Mad City (film): Difference between revisions
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Baily wants the police to let him return home to his wife and kids, and won't accept he's going to jail. Brackett on the other hand makes a deal with [[Larry King]] rather than to let Hollander have the story, prompting Hollander to publicly accuse Brackett of prolonging the crisis and endangering the children. When Baily's ex-colleague succumbs from his injuries, Baily starts to realize he's lost everything. |
Baily wants the police to let him return home to his wife and kids, and won't accept he's going to jail. Brackett on the other hand makes a deal with [[Larry King]] rather than to let Hollander have the story, prompting Hollander to publicly accuse Brackett of prolonging the crisis and endangering the children. When Baily's ex-colleague succumbs from his injuries, Baily starts to realize he's lost everything. |
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Baily and Brackett allow the situation to worsen until the police finally have had enough, issuing a five minute ultimatum to Baily for releasing the hostages. Baily lets the children as well as Brackett go, but rather than face prison -- and his wife -- he ultimately sets off his explosives, committing suicide. |
Baily and Brackett allow the situation to worsen until the police finally have had enough, issuing a five minute ultimatum to Baily for releasing the hostages. Baily lets the children as well as Brackett go, but rather than face prison -- and his wife -- he ultimately sets off his explosives, committing suicide. As reporters swamp Brackett and ask about Baily, all he can say is, "We killed him," referring to how the media handled the situation. |
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==Cast== |
==Cast== |
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Revision as of 17:07, 30 September 2011
| Mad City | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Costa Gavras |
| Screenplay by | Tom Matthews |
| Story by | Tom Matthews Eric Williams |
| Produced by | Arnold Kopelson Anne Kopelson |
| Starring | Dustin Hoffman John Travolta |
| Cinematography | Patrick Blossier |
| Edited by | Françoise Bonnot |
| Music by | Thomas Newman |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Village Roadshow Pictures (Australia) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 114 minutes |
| Country | Template:Film US |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $10,561,038 (US)[1] |
Mad City is a 1997 drama film and thriller film written by Tom Matthews and Eric Williams, directed by Costa-Gavras, and starring John Travolta, Dustin Hoffman, Mia Kirshner, Alan Alda, Blythe Danner, Ted Levine, Raymond J. Barry, and Larry King.
Plot
Sam Baily gets laid off from his job as a museum security guard. In desperation for not being able to provide for his wife and kids, he comes armed with weapons and explosives and takes his boss Mrs. Banks and a number of children (at the museum on a school field trip) as hostages.
Television journalist Max Brackett is in the museum using the restroom after an interview with the curator about financial difficulties. He becomes directly involved in the hostage situation, acting as Baily's intermediary to the outside world and the police.
Baily accidentally shoots an ex-colleague, sending him to the hospital, and inadvertently fires a gun again, frightening the children and becoming more and more unstable as he takes caffeine pills to stay awake. Along with a young intern, Laurie, Brackett reports the story exclusively on television, reviving his career. By being free to come and go, he negotiates with a national network and its star news anchorman, Kevin Hollander, with whom Brackett has an unhappy history.
Baily wants the police to let him return home to his wife and kids, and won't accept he's going to jail. Brackett on the other hand makes a deal with Larry King rather than to let Hollander have the story, prompting Hollander to publicly accuse Brackett of prolonging the crisis and endangering the children. When Baily's ex-colleague succumbs from his injuries, Baily starts to realize he's lost everything.
Baily and Brackett allow the situation to worsen until the police finally have had enough, issuing a five minute ultimatum to Baily for releasing the hostages. Baily lets the children as well as Brackett go, but rather than face prison -- and his wife -- he ultimately sets off his explosives, committing suicide. As reporters swamp Brackett and ask about Baily, all he can say is, "We killed him," referring to how the media handled the situation.
Cast
- Dustin Hoffman as Max Brackett
- John Travolta as Sam Baily
- Mia Kirshner as Laurie Callahan
- Alan Alda as Kevin Hollander
- Blythe Danner as Mrs. Banks
- Robert Prosky as Lou Pottts
- Ted Levine as Chief Lemke
- Kyla Pratt as Kid
Reception
As of August 2007, the film had a score of 36% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 28 reviews; on Metacritic, the film had a score of 45 out of 100 (mixed or average) based on 23 reviews. Film critic Roger Ebert noted Mad City is inspired by the film Ace in the Hole and gave the movie two stars (out of four), writing: "The movie knows what it wants to do, but lacks the velocity for lift-off."[3]
In the United States, the film opened at #6 at the box office with an opening weekend gross of $4.6 million. It went on to gross $10,5 million.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "Movie Mad City - Box Office Data". The Numbers. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- ^ "Mad City (1997)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
- ^ Roger Ebert (1997-11-07). "Reviews - Mad City". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
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