Review: City of Ghosts

City of Ghosts (2002):

Synopsis - Jimmy is a con artist who finds himself in a pickle after his boss disappears when their business comes under scrutiny. Jimmy decides to track him down, taking him on a sleazy journey to Thailand and Cambodia, where everyone is working an angle and monkeys occasionally steal your glasses.

Starring- Matt Dillon, James Caan, Natascha McElhone, Gerard Depardieu, Kem Sereyvuth, Stellan Skarsgård

City of Ghosts. Never heard of it? Me neither. I was just surfing the options of my friend’s HBO account and there I saw a picture of internet dreamboat Stellan Skarsgard. There is something special about that man with his mummified yet still good looks, wispy hair, and strange accent. Based on the actual plot description, I thought it might be worth a watch. Like Sci-Fi movies, I am constantly looking good thrillers but more than often find myself disappointed. This was… lukewarm at best. Break down:

What I Liked:

-Although the story spent a lot of time being purposely mysterious and annoying because of its vagueness, I did find myself interested in following it to its conclusion. Matt Damon plays out of his league/element pretty well, and with people like Gerard Depardieu and Stellan Skarsgard doing their best to be cagey and somewhat still likable, there is a lot that could have gone a lot worse. So, props, I guess?

-I like James Caan. He didn’t have to do much in this movie, but I liked everything I saw. I don’t know when the last time I said that about a James Caan performance, at least after the 80’s.

-Cambodia and Thailand are fascinating to me. The hot climates along with a people who seem shady and innocent at the same time are a strange mixture that often makes for a most interesting setting. I am sure all I am seeing are stereotypes; I don’t really have anything to base that on though. Impoverished and unsound buildings in a sprawling maze of a city, dirt roads that leads to the swamplands or fields, or take you to ancient structures with huge amounts of spiritual and historical significance. I find it all simultaneously repelling and enchanting.

What I Didn’t Like:

-Although I did like the characters when it came to their actions, other than the surface level motivations I’m not sure there is much depth in there. Is Matt Dillon’s character a good man? And if so, why was he caught up with these con artists scams? In the beginning of the movie, we find out that the insurance company he is helping to run is not going to be able to pay any of the victims of a recent hurricane. It really doesn’t seem as if he is concerned for the lives of those people who will now be homeless, but when he is in Cambodia looking for his boss and mentor, he appears to be turning over a new leaf. But there just isn’t enough going on to motivate someone toward the altruistic actions that end up happening in the movie.

-I found myself at a strange place when it came to the end of the movie. While I won’t go into too many details, I will say that it ends on a high note. I am both happy and sad it ended this way. Happy because it could have gone extremely dark, which is certainly where I thought it would end and would have been appropriate for the movie’s tone. So when it surprised me by not being a total downer, it earned several points in the happiness column. Even with that said, I also thought the ending felt a little like a cheat. For most of the time, the movie is pretty dark and you might feel as if none of the characters deserve any sort of redemption. So when redemption is received, I could not help but think there was some revision to the script after someone noted it was a bit too much on the negative side. It reminds of the way The Killing Fields has a “happy” ending when it was just darkness all the way up until then.

What I Hated:

-Once again I don’t have any sort of anger worked up at any part of this movie. On a personal note, I could always use more Stellan Skargard. You know, in general.

Verdict:

While I am not in any sort of rush to watch City of Ghosts again, I certainly wouldn’t mind having it in my DVD collection. It was an ok thriller, sometimes confusing, mostly dark with an ending that will please my dad (he only likes movies with happy endings, this was close enough). Not a terrible way to spend an hour and a half. I watched it on HBOgo.