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Mad City (1997)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 5.3/10
Reviews Counted: 27
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 17

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 4.9/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 5

No consensus yet.

audience

liked it
Average Rating: 2.9/5
User Ratings: 9,213

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Movie Info

Investigative TV journalist Max Brackett (Dustin Hoffman) suffers setbacks and winds up filing routine reports from Madeline, California. Max and his eager intern Laurie (Mia Kirshner) are doing a story at the local Museum of Natural History when a bigger story erupts. The Museum's director, Mrs. Banks (Blythe Danner), refuses to talk to former museum security guard Sam Baily (John Travolta) about his firing due to budget cuts. Angered, Sam shoots a shotgun, accidentally hitting another security

PG-13, 1 hr. 54 min.

Mystery & Suspense, Drama

Directed By: Costa-Gavras

Written By: Tom Matthews

In Theaters: Nov 7, 1997 Wide

On DVD: Nov 6, 2001

Warner Home Video

Mad City Trailer & Photos

Cast

John Travolta
Sam Baily
Dustin Hoffman
Max Brackett
Mia Kirshner
Laurie
Alan Alda
Kevin Hollander
Robert Prosky
Lou Potts
Blythe Danner
Mrs. Banks
William Atherton
Dohlen
Ted Levine
Lemke
Jason Cottle
Hollander's Assistant
William O'Leary
CTN Junior Executive

Critic Reviews for Mad City

All Critics (50) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (10) | Rotten (17) | DVD (6)

This simplistic and obvious expose about the manipulative power of the news media (lazily acted by Travoilta and Hoffman) is so familiar that it's not going to upset or provoke anyone.

August 21, 2006 Full Review Source: Variety

| Comment

Emanuel Levy

Variety

Top Critic

A wanna-be event movie that merely reinvents the wheel.

January 1, 2000 Comment

Mike Clark

USA Today

Top Critic

Mad City is a waste of your time and money.

May 23, 2007 Full Review Source: Houston Community Newspapers

| Comment (1)

Gary Brown

Houston Community Newspapers

...a film of mild pleasures and mild annoyances, alternately tired and clever yet ultimately dismissible.

July 8, 2005 Full Review | Comment

Philip Martin

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

'The media are vultures' is the prevailing point here, and it is not expressed in the most original or interesting of ways.

December 5, 2004 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com

| Comment

Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Compelling analysis of the modern media. Somewhat obvious, but still works.

July 14, 2003 Comment

Fred Topel

About.com

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for Mad City

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I quite liked this movie, dustin hoffman was brill and so was john travoltas acting. John travlta is a security guard who gets sacked but he wants it back so it turns into a hostage situation with dustin playing the reporter and in the heeart of it all. I think this is a brilliantly acted surperb film with a heart

April 20, 2009

Film Crazy

Super Reviewer

A thought-provoking thriller that takes embedded journalism to a new level when a TV reporter (Hoffman) finds himself trapped in an accidental hostage situation. John Travolta plays to perfection the role of a simple, irate museum security guard who just wants his job back. Costa-Gavras takes his scathing satire of

January 25, 2009