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Mad City (1997)
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Overview
Tagline:
One man will make a mistake. The other will make it a spectacle.Plot:
A normal guy blows his top, and a news reporter turns into a national spectacle. full summary | add synopsisPlot Keywords:
Box Office Flop
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Helicopter
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Hostage
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Media
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Museum
NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Will Canton Become Production Chief At Warner'S.? (From Studio Briefing. 20 November 1997)
Box Office Goes Bugs Over Troopers (From Studio Briefing. 10 November 1997)
User Comments:
I think it's fantastic. moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only) | John Travolta | ... | Sam Baily |
 | Dustin Hoffman | ... | Max Brackett |
 | Mia Kirshner | ... | Laurie Callahan |
 | Alan Alda | ... | Kevin Hollander |
 | Robert Prosky | ... | Lou Potts |
 | Blythe Danner | ... | Mrs. Banks |
 | William Atherton | ... | Malt Dohlen |
| Ted Levine | ... | Chief Alvin Lemke |
 | Tammy Lauren | ... | Miss Rose |
 | William O'Leary | ... | CTN Junior Executive #1 |
 | Raymond J. Barry | ... | Special Agent Dobbins |
| Lucinda Jenney | ... | Jenny Baily |
| Akosua Busia | ... | Diane Williams |
| Ebbe Roe Smith | ... | Travis Bartholomew |
| Bingwa | ... | Nat Jackson |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for depiction of a hostage situation, including violence and brief language.Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
114 min | Argentina:115 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 moreCertification:
South Korea:15 | Canada:PA (Ontario) | Iceland:12 | UK:12 (video rating) | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Mexico:B | Netherlands:12 (video premiere) | Norway:11 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG-13MOVIEmeter: 
7% since last week
why?
Fun Stuff
Quotes:
Kevin Hollander: I'm who Americans trust for their news.Max Brackett: You really shouldn't let a marketing slogan go your head.
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Dustin Hoffman plays a disgraced former newsman named Max Brackett, who inadvertently stumbles into the story that could rejuvenate his career: security guard Sam Baily (John Travolta), who's miserable over being laid off, has tried to talk to his former boss (Blythe Danner) at gunpoint, and ended up taking hostages. Brackett proceeds to manipulate the course of events - and Baily himself - in order to ensure a major news spectacle.
This is tops in my book; I just thought it was so compelling, and even though I've seen it once before, I still got a charge out of it. It kept me interested, and it featured great performances by all the major actors - especially Hoffman, who really owns the movie.
It certainly paints an ugly picture of the media - and although I'm sure there are a number of media types who really do glorify and magnify stories at the expense of facts, I'm not ignorant enough to believe they are all like that.
This is a genuinely entertaining movie and I would recommend it to others.
9/10