Homicide details
| Format: | 15 DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | William H. Macy, Ving Rhames, Joe Mantegna |
| Director: | David Mamet |
| Genre: | Drama - Comedy |
| Studio: | ELEVATION |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Homicide |
15 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 37 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 16 Aug 2010 |
| Main languages: | English |
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Most helpful review
A missed opportunity
By Philip Concannon from London , 15 May 2004[Highly rated reviewer]
David Mamet's 'Homicide' once again shows his ability as a writer but also exposes his deficiencies as a director.
Bobby Gold(Joe Mantegna) is a Jewish cop who reluctantly investigates the shooting of an elderly woman when he really wants to be hunting a cop killer like his partner(William H. Macy). Against his will Gold gets emotionally involved on the case and in the process starts to question his own beliefs.
The film's strength lies in Mamet's excellent dialogue and his sharp portrayal of police racism in the early scenes. But the film never takes flight thanks to the flat direction and unfocused plot. Gold's investigation uncovers an anti-semitic conspiracy but the climax is weak and flashes by in a few short scenes.
If Mamet had opened up the story and given it a little room to breathe we may be talking about a classic cop thriller. Instead it's stage origins are too evident and it's like watching half a great film.- Was this review helpful to you?
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(12)Oddly Constructed
By Cato (705 reviews) from Lydbury North , 11 Dec 2012Curious. Here we have an American cop film, with all the usual attributes, guns, cars, seedy looking cop, but apart from the f word which appears in every sentence, the actual dialogue is very theatrical, almost as if the film's being performed as a play. This must be David Mamet's deliberate style as a director and screen writer, which was evident in his first film 'House of Games', also starring Joe Mantegna. Personally I find it rather affected and irritating, but others might not.- Was this review helpful to you?
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An under-rated classic
By mrreasonable (46 reviews) from na , 16 Apr 2012I looked Homicide up on the IMDB after watching and wasn't surprised to find it's by David Mamet - it has an intelligence and thoughtfullness missing from most cop-based films.
It seems that often people think that 'different' (ie not the standard Hollywood fare) films fall for the most part into the category of David Lynch-style surreality or possibly Cronenberg-style arthouse horror. Homicide is a great example of a film being superficially familiar but with subtle, complex layers, thereby demanding proper thought and analysis rather than simply pigeon-holing it as a 'cop movie' or whatever.
Sure, a better director could have emphasised certain plot points more, but if your idea of films is that they should always entertain or explain then you're missing the point and should watch something like Men In Black instead.- Was this review helpful to you?
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If you like cop shows this will do
By Dungbeetle (503 reviews) from London , 25 Jan 2011Takes itself seriously but is nevertheless watchable thanks to good performances from the main stars. Highlights anti semitism and inter department issues within the US police force.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Awful!
By a customer from Beddington , 12 Oct 2010There is nothing redeeming about this movie. The acting was contrived and just bad beyond compare despite the talent (Mantegna and Macy).Could have been a watchable movie if it wasn't so slow.Couldn't watch past 30 minutes, then turned off the DVD player.- Was this review helpful to you?
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My mistake not the film's
By a customer from Yorkshire , 07 Sep 2010This was just not my cup of tea- nothing particularly bad about it.- Was this review helpful to you?
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