Themes: Crisis of Conscience, Discovering One's Heritage, Murder Investigations
Main Cast: Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy, Natalia Nogulich, Ving Rhames, Rebecca Pidgeon
Release Year: 1991
Country: US
Run Time: 100 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
The third film written and directed by playwright David Mamet, this combination of crime drama and character study stars several of Mamet's stock players. Joe Mantegna stars as Bobby Gold, a detective with a gift for negotiation who, along with his partner Tim Sullivan (William H. Macy), accidentally stumbles upon a crime scene -- the murder of an elderly Jewish woman in her corner store. When it turns out that the victim was politically well-connected and Jewish, Bobby's superiors assign him the case because he's also Jewish. The problem is that Bobby isn't very religious and he resents being taken off a higher profile drug investigation involving a dealer, Randolph (Ving Rhames). Bobby's also highly skeptical when the murdered woman's family claims that her death was not a simple robbery but an anti-Semitic hate crime. As he gets deeper into his case, however, Bobby discovers that a larger conspiracy may be afoot, and he begins to question his own ethnic roots. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
Review
Homicide is writer/director David Mamet's exploration of self-identity in a modern society. Using police detective Joe Mantegna's murder investigation as a framework, Mamet focuses on the psychology of his main characters, and in the process offers up ample amounts of pitch-perfect dialogue. Though the procedural elements of the detective genre are present, Homicide is much richer than a standard genre film, with ample opportunity for sterling performances from Mantegna and supporting cast members William H. Macy and Ving Rhames. Despite its low budget, the film has the look of a more expensive production, thanks largely to Roger Deakins's superb cinematography. There's a considerable amount of detail that becomes increasingly important as the film progresses; though its plot may challenge some viewers, Homicide proves to be a thoroughly rewarding experience. ~ Richard Gilliam, All Movie Guide
Vincent Guastaferro - Lieutenant Senna; Lionel Mark Smith - Charlie Olcott; Jack Wallace - Frank; J.S. Block - Dr. Klein; Yuri Alexis - Reporter; Elmer Aulton - S.W.A.T. Team; Robert Bella - Bodyguard; Adam Bitterman - Young Bodyguard; Anthony Boer - S.W.A.T. Team; Leo Burns - Officer Arraigning Wells; Paul Butler - Commissioner Walker; Ron Butler - Rookie; Charles Chessler; Theo Cohan - Young Woman with Dog; Lee Cohn - Officer Escorting Mr. Klein; Roberta Custer - Cathy Bates; Jim Frangione - Police Officer; Erica Gimpel - Woman with Randolph; Steve Goldstein - Librarian; Jim Grace - B.A.T.F. Agent; Jerrold Graff - Officer in Elevator; Bernard Gray - James; Michael Hammond - S.W.A.T. Team; George Harvey - Officer Transporting Wells; Willo Hausman - Juvenile Officer; Paul Hjelmervik - B.A.T.F. Agent; Len Hodera - Koli; Ricky Jay - Aaron; Mary Jefferson - Randolphs Mother; Guy Johnson - S.W.A.T. Team; Keith Johnson - Captains Driver; J.J. Johnston - Jilly Curran; Lou Kaitz - Leo; Chris Kaldor; Jonathan Katz - Undertaker; Linda Kimbrough - Sergeant Green; Larry Kipp; Marge Kotlisky - Mrs. Klein; Jordan Lage - F.B.I. Team Leader; G. Roy Levin - Barry; Adolph Mall - Benjamin; Bernard Mamet - Marv; Tony Mamet - Officer Ferro; Purnell McFadden - First Kid; Cliff McMullen - Officer at the Variety Store, Night; Ted Monte - Bodyguard with Thompson Gun; Bob Moore - Police Captain; Wesly Nelson; Neil Pepe - Young Man with Dog; Alan Polonsky - Scholar; Charlotte Potok - Assistant Librarian; Jonathan Ridgely; Gail Silver - Lily, The Kleins Maid; Alan Soule - Crime Scene Technician; Robin Spielberg - Records Officer; Colin Stinton - Walter B. Wells; Charles Stranski - Doug Brown; Darrell Taylor - Willie Sims; Andy Waters; Emily Weisberg - Young Girl in Library; Lynn Weisberg; Scott Zigler - Passport Clerk; James Potter - Shoemaker; Rick Washburne - Officer in Elevator; Andy Potok - Library Technician; Steve Anderson; George Rogers - S.W.A.T. Team
Credit
Susan Kaufman - Art Director, Andy Armstrong - Associate Producer, Matthew Carlisle - Associate Producer, Nan Cibula - Costume Designer, David Mamet - Director, Barbara Tulliver - Editor, Alaric Jans - Composer (Music Score), Michael Merritt - Production Designer, Roger Deakins - Cinematographer, Michael Hausman - Producer, Edward R. Pressman - Producer, Ron Rotholz - Producer, Susan Kaufman - Set Designer, Andy Armstrong - Stunts, Chuck Jeffreys - Stunts, Kim Gyngell - Screenwriter, Philip Dalkin - Screenwriter, David Mamet - Screenwriter
Bobby Gold (Mantegna) is an inner-city homicidedetective on the trail of Robert Randolph (Rhames), a drug-dealer and cop-killer on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. While en route to nab an accomplice of Randolph, Gold and his partner Sullivan (Macy) happen upon a murder scene: the elderly Jewish owner of a candy store in a black ghetto has been gunned down, presumably for a fortune hidden in her basement. The deceased woman's son, a doctor, uses his clout to have Gold assigned to the case in the belief that Gold, himself Jewish, might be empathetic to his plight. Gold, however, seems to disregard his ethnicity, and beyond that, he's irritated about being pulled off a much higher-profile case. A nighttime survey of the crime scene uncovers an important piece of the woman's past, and Gold's reluctance turns to curiosity, leading to the discovery of a Zionist organization operating in the city. As the film reaches its climax, Gold is thrust into a series of circumstances that test not only his loyalty to the badge, but also his newfound Jewish consciousness.
Mamet's aim with this, his third directorial effort, seemed to be to take elements from conventional pictures—namely, police procedurals—and place them in the framework of a story dealing with issues of identity, conspiracy, and duty. As is common, the end result was more of a success with critics than audiences. Prominent among all else in the film is Mamet's trademark dialogue, especially the verbiage among authority figures, where much is revealed through both soliloquy and invective. This is said to be best typefied in two scenes: the first occurs at the beginning, where in the midst of dressing down Gold, a black official calls him a kike, raising the ire of both Gold and Sullivan; the second—perhaps the most talked-about moment in the film—occurs during a phone conversation Gold has with Sullivan in the study of the doctor's office, where he spews forth a startling tirade of profanity and anti-Semitic insults, little knowing that the dead woman's granddaughter is in the room and is listening to every word. Bobby also in a moment of rage at the death of Sullivan, calls Randolph a nigger, with Randolph bellowing back kike. The conspiracy angle, if not successfully drawn up by the author (to the audience's satisfaction, at least), allows Mamet to, once again, return to his favorite device, the confidence game, at the film's conclusion, unleashing one final grand revelation.
