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Movies / On DVD / City of Ghosts
City of Ghosts

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City of Ghosts (2003)

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Reviews Counted:23

Fresh:11

Rotten:12

Average Rating:5.7/10

Consensus: Atmospheric, but that's about it.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language and some violence

Runtime: 1 hr 56 mins

Genre: Dramas

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... 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]

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

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

Director: Matt Dillon

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

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Release:

Oct 28, 2003

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Reviews for City of Ghosts

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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 Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
06/28/03
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post
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While it won't be remembered as great cinema, it is actually a tight piece of film noir.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
06/14/03
Gary Dowell
Gary Dowell
Dallas Morning News
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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 Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
06/05/03
Terry Lawson
Terry Lawson
Detroit Free Press
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A long, winding, but decently layered modern film noir.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
05/29/03
Kathy Cano Murillo
Kathy Cano Murillo
Arizona Republic
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Trades more effectively in states of alienated atmospheric delirium than it does the specific mechanics of plot.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
05/09/03
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
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A hyper-real portrait of life -- a vision as experienced during an adrenaline rush.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
05/09/03
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
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Goes a good way toward reinvigorating a forgotten genre, fashioning a movie world that's not quite real, but not strewn with slam-bam car chases and meaningless intrigue, either.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
05/09/03
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
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It's the usual murky affair, which has the unfortunate side-effect of pulling Dillon's direction down into the mire.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
05/09/03
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail
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It's an actor's film, all right -- peppered with rich supporting performances but unconvincing in the telling.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
05/09/03
Ty Burr
Ty Burr
Boston Globe
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A triumph of place over sense.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
05/09/03
Stephen Hunter
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
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In the end, you only have Cambodia to watch.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
05/09/03
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post
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I didn't believe in James Caan's cons, but I believed him, and at times like that it's helpful to stop keeping score and live in the moment.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
05/09/03
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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The story is typical, but it's done intelligently and with evocative backgrounds in Cambodia.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
05/08/03
Michael Wilmington
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
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City of Ghosts drips with mood and atmosphere, augmented by a beautiful score from Tyler Bates.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
05/05/03
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
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A supple, intriguing, and beautifully staged movie.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
04/30/03
Owen Gleiberman
Owen Gleiberman
Entertainment Weekly
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Eventually, the plot chokes and stumbles on its atmospheric effects. But Dillon has an encouraging affinity for landscape, tension and eccentricity.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
04/25/03
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday
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Hard to say why City of Ghosts found the need to take us all the way to Cambodia for this small story -- and harder still to say exactly what we're taking with us when we leave.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
04/25/03
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
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Turns disappointingly generic, a series of scams and double crosses among greedy men.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
04/25/03
Jami Bernard
Jami Bernard
New York Daily News
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Richly atmospheric and suspenseful.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/25/03
Lawrence Van Gelder
Lawrence Van Gelder
New York Times
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A Southeast Asian thriller that positively reeks of atmosphere -- but is woefully lacking in narrative credibility or character development.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
04/25/03
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post
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