City of Ghosts (2002 film)

{{About|the 2002 film|the TV series|City of Ghosts (TV series){{!}}City of Ghosts (TV series)|the 2017 film|City of Ghosts (2017 film){{!}}City of Ghosts (2017 film)}}

{{Infobox film

| name = City of Ghosts

| image = Cityofghostscard.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Matt Dillon

| producer = {{ubl|Willi Baer|Michael Cerenzie|Deepak Nayar}}

| writer = {{ubl|Matt Dillon|Barry Gifford|Mike Jones}}

| starring = {{ubl|Matt Dillon|James Caan|Stellan Skarsgård|Natascha McElhone|Gérard Depardieu}}

| music = Tyler Bates

| cinematography = Jim Denault

| editing = Howard E. Smith

| studio = United Artists

| distributor = MGM Distribution Co.

| released = {{Film date|2002|09|10|TIFF|2003|4|25|United States}}

| runtime = 116 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $17.5 million{{Cite web |url= https://m.the-numbers.com/movie/City-of-Ghosts-(2003)#tab=summary |title= City of Ghosts (2003) - Financial Information|website=The Numbers |access-date= August 3, 2024}}

| gross = $1.3 million{{cite web|url= https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0164003/?ref_=bo_se_r_1 |title= City of Ghosts (2002)|work=Box Office Mojo|access-date=September 7, 2020}}

}}

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.

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 Cambodia.

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

Matt Dillon as Jimmy
James Caan as Marvin
Stellan Skarsgård as Joseph Kaspar
Natascha McElhone as Sophie
Gérard Depardieu as Emile
Kem Sereyvuth as Sok
Rose Byrne as Sabrina
Kyoza as Rocky
Loto as The Red Tuxedo Man
Robert Campbell as Simon
Bo Hopkins as Teddy (uncredited)

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.

=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."{{cite web |title= City of Ghosts (2002) |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/city_of_ghosts |website=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=September 7, 2020}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.{{cite web |title= City of Ghosts Reviews |url= https://www.metacritic.com/movie/city-of-ghosts |website=Metacritic |access-date=September 7, 2020}}

Soundtrack

{{Infobox album

| name = Music from the Motion Picture City of Ghosts

| type = soundtrack

| artist = various artists

| cover = Cityofghostsalbum.jpg

| alt =

| released = April 29, 2003

| recorded =

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| genre = Soundtrack

| length =

| label = Lakeshore Records

| producer =

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{{Music ratings

| rev1 = Allmusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}} {{AllMusic|class=album|id=r637631}}

| rev2 =

| rev2Score =

}}

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