Quartile rating: 6.5/10 · 1 rating
A misguided museum guard who loses his job and then tries to get it back at gunpoint is thrown into the fierce world of ratings-driven TV gone mad.
Mad City is a competent but uneven media-satire thriller. The premise — a desperate everyman caught in a ratings frenzy — has genuine social commentary potential, and Travolta and Hoffman bring credible performances, but the film never fully commits to either its satirical edge or its dramatic weight. The cinematography is workmanlike and TV-movie-ish, lacking visual distinction. The ending feels deflating rather than provocatively bleak, undermining the buildup. Novelty is moderate: the media-circus angle echoes Network and To Die For but doesn't add much new to the conversation.