Mad Dog and Glory

Mad Dog and Glory
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	John McNaughton
Written by	Richard Price
Produced by	Steven A. Jones Barbara De Fina Martin Scorsese
Starring	Robert De Niro Uma Thurman Bill Murray Kathy Baker David Caruso
Cinematography	Robby Müller
Edited by	Elena Maganini Craig McKay
Music by	Elmer Bernstein Terje Rypdal
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	March 5, 1993
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$19 million
Box office	$10,688,490 (USA)

Mad Dog and Glory is a 1993 American crime comedy-drama film directed by John McNaughton and starring Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman, and Bill Murray, and supporting roles from well known actors Richard Belzer and David Caruso as De Niro's partner.

Plot

Wayne Dobie (De Niro) is a shy Chicago Police Department crime scene photographer who has spent years on the job without ever drawing his gun; his colleagues jokingly call him "Mad Dog". Wayne saves the life of mob boss Frank Milo (Murray) during a hold-up in a convenience store. Milo offers Wayne a gift in return: for one week, he will have the "personal services" of Glory (Thurman), a young woman who works as a bartender at Milo's club.

Wayne learns that Glory is trying to pay off a personal debt and wants nothing to do with Milo after the debt is paid off. After an awkward start, they fall in love. Wayne wants her to move into his apartment, but Milo has no intention of letting Glory go. Milo says that Wayne has to pay $40,000 to give Glory her freedom, and sends one of his thugs to enforce the threat. Wayne's partner, Mike (Caruso), saves Wayne from the thug.

Wayne does his best to get the money but falls short by $12,500. Knowing that Mike can't protect him, he courageously stands up to Milo himself, and ends up brawling with Milo in the street. Glory intervenes suspecting that Milo might kill Wayne. Seeing that the two are in love with each other, Milo concedes and makes peace with Wayne and lets Glory go with no strings attached.

Cast

• Robert De Niro as Wayne 'Mad Dog' Dobie
• Uma Thurman as Glory
• Bill Murray as Frank Milo
• David Caruso as Mike
• Mike Starr as Harold
• Tom Towles as Andrew the Beater
• Kathy Baker as Lee
• Anthony Cannata as Pavletz
• J. J. Johnston as Shanlon
• Richard Belzer as M.C. / Comic
• Jen Taylor as Pam Delmar (cameo, Uncredited)

Production

According to a profile of producer Steven A. Jones written by Luke Ford, the film was delayed by a year because of studio-required changes. Jones and director McNaughton were contractually required to deliver the film with no changes to the script written by Price. Universal test-screened the film, then insisted on reshooting the film's final scene. As written, when Milo and Wayne fight, Milo dominates Wayne. Wayne's one connecting punch did no damage, but did serve to prompt Milo to realize that Glory was not worth fighting over.

It was reshot to respond to an audience typecasting of De Niro, whom they saw as the Raging Bull he had played more than a decade earlier. Those who saw the test screenings could not accept the fact that De Niro's Wayne had done so poorly against Murray's Milo. Such a reaction was ironic because De Niro had actually been offered the Milo role, and had insisted on the Wayne role instead precisely because of its meekness.

Other reshoots for the film were done to make Glory seem less manipulative and Milo more of a puppet-master behind Glory's actions.

Reception

Mad Dog and Glory has received positive reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 77% approval rating, with an average score of 6.3/10, based on reviews from 30 critics. The site's consensus states: "Inspired casting and a prevailing sweetness make Mad Dog and Glory an oddball treat." On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 71 out of 100, based on reviews from 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade C+ on scale of A to F.

Roger Ebert, writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, saying, "The movie is very funny, but it's not broad humor, it's humor born of personality quirks and the style of the performances." He went on to add that the film is "the kind of movie I like to see more than once. The people who made it must have come to know the characters very well, because although they seem to fit into broad outlines, they are real individuals—quirky, bothered, worried, bemused." Vincent Canby of The New York Times also gave the film a positive review, calling it "a first-rate star vehicle for the big, explosive talents of Mr. De Niro, Mr. Murray and Richard Price, who wrote the screenplay." Expanding on the performances, Canby said, "The great satisfaction of Mad Dog and Glory is watching Mr. De Niro and Mr. Murray play against type with such invigorating ease." Todd McCarthy of Variety called the film "A pleasurably offbeat picture that manages the rare trick of being both charming and edgy".

External links

• Mad Dog and Glory at Box Office Mojo
• Mad Dog and Glory at IMDb
• Mad Dog and Glory at Rotten Tomatoes