03
Orlando Weekly
Ratings Image
3/4

Longtime actor, first-time director Matt Dillon relates an urgency and passion behind the camera, intent on telling us one story while showing us another.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/31/03
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
07/22/03
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
07/08/03
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY
Ratings Image
2/4

Dillon is so eager to show the duality of Cambodia, the grace and the grime, that he sacrifices major story elements to do so.

Full Review | comment Comment
07/02/03
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune
Ratings Image
2.5/4

There is so much to admire in Matt Dillon's City of Ghosts that the feeling left over after watching it is an unsettling sense of disappointment and unfairness.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/28/03
Michael Booth
Denver Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
B

Though 'City of Ghosts' can't match its models, it takes us close enough to Greeneland to be a worthy homage and an impressive, though flawed, debut...well worth a look.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/18/03
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion
Ratings Image
B

While it won't be remembered as great cinema, it is actually a tight piece of film noir.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/14/03
Gary Dowell
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

A bit of exotic neo-noir, clunky in parts and long, but often engaging and artfully atmospheric as well.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/13/03
Kim Morgan
Oregonian
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | comment Comment
06/13/03
Bill Gallo
Dallas Observer
Ratings Image
2/4

While the film is not short on ideas or implications, none of them is fully developed, leaving us little but atmosphere and warm whiskey to drink in.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/05/03
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image
N/A

In the end, it becomes clear that the missing ingredient in City of Ghosts is nothing more than some additional directing experience on the part of Dillon.

Full Review | comment Comment
05/30/03
Richard Horgan
FilmStew.com
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• City of Ghosts at AskMen
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