Romeo Is Bleeding (1993)

A womanizing, crooked cop on the payroll of the mafia is confronted with the reality of his double life after he is asked to kill a beautiful and ruthless Russian gangster.

Director:

Peter Medak

Writer:

Hilary Henkin

Stars:

Gary Oldman, Lena Olin, Wallace Wood

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gary Oldman	...	Jack Grimaldi
Wallace Wood	...	Waiter
Juliette Lewis	...	Sheri
David Proval	...	Scully
Will Patton	...	Martie
Gene Canfield	...	John
Larry Joshua	...	Joey
Michael Wincott	...	Sal
Lena Olin	...	Mona Demarkov
William Duff-Griffin	...	Paddy
James Cromwell	...	Cage
Paul Butler	...	Skouras
Annabella Sciorra	...	Natalie Grimaldi
Tony Sirico	...	Malacci
Victoria Bastel	...	Girl #1

Storyline

Detective Jack Grimaldi (Gary Oldman) takes us through his shattered life after encountering the most deadly (and deceptive) criminal he has ever had to deal with. It doesn't help that Grimladi is playing both sides against the middle. When he encounters Demarkov (Lena Olin) he thinks he can play her as he has all the other women in his life...including his wife. But Demarkov knows Jack better than he knows himself. She plays him mercilessly, all the while threatening to kill him when she tires of the game.

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Plot Keywords:

sexy woman | bare butt | female rear nudity | blonde | female killer | 

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Taglines:

The story of a cop who wanted it bad and got it worse.

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence, language and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 February 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Romeo krvari

Filming Locations:

52-32 62nd Street, Maspeth, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$3,275,585

Company Credits

Production Co:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films, Hilary Henkin

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Gary Oldman stated in a 2012 interview that he headed immediately to the set of True Romance (1993) the day after wrapping on this film. The final scene was actually shot last, and he states that in the scene, he already has the "swagger" of his True Romance (1993) pimp character Drexl Spivey, prompting his then-girlfriend to suggest he do another take.

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Goofs

When Jack and Natalie enter their kitchen near the beginning of the film, there is a large cloud of cigarette smoke in the air; in the next shot, the smoke is gone and Natalie is just lighting a cigarette.

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Quotes

Sheri: You know what the best part about making it with a cop is?
Jack Grimaldi: No.
Sheri: You got two guns. One for me and one for them.

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Alternate Versions

The Australian Region 4 disc, released by Magna Pacific/Becker Entertainment, is the censored TV version. All swearing has been removed as well as close-up shots of bullet hits and nudity.

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Connections

Referenced in Apokommata (2010)

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Soundtracks

CHA CHA MOMMA
Written by Phil Marshall
Courtesy of Slash Back Music

User Reviews

sometimes, she stays a little longer

Revisiting Romeo is Bleeding after a number of years, I was struck by what still works, what doesn't, and how wonderful endings allow us to overlook any number of faults that lead up to them.

Gary Oldman is Jack, a corrupt DS well-loved by his men looking to build an ill-gotten nest egg towards early retirement. And on one level it is all going so well, except enough is never enough, and he just can't leave the ladies alone.

Enter Mona (Lena Olin), a femme fatale who manages to inhabit both the femme and the fatale completely. The cop in Jack knows to cuff her, lock her up, and throw away the key, but the Jack in Jack has another agenda.

Romeo is Bleeding is every frame a modern noir thriller, made great by Hilary Henkin's script exhibiting detailed reverence for the genre, and some unparalleled performances by the actors. Oldman is breath-taking, cynical and world-weary delivering his Marlowe-style quips, raw and vulnerable reaching crescendo when he puts a gun barrel in his mouth. It would be too much to ask his co-stars to outshine him, but they certainly keep up. Olin produces a nightmarish laugh at the most inappropriate times, and Juliette Lewis's cocktail waitress (what else?) Sheri's innocence is perfectly ignorant, far too ignorant to survive in this brutal arena. Annabella Sciorra as Natalie completes the trio of Jack's women, his not-so-unaware wife. She is not as cold-hearted towards Jack as Mona, not as infatuated as Sheri, but her flawed love contains a bit of both. She points a gun at him, and we know she knows. Sitting on the porch they have one of those oblique conversations only old married couples know, where every utterance is sub-text, and restraint and feigned ignorance are the name of the game. Jack never quite gets to grips with her, and that is to be his ultimate tragedy.

There are hints of Chandler here (the letter to Jack from The Boys), and Chinatown, too, most noticeably in the bloodied, deformed demeanor of the protagonist in the final third, but Romeo is Bleeding is a stylish noir piece that acknowledges its antecedents without racking up debts.

And then there is the ending, of such heartbreaking, poignant beauty, Oldman and Sciorra pitch-perfect, deftly shot and edited, a wave you ride and crash on shore with. Startling, stunning, and yet how could this tale have ended otherwise? "Sometimes, she stays a little longer. And then she's gone." Not a perfect film, but a perfect ending, and I'll take that every time.