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Festivale online magazine, February, 1998; movie reviews

Mad City "a good story is never a tragedy to a reporter" A big city investigative reporter (Dustin Hoffman) is exiled to the sticks where he becomes involved in a hostage situation. A dismissed museum guard (John Travolta) is trying to get his job back at the end of a gun. Add national coverage and a ruthless network anchor (Alan Alda) and you have a crisis of conscience, and desperation and multimedia megabucks vampirism. Just when you thought it was safe to get on with your life ... we discover that even the quiet little guy with a normal life can end up on the wrong end of a media frenzy.

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Providing one of Travolta's more interesting roles, Mad City is the story of a simple man who cannot cope with what he sees as an unjust dismissal. Mad City examines the plight of wage slaves, the workers whose lives are at the mercy of executive decisions. When a guard is dismissed from a museum, he returns with a shotgun in an attempt to make the museum director (Blythe Danner) take him seriously. His attempt misfires, literally, and he finds himself with hostages, including a group of children. Unbeknowst to him, an aggressive journalist (Dustin Hoffman) is in the Gents and the world is quickly informed. A media feeding frenzy ensues. The complicity of members of the media in creating crises out of incidents is portrayed here, together with the personal toll they take on the people involved in the situations they cover. As a journo this reviewer is happy to see that the sensation-junkies are put up on screen, although it isn't likely to change it. If Princess Di's death can't stop the sensationalists, what will? See also: Diana and Me Buy John Travolta movies from Amazon.co.uk

	by Ali Kayn For credits and official site details, click here. Search Festivale for more
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Enter movie, TV show, or person   Provided by Internet Movie Database.	Just the facts: Title: Mad City(1997) Written by: Eric Williams, Tom Matthews Directed by: Costa-Gavras Produced by: Arnold Kopelson, Anne Kopelson, Jonathan Krane, Wolfgang Glattes, Stephen Brown Edited by: Francoise Bonno Director of Photography: Patrick Blossier
	The Players: Dustin Hoffman, John Travolta, Alan Alda, Blythe Danner, Robert Prosky
	See: Official site
	For session times of current films, use the cinema listings on the Movie links page. For scheduled release dates, see the coming attractions section.

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Movie images, sounds, and video clips are solely owned by their respective companies. No other uses are permitted without the prior written consent of owner. Use of the material in violation of the foregoing may result in civil and/or criminal penalties. disclaimer Festivale Online Magazine Celebrate everything! www.festivale.info ISSN 1328-8008 Published in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia disclaimers | contact the editor | Festivale revision history Published in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia copyright © Festivale 1998 All rights reserved Filed: 29-Dec-1997 Last updated: Last tested: 3-Jul-2014 Last Compiled: 3-Jul-2014 Entire site refreshed: Dec 2008-Feb 2009 | Site URL transferred: Jan 2005 (previously www.festivale.webcentral.com.au)