Homicide (1991)

A Jewish homicide detective investigates a seemingly minor murder and falls in with a Zionist group as a result.

Director:

David Mamet

Writer:

David Mamet

Stars:

Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy, Vincent Guastaferro

3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Policeman Bob Gold has to capture a murderer that not even the FBI has been able to find. But before he can even start he is re-assigned to the murder of an old Jewish lady in a black area. The evidence points at a Jewish hate group and he discovers connections between them and his previous case.

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Plot Keywords:

neo noir | jewish | murder | policeman | self hatred | 

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Taglines:

Detective Robert Gold. Whatever he chooses to do is going to be wrong. He still has to make a choice.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1991 (France)

Also Known As:

A gyilkossági csoport

Filming Locations:

Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$2,971,661

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edward R. Pressman Film,Cinehaus,Bison Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (Stereo)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film began as an adaptation of David Mamet's friend William J. Caunitz's 1986 novel "Suspects". However, the more Mamet wrote, the more his story diverged from the source material until, with Caunitz's blessing, Mamet left the source book behind entirely, until ultimately the script became an original screenplay.

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Goofs

When Detective Gold discovers the photo behind the picture, in the picture is a Hebrew sign referring to a road being built by the Labor Federation's (haHistadrut) Solel Boneh division. In the sign it's misspelled "Vistadrut - Solel Bono".

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Quotes

Tim Sullivan: [dying] Hey Bobby? Remember that girl?

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Connections

Featured in Invent Nothing, Deny Nothing: Five Guys from Mamet's HOMICIDE (2009)

User Reviews

My favorite Mamet film

A big-city police detective, Joe Mantegna, who always ignored and downplayed his Jewish heritage, finds himself forced to examine his values after being pulled off what he considers an important case, at the request of influential Jewish citizens, to investigate the death of an old Jewish storekeeper, who might have been the victim of anti-Semitic violence. This film isn't without its flaws, but writer/director David Mamet deserves a great deal of credit for having the courage to present a number of provocative questions about what it means to be a Jew in an often hostile society. The film can also be applauded for not offering any simple answers. Usually in Hollywood movies, characters are rewarded for returning to their roots. In "Homicide," the reverse is true as Mantegna soon finds his life spiraling out of his control. The drama is always compelling, if somewhat heavy-handed and implausible at times. More importantly, the Mametisms which increasing mar his work, i.e., scripts where every character speaks in exactly the same voice, and big roles for non-talented wives, are kept in check here. This is my favorite Mamet film.