Mad City

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Mad City

PG-13

1997

1h 54m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

31%

Tomatometer

29 Reviews

43%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Simple security guard Sam (John Travolta) has lost his job at a museum, and in a fit of desperation, he returns and demands his boss, Mrs. Banks (Blythe Danner), rehire him. But he comes armed, and his plan goes awry when he accidentally shoots an ex-coworker and ends up with schoolchildren as hostages. Meanwhile, down-and-out TV reporter Brackett (Dustin Hoffman) is on scene to capture everything, thinking this suddenly huge story is his ticket back to the top of the news game.

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Emanuel Levy

Variety

Aug 21, 2006

C

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.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

Jan 1, 2000

2/4

Mad City arrives with the last thing a movie about journalism needs -- last year's news.

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Mike Clark

USA Today

Jan 1, 2000

1/4

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

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Gary Wolcott

Tri-City Herald

Sep 23, 2025

2/5

Mad City is maddeningly slow and carelessly contrived. It's only salvation is stellar performances from the always dependable Hoffman and Travolta.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Dec 19, 2023

2/5

Mad City is an example of every thing that is wrong with sensational journalism.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Nov 8, 2023

1.5/4

A movie so narratively threadbare that its idea of cutting-edge topicality is to have Larry King and Jay Leno pop up as themselves to comment on the proceedings.

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Jacob W

@RT17896586 2 days ago

While this has good performances most notably from DH. This is not original as it’s very similar to an Al P in which like JT in this he holds up a bank.

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Wendel L

@BRZRKR Jan 29, 2026

Direção: Ok Atuação: Bom Roteiro: Bom Caracterização: Ok Soundtrack: Ok

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thiago s

@Thiagostone Oct 18, 2025

Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é fraca, o elenco é fraco, e ninguém ajuda a melhorar o filme, os personagens são fracos, e o filme deveria ter cenas bem melhores e relevantes, para fazer o filme ser bom

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Akobundu P

@RT46271846 Jan 16, 2025

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Steve D

@RT35616104 Feb 13, 2023

The scrip is most likely to make you roll your eyes,

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Marcus T

@MarcusT12 Jan 21, 2023

Dustin Hoffman keeps this project's head above water, but just barely. The premise is pretty farfetched and the execution overblown. John Travolta's character is not particularly likeable, but we are supposed to sympathize with him. There are a few different plot threads that never come together and so it feels shaggy at the end. This is supposed to be a commentary on how the media edits and manipulates the facts to push one agenda or another. So far so good, but the direction and script don't create a tight vehicle for this message. It's like the producers couldn't decide what they wanted this to be, so ultimately it is unsatisfying. Watch it if you are a Dustin Hoffman fan. Not so for Travolta fans.

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Costa-Gavras

Director

John Travolta

Sam Baily

Dustin Hoffman

Max Brackett

Mia Kirshner

Laurie

Alan Alda

Kevin Hollander

Robert Prosky

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Synopsis

Simple security guard Sam (John Travolta) has lost his job at a museum, and in a fit of desperation, he returns and demands his boss, Mrs. Banks (Blythe Danner), rehire him. But he comes armed, and his plan goes awry when he accidentally shoots an ex-coworker and ends up with schoolchildren as hostages. Meanwhile, down-and-out TV reporter Brackett (Dustin Hoffman) is on scene to capture everything, thinking this suddenly huge story is his ticket back to the top of the news game.

Director: Costa-Gavras
Producer: Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson
Screenwriter: Tom Matthews
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Bros., Arnold Kopelson Productions, Punch Productions
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 7, 1997, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 31, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $10.6M
Runtime: 1h 54m
Sound Mix: SDDS, DTS, Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: 35mm, Scope (2.35:1)

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