Chasing Ghosts

Madsen does Madsen like he always does, but here it fits the movie like a glove. The cinematography is outstanding; the Director of Photography deserves an Oscar nod for doing what he did on this budget. The music is spotty, one minute it is near greatness, the next minute it seems forced and mis-matched to the tension of the film. Still, the composer did an incredible job considering his budget. He did the whole thing on a Mac, with a MOTU Traveler using samples and a single recording session with strings only. The kind of atmosphere the director (Kyle Dean Jackson) was able to stir up with such a limited budget is remarkable.

There isn't a poor performance in the bunch, save one: Corey Large. Large has all the passion of a rice cake. The guy simply cannot emote, which is sad because Shannyn Sossamon gives a tour de force performance opposite someone giving her nothing. I am very interested to see what this young director will do next, because he certainly does have what it takes to make a good movie. Frankly I tend to believe that the writer, producer and (uncredited) second director Alan Pao had a LOT to do with this film's excellence. Here's hoping that we'll see many more good things from both Jackson and Pao in the future.

If you like neo-noir and Michael Madsen, then this will be entertaining.

First, it has a great cast supporting Madsen: Shannyn Sossamon, Gary Busey, Michael Rooker, and the always interesting Danny Trejo.

Sossamon did a really good job in this low budget indie. Madsen was great as a dirty cop that is handling one last case that may reveal his secrets. Corey Large is a mysterious cop brought in allegedly from Miami to help.

There is a big twist at the end a la The Usual Suspects.

Outstanding cinematography.

Movie was quite boring, didn't bring much to the screen...

It is EXACTLY like a 2 HOUR version of one of the boring CSI episodes. Just drawn-out over 2 hours!. Now don't get me wrong, I LIKE CSI, but some of the episodes are just too slow to bare!

I would not recommend this movie, and it is mostly boring-police dialogue. If you are looking for an ACTION movie, you have chosen the wrong movie, this movie is more like a detective-drama.

If you are looking for a movie that resembles SAW, SEVEN, or Silence of the Lambs, this is not the movie to see. Unlike those three movies, Chasing Ghosts has a bad plot, reasonably bad cast (Madsen was fine as his usual self!), and watered-down action (when there was any action!).

MOVIE : 3/10 - Didn't like the movie.

"Chasing Ghosts" was a pretty good mystery. Michael Madsen stars as Detective Harrison, who is about to retire. He only has one more case to solve: Who is killing the crime lords around NYC?

The best parts of the movie are the confrontations with Madsen and Gary Busey, and the twists near the end. Meat Loaf, Michael Rooker and Danny Trejo are underused. The style of the film also works. The cinematography looks great but there are a little too many quick cuts. It was shot In L.A. but the director did a good job hiding it.

In the end: It's worth seeing for an excellent Michael Madsen performance and the presence of the eclectic cast.

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It's a talky, alright. Think of Usual Suspects in semi-reverse when you see it and it will still surprise. Since this went straight to DVD I wonder how many have actually seen it. It's written to hedge; and it makes you go back to Usual Suspects and ask yourself which script gave out the better misleading information. Sure, US has a better score, more meat in the casting, a higher calibre of editing, and more humour in the lines. But Ghosts keeps on talking and talking and Madsen keeps on sighing, shifting his feet, throwing butts all over the place, and acting like himself. Within the first five minutes you know he's a dirty cop, you just don't know how he is involved in this latest case. If you make it through the first 15 minutes your're going to stay the course till it's finished. This script is no slacker. Probably the best "B" movie Madsen ever made. Worth renting from the VDO store, even worth having for your own collection. Try it, you're gonna like it.