City of Ghosts (2002 film)

Last updated
City of Ghosts
Cityofghostscard.jpg
Promotional poster for the Taiwan release
Directed by Matt Dillon
Written by
Produced by
  • Willi Baer
  • Michael Cerenzie
  • Deepak Nayar
Starring
Cinematography Jim Denault
Edited byHoward E. Smith
Music by Tyler Bates
Production
company
Distributed by MGM Distribution Co.
Release dates
  • September 10, 2002 (2002-09-10)(TIFF)
  • April 25, 2003 (2003-04-25)(United States)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$17.5 million [1]
Box office$1.3 million [2]

City of Ghosts is a 2002 American crime thriller film co-written, directed by and starring Matt Dillon, about a con artist who must go to Cambodia to collect his share of money from an insurance scam. The film was made in Cambodia, in locations that include Phnom Penh and the Bokor Hill Station.

Contents

It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2002, and was released in the United States on April 25, 2003.

Premise

Jimmy is a conman who has been working for an insurance company in New York City that the FBI is investigating since it cannot pay policyholder claims following a hurricane. The mastermind of the scheme and his mentor, Marvin, is in Thailand.

In Bangkok, Jimmy learns from Joseph Kaspar, a partner in the scheme, that Marvin is in Cambodia, where he is involved in a casino scheme. The roads are not safe so a guide takes Jimmy by back trail to Phnom Penh. There, he hires a cyclo driver named Sok, to take him to his destination, a run-down bar and hotel owned by a Frenchman named Emile.

He learns to trust the word of Sok when attempting to make contact as there are unsafe places and people. He meets an NGO worker named Sophie and dabbles in romance with her while attending a rave party at an ancient temple.

Marvin turns up, but the scam he is trying to put together – involving corrupt Cambodian government officials, high-ranking military and the Russian mafia – turns out to be more risky and dangerous than was anticipated.

Cast

Release

Box office

Made on a budget of $17.5 million, the film only gained a limited release, and made $357,197 at the domestic box office, and a total of $1.3 million worldwide. [2]

Critical reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 47% based on 66 reviews, with an average rating of 5.53/10. The website's critics consensus called the film "Atmospheric, but that's about it." [3] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [4]

Soundtrack

Music from the Motion Picture City of Ghosts
Cityofghostsalbum.jpg
Soundtrack album by
various artists
ReleasedApril 29, 2003
Genre Soundtrack
Label Lakeshore Records
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]

The soundtrack for City of Ghosts features an eclectic mix of music that includes 1960s-70s Cambodian rock and roll, French pop and American pre-World War II blues and jazz.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phnom Penh</span> Capital and largest city of Cambodia

Phnom Penh is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, industrial, and cultural centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chea Vichea</span>

Chea Vichea was the leader of the Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia (FTUWKC) until his assassination on Chinese New Year, 22 January 2004. Following his death, he was succeeded in his position at the FTUWKC by his younger brother Chea Mony.

<i>Art School Confidential</i> 2006 film by Terry Zwigoff

Art School Confidential is a 2006 American comedy-drama film directed by Terry Zwigoff and starring Max Minghella, Sophia Myles, John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, Matt Keeslar, Ethan Suplee, Joel Moore, Nick Swardson, Adam Scott, and Anjelica Huston. It is loosely based on the comic of the same name by Daniel Clowes. The film is Zwigoff's second collaboration with Clowes, the first being 2001's Ghost World.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Cambodia</span> Filmmaking in Cambodia

Cinema in Cambodia began in the 1950s, and many films were being screened in theaters throughout the country by the 1960s, which are regarded as the "golden age". After a near-disappearance during the Khmer Rouge regime, competition from video and television has meant that the Cambodian film industry is a small one.

<i>Fletch Lives</i> 1989 film by Michael Ritchie

Fletch Lives is a 1989 American comedy mystery film starring Chevy Chase and the sequel to Fletch (1985), directed by Michael Ritchie from a screenplay by Leon Capetanos, and based on the character created by Gregory Mcdonald.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khan Tuol Kouk</span> Section in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Tuol Kouk is a section (khan) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Tuol Kouk is well known for the large villas in its northern part of the district and is where most Cambodian elites reside. This district is subdivided into 10 sangkats and 143 villages. The district has an area of 7.99 km2. After boundary changes, its population has decreased to 145,570.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khan Russey Keo</span> District in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Russey Keo, also spelled as Russei Keo, is a district (khan) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This district consists of the northern and north-eastern outskirts of the main city of Phnom Penh, stretching from Khan Sen Sok in the west to the Tonlé Sap River in the east. As of 2019, it is the most populous district of Phnom Penh.

Trade of Innocents is a 2012 American made thriller independent film written and directed by Christopher Bessette and starring Dermot Mulroney, Mira Sorvino, John Billingsley and Trieu Tran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khan Sen Sok</span> District in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Sen Sok is an administrative district (khan) of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It contains the Sen Sok International University Hospital.

<i>The Missing Picture</i> 2013 film

The Missing Picture is a 2013 Cambodian-French documentary film directed by Rithy Panh about the Khmer Rouge. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival where it won the top prize. It was also screened in the World Cinema section at the 2013 Cinemanila International Film Festival where it won the Grand Jury Prize. It won the Lumières Award for Best Documentary at the 21st Lumières Awards and was nominated for the César Award for Best Documentary Film at the 41st César Awards as well as for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards.

Khin Sok was a Cambodian historian, linguist, literature and arts scholar. He acquired a doctorate of history in Paris, published scientific works, taught as a professor in the Royal University of Phnom Penh and was a member of the Royal Academy of Cambodia. His publications during the second half of the 20th century profoundly contributed to the scientific interpretation of historical sources, literature and the systemic development of the modern Khmer language. As a participant of the Khmerization movement he encouraged the promotion of a culturally independent Cambodia on the basis of enlightened and scholarly education in an international context.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Vickery</span> American historian and author

Michael Theodore Vickery was an American historian, lecturer, and author known for his works about the history of Southeast Asia.

<i>First They Killed My Father</i> (film) 2017 film

First They Killed My Father is a 2017 Cambodian–American Khmer-language biographical historical thriller film directed by Angelina Jolie and written by Jolie and Loung Ung, based on Ung's memoir of the same name. Set in 1975, the film depicts 5-year-old Loung, who is forced to be trained as a child soldier while her siblings are sent to labor camps during the Khmer Rouge regime.

Lok Oknha Sok Kong is a Khmer businessman and founder of Sokimex, a company based in Cambodia. He is considered among Cambodia's two "most successful entrepreneurs" along with Kith Meng.

<i>Jailbreak</i> (2017 film) 2017 Cambodian film

Jailbreak is a 2017 Cambodian action film directed by Jimmy Henderson. It was released in its home country in January 2017 and made available on Netflix in May 2018.

<i>A Cambodian Spring</i> 2017 British film

A Cambodian Spring is a 2017 British documentary film directed and produced by Christopher Kelly, focusing on a conflict over plans to develop the Boeung Kak lake in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. The film was premiered at the Hot Docs festival in Toronto, Canada in May 2017. It was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on May 18, 2018.

<i>Kajillionaire</i> 2020 film by Miranda July

Kajillionaire is a 2020 American crime comedy-drama film written and directed by Miranda July. The film stars Evan Rachel Wood, Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins as members of a petty criminal family whose relationship becomes frayed when a stranger played by Gina Rodriguez joins their schemes.

<i>Return to Seoul</i> 2022 film by Davy Chou

Return to Seoul is a 2022 drama film written and directed by Davy Chou, and starring Ji-Min Park as a 25-year-old French adoptee who travels to South Korea, seeking her biological parents.

Pol Kimsan and Sok Kimsan, together known as the Kimsan Twins, are Cambodian chefs and restaurateurs, executive chefs of the Angkor W Group of Restaurants. Despite their sobriquet and shared last name, they are not actually twins or even biologically related.

<i>Karmalink</i> 2021 science fiction film

Karmalink is a 2021 science fiction film directed and co-written by Jake Wachtel in his feature film directorial debut. An international co-production of Cambodia and the United States, it is the first Cambodian-produced science fiction film. It stars Leng Heng Prak and Srey Leak Chhith in their acting debuts, who also worked with Wachtel and co-writer Christopher Larsen on developing the story and translating it into Khmer. The film is dedicated to lead actor Leng Heng Prak, who died before its completion.

References

  1. "City of Ghosts (2002) - Financial Information". The Numbers . Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "City of Ghosts (2002)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  3. "City of Ghosts (2002)". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  4. "City of Ghosts Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved September 7, 2020.
  5. City of Ghosts at AllMusic