Mad City is a damned hard movie to watch. The hard indictment of journalism is played 40 minutes (That's two reels, folks) too long.

Don't get me wrong, there are merits here. First, the acting is topnotch. Dustin Hoffman is the TV reporter mediating a distressed John Travolta to the rest of the world. Alan Alda is the SOB network news anchor pushing the story to its unfortunate conclusion.

Yeah, you figure the ending out real early in this one. Keep a bottle of anti-depressants nearby, the writer and director are strapping you in for a real downer.