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:

A good cop caught between loyalty and betrayal.

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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

Opening Weekend USA:

$43,650, 14 October 1991

Gross USA:

$2,971,661

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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

One of several film and television productions featuring actors Joe Mantegna and William H. Macy. Their non-David Mamet cinema movies include Jerry and Tom (1998), Above Suspicion (1995), and Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993).

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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

Jilly Curran: Hey Bobby - don't let 'em get you down.

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Connections

Referenced in Magnolia (1999)

User Reviews

It just gets better and better.

Some David Mamet films have incredible notoriety amongst the literate set (Glengarry Glen Ross, Oleanna, House of Games). His 2 Oscar noms (Wag the Dog, The Verdict) as well as his non-nominated script for The Untouchables have him firmly established with Hollywood's power base as well.

For my money, the oft-overlooked Homicide is a true Mamet gem--startling in its genius.

Put simply, Homicide is a revealing look at a man's journey into himself. Many will be distracted by the subject matter and tune out, but try to hang on.

Joe Mantegna's Bobby Gold is a tough cop who denies his Jewish lineage, until a low priority murder investigation into an aged Holocast survivor forces him to re-evaluate his entire existence. The resulting destruction of the man is cruel and never-ending,…and brilliant.

William H. Macy, an until-now bit player, gets a well-deserved promotion to #2 man among the strong supporting cast as Gold's partner and sounding board.

The intricacies of the plot, the subtleties of the subtext, as well as the perfunctory Mamet attention to detail may mean a second, or third look is necessary for the viewer to get straight with what's going on------- but take the time, if you can, it just keeps getting better and better.