City of Ghosts
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Movie Reviews of City of Ghosts
Movie Review: beautiful
Summary: 5 Stars
well this movie was just brilliant ... music was fantastic and the locations also .. it is a beautiful love story also .. not just love between men and women .. but love for life and God.Movie Review: Exotic, Atmospheric, and Sometimes Nihilistic Thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
Jimmy (Matt Dillon) sold disaster insurance in New York until a federal investigation made it clear that his company was engaging in fraud, selling insurance with no intention of paying on claims. Jimmy knows where his boss, Marvin, can be found, and he travels to Cambodia to track him down. Marvin (James Caan) is laying low and working on his next business venture, trying to entice a powerful and corrupt Cambodian general to invest in a resort complex. A business associate of Marvin's, Kaspar (Stellan Skarsgard), may or may not be trying to help Jimmy, but is becoming increasingly anxious about getting his share of the loot from the insurance scam. The situation goes from uneasy to harrowing when the constant scheming and backstabbing of these Western con men becomes intertwined with the lawlessness of a post-war Cambodia. And it begins to look as if no one will come to a good end.If my description of this film's plot seems incoherent, it is because the story's complexity and sinuousness make it difficult to recount. "City of Ghosts" was co-written and directed by actor Matt Dillon, who also plays the lead role in the film. Dillon's inexperience at both writing and directing show in this film. He has chosen an especially complex piece of material to direct. Plus, he has co-written it with Barry Gifford, which makes it difficult to see flaws in the writing and correct them in his on-screen interpretation. The film is littered with cliched characters: Down-and-out Westerners hanging on in Southeast Asia, one a cripple, one a burly bartender (Gerard Depardieu), and a couple of junkies. A humble and loyal local man, Sok (Kem Sereyvuth), who aids our protagonist and provides the moral to our story. Jimmy, a man who thinks that he cannot be redeemed but seems to really want to be anyway. And there is a love interest (Natascha McElhone), whose sole purpose in the story is Jimmy's said redemption. "City of Ghosts" is heavy on atmosphere and convolution, but light on substance...usually. It has flashes of depth. The film's emotional climax is more of an anti-climax. That may actually be realistic, but it doesn't fare well on film.
I'm giving this movie 4 stars because, in spite of its faults, it is very successful at certain things: The supporting performances of Stellan Skarsgard and James Caan are excellent. We see very little of "Marvin", but Caan embodies this man who has been driven by self-aggrandizement his whole life and who is perpetually one scam ahead of his many enemies. Caan only needs one scene to give us an understanding of Marvin's entire self-image. And I have to conclude that Stellan Skarsgard can play any character to perfection. "Kaspar" has a confused and confusing criminal disposition. He is desperate and unstable. He doesn't seem realistic. But Skarsgard lends him a palpable presence anyway. Jim Denault's cinematography is beautiful. Cambodia is picturesque, but I was most impressed and perplexed by Denault's masterful methods of dealing with the apparent lack of good light in many of the film's scenes. The most striking feature of "City of Ghosts" is its ability to generate the near-constant uneasiness that one feels when submersed in a culture very different from one's own: The feeling of slight panic that comes with realizing that the basic assumptions and value systems that underlie your understanding of the universe at home may not apply here. This is, of course, intensified when things start to go wrong. I've never seen a film that conveyed this emotion so authentically and consistently.
So I'm recommending "City of Ghosts" for its excellent supporting performances, its cinematography, and its "uneasiness". Producing discomfort turns out to be a good thing in this case. Narratively, the film is flawed. If you're looking for a good story, this probably isn't it. But if you're willing to pick out the gems from among the clichés and misjudgments, I think "City of Ghosts" is worth the time. If Matt Dillon can retain the strengths of this film and learn from its faults, he has a future as a director.
The DVD: Bonus features include a theatrical trailer and audio commentary by Matt Dillon and Barry Gifford, who is the film's co-writer. Subtitles are available in English, Spanish, and French. The audio commentary isn't bad, but the commentary I would have been most interested in in this case is the cinematographer's. It's unfortunate that he doesn't appear at all in the extras.
Movie Review: Matt Dillon was brilliant
Summary: 4 Stars
Having co-written the script and starred in the film, Matt Dillon was brilliant in his directorial debut with "City of Ghosts," which was filmed principally in Thailand and Cambodia. Surely, during the Academy Award-nominated actor's long and successful career, he will be recognized fully for his many talents. The movie was beautifully filmed, and the editing is terrific; and there was fine acting as always by James Caan, Natascha McElhone, Gérard Depardieu and Stellan Skarsgård--with wonderful supporting actors too, including Kem Sereyvuth (as "Sok") who had never acted before, but was a "natural" in Dillon's words.
Unlike so many films that have been shot on foreign locations, this one really allows the viewer to feel and absorb the locales and their seedy underbellies. Regrettably, after all of the work that went into this movie, its widest release in the States was 20 theaters, and its domestic gross was a mere $357,197. Nonetheless, it has offered Dillon the opportunity to showcase his talents, and to work with world-class actors in the process of doing so--which is a tribute to his professionalism. It is not every day that such talented ensemble cast members join in a risky undertaking like this, at least financially.
Dillon has the potential to become a fine and established director in the future, just as actors Clint Eastwood and Mel Gibson have done before him. His camera angles, his cuts, and the palette that he lays before his audience are both creative and sumptuous, to say the least. A wider audience should have seen "City of Ghosts" worldwide; however, DVDs and sources such as Amazon.com and Blockbuster Online allow this to happen today. Dillon should be immensely proud of what he accomplished with this film--and that comes across in his very interesting, wonderful and informative commentary with respect to how the film was made, which is included in the "Special Features" section of the DVD. Well worth listening to, and watching.
And finally, James Caan's karaoke singing is a joy to watch. He seems to add something special to every role that he plays.
Movie Review: MISLEADING TITLE?
Summary: 4 Stars
Wasn't quite sure what the title of this movie was meant to convey. Perhaps that the characters were ghostlike? From the title, I expected a very different movie than what actually unfolded. There are no supernatural beings (ghosts) portrayed in this movie. Having lived in both Vietnam and Thailand for a number of months, I presume Cambodia is similar in look and feel. This movie really captures the feel of the region. I don't think I have seen a movie capture the flavor of a place as well as this one; not even documentaries. This couldn't have been made on a movie set; they must have done it mostly in Thailand. I wonder if they actually did go to Cambodia for some of the filming? The characters are believable too. What would have made this a near perfect movie would have been a better plot. The plot was a little difficult to follow and seemed a little thin at times. I never did quite figure out what exactly was going on, but given that the story was about con men, perhaps that was part of the point? Not an easy movie to watch because it is hard to pick a hero to identify with, as almost everyone is either a con or just trying to survive in a harsh environment. This movie is a little different than most of the standard action/adventure movies we see. It lumbers along, never really picking up any momentum. On the other hand, it never gets boring; the pace keeps up just enough to keep you interested. It would be hard to doze off during this movie, but you aren't going to be on the edge of your seat either. It is a movie that is merely quite good but with a little effort could have been wonderful.
I think it is worth watching just because it is a little different and doesn't follow a standard formula. You might be left feeling a little unsettled or unsatisfied when the movie is done, but you probably will not be indifferent.
Movie Review: A rare sense of place for a plot driven film. Well done.
Summary: 4 Stars
Matt Dillon directed this film, and was also one of the writers. He stars in it too.
The film starts in an aftermath of a hurricane on the East Coast, with interviews of people who have lost their homes. We soon become aware, however, that the insurance company on which they depended, and which is based outside the United States, has no money to pay the claims. The investigation finds Matt Dillon running the insurance company's New York office and it seems that he is completely innocent. Suddenly, though, he takes off for Bangkok and then on into Cambodia in search of the man who was behind the scam. His relationship with the top guy, played by James Cain, is complicated though and, as the story moves along, the plot thickens.
Gerard Depardieu is cast as one of those expatriates who runs a sleazy hotel in Cambodia. His performance shines and this is clearly the best and most convincing role in the film. Everyone else, including a local Cambodian who helps our hero and a blonde babe archeologist who Dillon romances, are just there to help the setting of the fast moving, but impossible plot.
In my opinion, though, the star of the film is Cambodia itself. The cinematography was great and I came away with a sense of place that is rare in a plot-driven film. The story did hold my attention, as there were some interesting twists and turns of the story and was generally well done. As it wasn't targeted to an audience looking for an artsy or meaningful film, it definitely fulfilled its limited purposed. Every film does not have to be an Academy Award winner. Some are just for pure entertainment. And for that reason, this film gets a modest recommendation from me..