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City of Ghosts (2002)

Name: City of Ghosts
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Released: 2002-09-10
Duration: 116 min
Rating: 5.9
Cast: Matt Dillon, James Caan, Natascha McElhone, Gérard Depardieu, Stellan Skarsgård

City of Ghosts (2002), directed by Matt Dillon, starring Matt Dillon and James Caan.

09/10/2002 BR Crime and Thriller 1h 56m

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Where you go when you can't turn back.

Synopsis

A con man who is on the run from law enforcement in the U.S. travels to Cambodia to collect his share in an insurance scam but discovers more than he bargained for.

Jim DenaultCinematography
Matt DillonDirector, Screenplay
Howard E. SmithEditing
Deepak NayarProducer

About the film

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.

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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

Natascha McElhone as Sophie

Gérard Depardieu as Emile

Kem Sereyvuth as Sok

Stellan Skarsgård as Joseph Kaspar

Rose Byrne as Sabrina

Shawn Andrews as Robbie

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." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 57 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Soundtrack

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.

References

External links

City of Ghosts at IMDb

City of Ghosts at Rotten Tomatoes

Text from City of Ghosts (2002 film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Ghosts_(2002_film)

Trivia

It cost US$ 18 million and grossed US$ 1.3 million in theaters — 0.1 times its budget.
It premiered on September 10, 2002, a Tuesday.
It runs 1h56 — a typical feature length.
As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on Looke.
This film's quiz has 14 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosUnited Artists, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
CountriesUnited States
LanguagesEnglish, French, Khmer, Russian
BudgetUS$ 17,500,000
Box officeUS$ 1,277,187
StatusReleased

More about this film

Filming locations

Cambodia

Set in

Thailand
New York City

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Crew

Jim Denault Cinematography
Matt Dillon Director
Howard E. Smith Editing
Deepak Nayar Producer
Michael Cerenzie Producer
Willi Bär Producer
Tyler Bates Original music
Barry Gifford Screenplay
Matt Dillon Screenplay

Questions about this film

What is City of Ghosts about?

City of Ghosts: A con man who is on the run from law enforcement in the U.S. travels to Cambodia to collect his share in an insurance scam but discovers more than he bargained for.

Who directed City of Ghosts?

City of Ghosts was directed by Matt Dillon in 2002.

Who stars in City of Ghosts?

The cast of City of Ghosts includes Matt Dillon, James Caan, Natascha McElhone, Gérard Depardieu and Stellan Skarsgård.

How long is City of Ghosts?

City of Ghosts runs for 116 minutes, or 1h56.

How much did City of Ghosts cost and how much did it make?

City of Ghosts had a budget of US$ 17,500,000 and took US$ 1,277,187 at the box office.

Where can I watch City of Ghosts?

City of Ghosts is available on Looke, Looke Amazon Channel and Google Play Movies. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.