Mad City

If the script had added some tempo and atmosphere earlier than in the last fifteen minutes, instead of repeatedly playing with children and playful conversations between Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta, it could have been great. As it is, the actors can do pretty decent jobs, but the monotonous script, incapable of moving the plot to a different level, undermines all their efforts. (12.08.2006)

And this is why I don’t watch TV. A wonderful drama with a tortured John Travolta and calm and cool Dustin Hoffman about the fact that no truth exists. The only truth is the one that they want us to see. Why? Television’s good. (10.06.2011)

Travolta in the role of a tough security guard is exemplary and Hoffman, as a journalist, is charismatic in his typically unobtrusive yet very convincing way. The film excellently oscillates between drama and comedy, with the actors having the biggest share in the quality of the outcome. As for how realistically the media world of newspapers and television is portrayed, I dare not say, but it is presented in a sufficiently modern and dynamic manner, which is difficult to object to, and the average viewer will not concern themselves with it. It is a good film, it has a point, drive, and quality spark in the dialogues between the main characters. Occasionally, it may be a bit stereotypical, but otherwise, it's good. (29.01.2009)