Review of City of Hope (1991) by J D — 24 Dec 2007

I saw a couple reviews here calling "City of Hope" the "Crash" before "Crash". I think that sums it up quite well. This is a more emotionally complex version, in fact, forgoing the "gotcha" cleverness of "Crash" as you begin to realize how all the characters are connect, and instead connecting all the characters in a much more organic plot structure.

I'm biased because I've become a big John Sayles fan, but he really is the most consistent storyteller I've encountered in my movie viewing. And as with all of his films, there are large social themes that are humanized in a great cast, including city corruption, racism, and poverty.

And this really is a stellar cast; Joe Morton in particular shines as a city councilman struggling between his ethics and the "greater good". David Strathairn has a small, but excellent and very un-Strathairn-like role as a mentally ill homeless man.

A satisfying, complex story.