Movie Guys: Movie ‘Mad’-ness indicts TV callousness

Thursday, Nov. 6, 1997 | 7:46 a.m.

* Grades: Jeff, A; Dave, C+.

* Starring: Dustin Hoffman, John Travolta, Alan Alda and Robert Prosky.

* Screenplay: Tom Matthews.

* Director: Costa Gavras.

* Studio: Warner Brothers.

* Rated: PG-13 for violence and adult situations.

* RUNNING TIME: 120 minutes.

By Jeff

Next time you're sitting at home watching "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings," ask yourself: What can you believe? Does America sit with the family, eating KFC, drinking Pepsi, and accept everything coming out of the idiot box as truth?

The slogan for network and local newscasts is: "If it bleeds, it leads." Sensationalism, violence, sex scandals, these are the main courses feeding America's savage appetite for news. Television no longer just reports the facts. It has to compete for ratings and ward off threats from tabloid shows like "Hard Copy" and "Inside Edition." News had to change.

So what is real? We know we can't believe everything we read, but isn't seeing believing?

"Mad City" is about giving the people what they want, and reporter Max Brackett (Dustin Hoffman) knows just how to do it. When Sam Baily (John Travolta) loses his job as a security guard at a museum because of budget cuts, he resorts to desperate measures to get his job back.

Armed with a shotgun and a bag full of dynamite, he takes his boss (Blythe Danner) and a group children hostage. Brackett is hiding in the bathroom and within minutes, he is on the air, reporting live from the "Siege at the Museum." He knows if he handles this story right, it's his ticket back to the big time, so Brackett must control the story -- and control the truth.

They need public opinion on their side, so he creates an image of Baily as a decent family man, wrongly terminated from his job. Can he turn a criminal into a national hero? Brackett coaches Bailey every step of the way: what demands to ask for, what to say to the press. Brackett tells the police chief to be patient and to notice that the cameras are on his face. "You are the most famous policeman in America," he whispers.

No matter how much Brackett tries to control the story, the forces outside the museum become distorted. The network arrives with America's most loved anchor, Kevin Hollander (Alan Alda), who has his own story to tell. The truth or not? Right or wrong? Once Hollander airs his version, it's what America will believe. A betrayal of trust.

"Mad City" is the most powerful film on this subject since "Network." It portrays the nation's media as an unforgiving machine that only cares about getting the story, regardless of who it hurts in the process, even if it means crossing the line.

Hoffman and Travolta are a dynamic duo. Hoffman plays Brackett with an obsessive elegance, as a man who risks everything just to be back on top. Travolta breathes life into Sam Baily, the common man. His only crime is providing for his family. The stand-out performance is from Alan Alda as the egotistical network news anchor. He can execute the most wicked stares, coupled with the most severe tongue lashings, with the utmost ease. Watch for the patented Alda hand-waving when he is scolding his colleagues. Director Costa Gavras renders astounding direction for this story of two very different men -- one educated and with a secret agenda, the other from blue collar America -- who must trust one another in a time of crisis.

"Mad City" even falls prey to the question -- what is reality? There is a scene in which Bracket and Baily are being interviewed by Larry King on CNN. The mixing of real newscasters and fictional ones blur the lines of reality ever more. Recent films like "Ransom," "Independence Day" and "Contact" all use CNN stars. Where does fact begin and end? News has gone "Hollywood."

"Mad City" is a commanding comment on the public's need for infotainment and proves that you can't believe everything you see.

Jeff gives "Mad City" an A.

By Dave

Does superstar John Travolta have a life outside of his acting career? This guy is in a new movie every six months. He is charming, dazzling and extremely confident -- and it was 1994's "Pulp Fiction" that earned him the consistent attention and the $20 million-plus paycheck he now enjoys.

In his latest outing, "Mad City," Travolta brings a sense of decency to his simple-minded character. He is convincingly sincere and portrays Baily as someone with good intentions -- to provide for his family. But we have seen this before from Travolta in 1995's "White Man's Burden." Not the kind of familiar territory you want to see a sly Travolta in again.

Hoffman is nothing short of excellent. His timing and demeanor are perfect, and though his nasal voice and interesting-yet-not-truly-captivating look is far from that of a typical TV news personality, he pulls it off by making the character of Brackett his own. Besides, when has Hoffman ever given a bad performance? ("Ishtar" doesn't count).

Oscar-winning director Costa Gavras ("Missing") returns after an eight-year hiatus from filmmaking. His films always center around political issues and he clearly has not lost his command as he exposes the cold and manipulative point-of-view of the electronic media and its competitive goals.

But it is the storyline that cannot keep up with what starts out as a breaking news event and finishes as a predictable and anticlimactic mess. In addition, the film wastes the talent of Alan Alda as a pushy network news anchor and an unconvincing Mia Kirshner as a compassionate camera operator-turned-cutthroat network reporter.

Strong direction and two likable stars make for an entertaining night out at the movies -- but, unfortunately, leaves you with nothing to talk about.

Dave gives "Mad City" a C+.

THE MOVIE GUYS, starring Jeff Howard and Dave Neil, appears every Friday in the SUN. You can also find their capsule reviews of movies in Scope magazine and listen to their reviews and commentary every Saturday and Sunday at 4 p.m. on their radio show "Quiet on the Set" on KBVC 105.1-FM.