4/5 A Methodical Character Study Masquerading As a Murder-Mystery
  by Joshua Miller (Coeur d'Alene,ID)
Here is David Mamet's third film as a director, a film I had never heard of until The Criterion Collection announced plans to release it recently. Here's a film that, even with it's title, presents itself as a murder-mystery. It's this false presentation that will leave many viewers when they realize it's a character study masquerading as a murder-mystery. Yes, because when it's over, you realize the film's main character is much more of a mystery than anything else going on.

Joe Mantegna plays Robert Gold, a hostage negotiator/detective working in the homicide squad. En route to investigate a big case, Gold happens on the scene of a homicide. An elderly Jewish woman has been murdered. Gold doesn't have much time for this case, despite being Jewish himself but, much to his dismay, he's taken off the big case and assigned to investigate the homicide of the elderly woman.

This synopsis does give the impression of a pretty straight-forward detective story, but what Mamet puts his focus on is instead the internal conflict of the character. Gold is Jewish and should have some strong feelings about the elderly woman's murder, but he's a policeman first and a Jew last. It's this inability to put his priorities in perspective that forms the core of this story. Make no mistake about it though...This internal conflict is not explored in subtle terms. Mamet is rather heavy-handed with it.

There are some great performances here though, especially by Mantegna. This performance makes me question how Mantegna never became a big marquee-name. His performance is masterful in the way he captures the inner turmoil of the Gold character. Not just any actor could pull off the role. William H. Macy is good too as Gold's partner Tim Sullivan.

Actor's need to bring their A-game when working with a Mamet script due to the nature of his dialogue. It's not Shakespearean but it's written almost like modern poetry and not any actor could deliver it convincingly. Mamet writes dialogue that can't simply be recited, but must be delivered and the actors he used in Homicide have adapted to this and managed to deliver the dialogue as if delivered from their own thoughts.

Kudos also to the cinematography by the famous Roger Deakins and the dark, haunting, ominous, and Oscar-worthy musical score by Alaric Jans. His score compliments every scene while adding a dramatic punch to it.

Even being the character study it is, Homicide is still a murder-mystery, but a methodical one, not a shoot 'em up, action-packed type. Not everyone will be entertained by it but it is a powerful movie, simply one that requires patience from the viewer.

GRADE: B+

5/5 Underrated Film Given Criterion Treatment!
  by Cubist (United States)
Homicide is a rather odd entry in the cop film genre as it features a Jewish police detective forced to come to terms with his own faith - albeit filtered through David Mamet's uncompromising view of the world. It is not an easy film to pin down which may explain why it's not as celebrated as other Mamet films like House of Games - Criterion Collection or The Spanish Prisoner but it deserves to be ranked right up there with his best efforts. For years, Homicide has largely been available on VHS and now, thanks to the nice folks at the Criterion Collection, it is finally available on DVD.

There is an audio commentary by writer/director David Mamet and actor William H. Macy. Mamet points out that many of the actors playing cops worked with him during his early days in Chicago theater. Macy says that this was his first major role in a film and talks about how his style of acting changed when he met Mamet. The filmmaker talks about the origins of the project and how it started as a book but after hanging out with his cousin - a New York City cop - it gradually turned into a screenplay. These guys banter back and forth like the old friends that they are on this highly enjoyable track.

"Invent Nothing, Deny Nothing" features five Mamet regulars talking about their experiences with the filmmaker and their work on Homicide. Joe Mantegna says that many Mamet protagonists pursue excellence and that this was his take on Bobby Gold. He also describes Mamet's dialogue as hyper-real. Steve Goldstein describes Mamet as a generous director and talks about the filmmaker's take on acting. Ricky Jay says that he feels most comfortable with Mamet's dialogue and tells a story about how he struggled with a scene in Homicide. J.J. Johnston and Jack Wallace point out that Mamet writes for specific actors and tailors to their personality. They also talk about how they met and first worked for Mamet.

"Gag Reel" is an amusing collection of blown lines and actors goofing around on set.

Finally, there are four T.V. spots.

4/5 A Moral Meditation
  by Amos Lassen (Little Rock, Arkansas)
"Homicide"

A Moral Meditation

Amos Lassen


David Mamet gives us a literate look at a police manhunt in "Homicide" (Criterion). Joe Mantegna is Bobby Gold, a homicide detective who has secret religious insecurities. What begins as a standard look at a police manhunt and its politics soon turns into a moral meditation on the nature of anti-Semitism. The F.B.I. saw a chance at arresting a junkie and cop-killer, Randolph (Ving Rhames); they pulled Gold off of the case. However the agents soon grew tired with shooting up the ghetto and still not apprehending Randolph and Gold is returned to the case. He is forced to endure terrible anti-Semitic remarks from a black politician but he knows he can get Randolph. His partner, Tim Sullivan, (the always excellent William H. Macy), is his backup and professionally as well as personally the two are friends.
Gold finds himself embroiled in another case when he walks into another murder in the ghetto. An elderly Jewish woman, a candy shop owner, has been killed and her rich and powerful relatives manage to get Gold assigned to the case. Gold is assigned to "baby sitting" the Klein family which intimidates him because the rich sense of Judaism of the family (something he has never experienced). People seem to be shooting at the family from the roof of the next building and this makes Gold determined to find the killer. There is a problem in that he has not dropped the Randolph case and his team there expects him to ignore the Klein case and put his efforts into catching Randolph at a pre-planned rendezvous. However when Gold begins to investigate the Klein murder, he finds clues that suggest that there is a wider anti-Semitic conspiracy tied to the old woman's murder. We learn that she has participated in gun smuggling during the struggle for Israel's independence and when Gold finds a cryptic note on the rooftop he begins to investigate by going to a Jewish studies library and he uncovers a neo-Nazi connection and he realizes that the Klein's family's claims of an anti-Jewish conspiracy may indeed have merit.
Gold them comes face to face with a group of armed militant Zionists who ask him to put his faith before his job and he investigates a storefront cover for a group of neo-Nazis and this causes him to forget the Randolph case just when he is needed to catch the man.
Mamet puts American Jews in a harsh light here as we see them as elitist liars and ruthless conspirators that take advantage of a good man; Gold. Gold is a non-practicing Jew and is confronted with a group of Jews who regard him as a traitor to his religion and heritage. Gold regards himself as nothing and begins to feel contempt for those Jews who are educated and cultured. Gold feels that information is being withheld and he forgets his instincts as a cop and decides to act illegally in the name of Jewish partisanship and it is here that everything falls apart for him.
Mamet's unflattering portrayal of Jews is not pleasant--here the Jews se themselves as being morally enlightened and they act with hostility and deception. Their enemies are those in the non-Jewish world and this includes fake Jews like Bob Gold. As Gold falls from grace, we watch him take risks.
Joe Mantegna as Gold is excellent but it is William H. Macy who has the good lines. All of the acting is excellent and this is one thought provoking film.


5/5 Very good
  by royal nonesuch (usa)
On time and as discribed.

Great movie! But a very dark subject.

1/5 Great movie, but bad DVD
  by Z. Medina (fay, nc,Iraq)
If only this movie came on a normal Region coding i could watch it on my DVD player and not my laptop. This is one of Mamets great films only second to "Sparten." A must watch if you can find on normal DVD, but like the orginal "Blade Runner," you may never get it on DVD. later!