City of Ghosts (2002)

Instant Favorite.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

A large American population is devastated by a hurricane and are looking forward to getting their insurance. Alas, there is no insurance. Matt Damon, in a serious performance, is part of an insurance-company scam. They parked all the premiums in a Swiss bank and then ran off with the cash to Cambodia. Why Cambodia?, you ask -- and it's a sensible question. I don't know. There is actually nothing IN Cambodia except large statues overgrown with vines, monkeys, and dynamite grass. Maybe they don't have an extradition treaty, and that's important because the FBI is now on to Damon and his two partners in crime, the always interesting Stellan Skarsgård and leader James Caan, giving a decent performance.There are millions of dollars involved but there is also a problem. Caan, affable, back-patting, hasn't paid the other two off and is determined to sink the millions into a gambling casino surrounded by the mountainous blocks of a grand hotel. "It could be the new LAS VEGAS!", Caan exclaims about this white elephant deep in the jungle. He must never have seen Werner Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo." The local situation is complicated, as it is in most third-world countries, and Damon, who both wrote and directed, captures much of the squalor and corruption. Only occasionally does he try to do tricks with the photography -- a fast moving sky, a sun that rises out of the horizon like a UFO. Mostly he sticks to the usual conventions. Danib -- a New York insurance salesman -- rescues Natasha McElhone from an abuser and manages to kick the crap out of a war horse of a street thug. (He must be an unusually capable insurance salesman.)Nice local color. Plenty of statues and monkeys. But they aren't woven too well into the story. Natasha McElhone takes him to some historical site -- really BIG statues -- and there follows some kind of post-Hippie love-in, with people dancing around and waving flaming torches and drinking. "The Third Man" gave us the Mozart Cafe, the Prada, and the Cloaca Maxima but didn't go out of its way to do it.It's confusing and clumsy but once in a while, almost by accident, it hits the right note. The first aerial shot we see is impressive -- exotic Phnom Penh, the city buried under a tawny cloud of smog. Portent of things to come.

I'm not necessarily saying it's as good as "Casablanca", but I'm saying there are some interesting parallels. "Casablanca" is probably one of the most atmospheric and characteristic films of the 20th century. It was one of the first films to sink itself into a dreamlike setting, drawing heavily on its location: a forgotten waterhole in the desert where Western exiles slog through their lives waiting for who-knows-what. "City of Ghosts" is filled with the same dreamy, surrealistic feeling but with a layer of grime and sweat that gives it an air of realism at the same time. Hats off to rookie director Matt Dillon for not only having the guts to attempt it but to succeed.You may hear people, including Roger Ebert, calling the plot preposterous. A white collar hustler (Dillon) flees the USA and ends up in Cambodia searching for his enigmatic mentor who seems to be neck deep in bok choi himself. Sounds sorta like "The Color of Money" meets "Apocalypse Now", huh? Why not. Even Roger Ebert said the plot is not nearly as attention grabbing as the impressive setting, cinematography and mood."Cityu of Ghosts" is reportedly the first major motion picture to be shot in Cambodia since the 1960s, and Dillon & his filmmaking crew didn't skimp on finding the best settings. The locations can best be summed up by a line from the film when James Caan, who is occupying the ex-governor's estate, says "What do you think?" To which someone answers, "Could use a coat of paint" and Caan fires back, "The entire country could use a coat of paint." In other words, the locations are full of majesty and grandeur but with a raw, unkempt appearance that only add to the charm.Some of my favorite scenes were at the tavern and hotel of innkeeper Emile (Gerard Depardieu), again reminding me of Bogart's "Rick's" in Casablanca. Depardieu plays a curious character, a tough guy who kicks thugs' butts while holding a baby under one arm. Among his staff is a trained monkey who steals from the patrons while Depardieu feverishly denies the monkey's existence. Haha, pure magic! Dillon himself plays a tough but clueless American who learns the ropes fast, while Caan plays a wiser type who seems to be on the verge of insanity with his delusional ideas. Both actors deliver.The soundtrack is also worth noting. Subtle yet memorable, particularly a recurring piece called "Dear 5" by Peter Whitehead. Look it up on Youtube if you get a chance, it will give you a decent idea of the moody, atmospheric show that's in store for you.Like I said earlier, don't expect to be blown away by the plot. Heck, even Casablanca had a pretty linear storyline. But what matters in this film is the presentation. In addition to "Casablanca" I would compare this film to "Witness in the War Zone" (with Christopher Walken) and an excellent Taiwanese gangster/zen flick called "The Drummer".

This is one of the few sleazy films that I've seen more than once and will continue to watch every couple of years. Perhaps it's just because I love the colors in here and it's a strange movie, a strange story in an exotic locale: Cambodia. Exotic, but you wouldn't want to live there, at least the parts shown in this film!Although showing a lot of dingy city scenes, the Cambodian scenery was fascinating. I found the story to be, too, only if to find out what was in store next for the lead character played by Matt Dillon. There are so many bizarre characters in here, nobody that you can really trust, that it keeps you on edge.Another odd thing about this film: it's quite a mixture of international actors: Dillon and James Caan, both from the United States; Natasha Melhone from Great Britain, Gerald Depardieu from France, Stellan Skarggard from Sweden and Kem Sereyvuth from Cambodia. The latter is the only truly nice person in the whole movie, playing Dillon's faithful guide, "Sok."The movie, which plays like a film noir, gets a bit ugly at the end but is well worth your time.

I was extremely surprised about this movie. My girlfriend rented it with a bunch of other movies and I thought this is a bit trashy B-style. But no, this was an amazing intense movie. You could really live with all the characters, you could feel the heat there, how helpless some of those characters are.The movie starts a bit strange, you are not sure what it is actually about, but this gives this sort of "stick to it" feeling. You have to watch it. From that point on, you start to go with it. The struggle, the wandering, the great feeling of the shots. It makes this movie just amazing. You can really FEEL with it. It's very rare that a movie impresses me that much, but this one did it. This is a rare movie definitely worth to be watched.If you are into these kind of darams, that are kind of sad, and do not end with the super happy Hollywood typical hero ending, then you have to check this movie out. I really highly recommend it.