“Restraint trusts the audience.”
It leaves emotional space unlabelled, trusting viewers to notice what the characters cannot say aloud.

City of Ghosts
Thriller · Crime · 2002
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.
City of Ghosts
“Where you go when you can't turn back.”
Critical arithmetic
The consensus, allegedly.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
IMDb
5.9 / 10
6K votes
Rotten Tomatoes
48 %
Tomatometer
Metacritic
57 / 100
Metascore
TMDB
5.8 / 10
Community rating
External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.
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.
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over City of Ghosts?
The Adrenaline Seeker
“If it slows down, you check your phone.”
Read their caseThe Prestige Tourist
“You like your greatness pre-approved.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Watch in your region.
Cinema release signals and current streaming, rental, and purchase options for your region.
Streaming availability data supplied by JustWatch.
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Matt Dillon
Written by
Matt Dillon · Barry Gifford
Put City of Ghosts on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
“Distance mistaken for discipline.”
The chill may look elegant, but withholding a heartbeat is not the same as having complicated feelings.






