City of Ghosts (2002)

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

This is no masterpiece but it's well worth watching, especially for guys. I was transported back to my military days. The brothels, the shabby bars and 'hotels' are all real in memory. Matt Dillon directs and co-writes and as such manages to create many worthwhile scenes with the help of some heavyweight friends such as Gérard Depardieu and James Caan and Natascha McElhone. What I especially liked about it all was its freshness and ability to engross. The plot is not deep but it sounds more real then many others I've heard. Dillon is questioned when his boss for whom he's been selling insurance disappears with the money. He decides to go after him to Cambodia where there's extreme poverty and many unscrupulous men.

"After a bogus insurance scam sparks an FBI investigation, front man Jimmy Cremmins flees to Cambodia to meet his mentor, Marvin. But Jimmy gets more than he bargained for when - against a backdrop of raw, dangerous beauty and ever-shifting loyalties - Marvin draws him into a web of deceit and murder from which there may be no way out!" according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.Matt Dillon promisingly joins the multi-tasking actor ranks, as the director, star, and co-writer of "City of Ghosts". The film's main strength is its striking Southeast Asian scenery. Mr. Dillon and photographer Jim Denault make Cambodia look darkly beautiful, with the film's soundtrack music helping to set the mood.Father figuring James Caan (as Marvin), cool blonde Natascha McElhone (as Sophie), and baby wielding Gérard Depardieu (as Emile) try to keep up with Kem Sereyvuth (as Sok) and the local crowd. Stellan Skarsgård (as Joseph Kaspar) is a stand-out. Unfortunately, he story is relatively weak.***** City of Ghosts (9/10/02) Matt Dillon ~ Matt Dillon, James Caan, Stellan Skarsgard, Natascha McElhone

The first thing my girlfriend said after watching this Dillon directed film was "wow, I feel like I've been to Cambodia!" City of Ghosts is packed with atmosphere. Really giving us a flavour of life in a beautiful, mysterious Cambodian city. On top of that we have a story which defies prediction. I for the life of me didn't see what was coming in the script. Very well done. Clever dialogue, loaded with insinuation and subtext. Interesting characters too. Nice people, weird people, bad people, mad people. Again, all believable stuff involved in a pretty weird situation. I'd watch this if I were you. Especially if you have a penchant for this part of the world.Tim PW

I've seen the movie "blindly" (citing one of the comments) and the feeling was for story not so good but having excellent "screen life" – the picture was not boring, with VERY good camera (do you remember how the camera was jumping intriguingly just for a part of second on various objects, over tiny details and fugitive images suggesting the plot). The song of Marvin was impressive and highlighting. Depardieu is notable as usual. The love thread is banal. For Cambodia - yet its tragedy remains unrevealed for the screen and stories like this remain only amusing except the real scenery and original faces. It's worth to see and to think.