Homicide (1991 film)

Homicide
Movie poster for Homicide
Directed by	David Mamet
Produced by	Michael Hausman Edward R. Pressman
Written by	David Mamet
Music by	Alaric Jans
Cinematography	Roger Deakins
Editing by	Barbara Tulliver
Distributed by	Triumph Releasing Corporation
Release date(s)	October 9, 1991 ((USA))
Running time	102 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Homicide is a mystery film crime drama written and directed by David Mamet, and released in 1991. The film's cast includes Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy, and Ving Rhames. It was entered into the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot

Bobby Gold (Mantegna) is an inner-city homicide detective on the trail of Robert Randolph (Rhames), a drug-dealer and cop-killer on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List. En route to nab an accomplice of Randolph, Gold and his partner Tim Sullivan (Macy) happen upon a murder scene: the elderly Jewish owner of a candy store in a black ghetto has been gunned down, reportedly 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. Ultimately, though, this is offset by interactions with members of the Jewish community that play on Gold's feelings of inadequacy and incapability of fitting in.

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. The apparent power and sense of pride these people have is appealing to Gold, and he attempts to become a part of their group. 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.

Analysis

Mamet's aim with this, his third directorial effort, seems 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 and vows to kill him; in the ensuing confrontation, Randolph taunts Gold by calling him "one smart 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.

Cast

• Joe Mantegna - Bobby Gold
• William H. Macy - Tim Sullivan
• Vincent Guastaferro - Lt. Senna
• J. J. Johnston - Jilly Curran
• Jack Wallace - Frank
• Lionel Mark Smith - Charlie Olcott
• Roberta Custer - Cathy Bates
• Charles Stransky - Doug Brown
• Bernard Gray - James
• Paul Butler - Commissioner Walker
• Colin Stinton - Walter B. Wells
• Louis Murray - Mr. Patterson
• Christopher Kaldor - Desk Sergeant
• Linda Kimbrough - Sgt. Green
• Robin Spielberg - Records Officer

Home video releases

The film was released on VHS in 1992.

On September 8, 2009, the film was given a DVD release by The Criterion Collection. This director-approved release included an audio commentary with Mamet and Macy, as well as cast interviews and a gag reel.

External links

• Homicide at the Internet Movie Database
• Homicide at AllRovi