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Homicide

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In David Mamet’s cinema, nothing is as it seems—so you better know what you’re looking for. Unfortunately, the protagonist of Mamet’s nightmarish urban odyssey Homicide, inner-city police detective Bobby Gold (Joe Mantegna), is as bewildered about who he is as who (or what) he’s after. Gold’s investigation, following the murder of an elderly Jewish candy-shop owner, leads him down a path of obscure encounters and clues, as well as profound reckoning with his own self and identity. Filled with Mamet’s trademark verbal play and featuring standout supporting performances from William H. Macy, Ving Rhames, and Rebecca Pidgeon, Homicide is a taut, rich work from a true American original.

DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION

- New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by editor Barbara Tulliver
- Audio commentary featuring writer-director David Mamet and actor William H. Macy
- New video program featuring interviews with recurring Mamet actors Steven Goldstein, Ricky Jay, J. J. Johnston, Joe Mantegna, and Jack Wallace
- Gag reel and TV spots
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by critic Stuart Klawans

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Oh thank you God... I just can't bring myself to watch the 4:3 monstrosity I own, and I've been praying for this one for years now.

Is this the first Criterion film with a gag reel?

My Man Godfrey has a gag reel. It's unadvertised but believe it or not it's there.

Nothing can express the joy I'm feeling. I know the forum's feelings on Mamet can be mixed, but I love this movie to no end.

My favorite Mamet and a great action/drama in it's own right. I can throw away my laserdisc finally!

Antoine Doinel wrote:Is this the first Criterion film with a gag reel?

I'm pretty sure Armageddon includes "Michael Bay's gag reel".

I've been waiting to see this film ever since I read Ebert's review years ago. Can't wait. It's my last remaining Mamet.

And that commentary sounds delicious. I hope it's as informative and bitter as the House of Games commentary was. Very much looking forward to Macy's thoughts.

CSM126 wrote:

Antoine Doinel wrote:Is this the first Criterion film with a gag reel?

I'm pretty sure Armageddon includes "Michael Bay's gag reel".

Yes, Steve Buscemi riffing about Jacqueline Bisset's prominent nipples in The Deep ("smuggling raisins in that wet T-shirt" I think was the line!) as his final cherished memory was a highlight of that extra feature!

EDIT: Ah, my mistake - the above was from the deleted scenes which show that Buscemi's mugging and stealing the show was cut down from the final version ("Call me crazy, but didn't I just hear the Russian volunteer?")

CSM126 wrote:

Antoine Doinel wrote:Is this the first Criterion film with a gag reel?

I'm pretty sure Armageddon includes "Michael Bay's gag reel".

Isn't Armageddon a stand-alone gag reel?

Sadly Bay's film even pales in comparison to its own gag reel!

This is killer. While I have mixed feelings on Mamet there are few better writers out there today and he has a good eye for cinematography. I might blind buy this one.

How does this compare to House of Games and The Spanish Prisoner? I loved tSP and only partly enjoyed HoG but hated both their endings and it's left me with mixed feelings toward Mamet, I feel like he doesn't know how to wrap up a film.

Rebecca Pidgeon in a David Mamet film??? Now I've seen everything!

Murdoch wrote:How does this compare to House of Games and The Spanish Prisoner?

I found Homicide to be a forgettable Mametian romp where....well, I forget what happens if that tells you anything (and I only saw the film 6-7 years ago...even more recently than when I saw Spanish Prisoner which I somewhat enjoyed at the time and still recall in limited detail). The gotcha ending of House of Games didn't sit well with me either...and although I can't remember it, I'm sure Homicide has something similar. Mamet seems to want us to know he's a writer during every moment...if the Mamet speak dialogue doesn't clue you in, maybe the twists-that-force-you-to-rethink-everything will prove it.

I'm obviously no Mamet fan so I'll be sitting out this release. But, for those who enjoy the film, I'm happy you can toss the old VHS and/or laserdisc.

Murdoch wrote:How does this compare to House of Games and The Spanish Prisoner? I loved tSP and only partly enjoyed HoG but hated both their endings and it's left me with mixed feelings toward Mamet, I feel like he doesn't know how to wrap up a film.

I also have slightly mixed feelings about House of Games. I think the problem with that film has to do with the protagonist, who remains impenetrable to the viewer throughout, and I'm guessing this is why the ending doesn't work for you (personally I really like it, I find it very unsettling). Homicide, in a way, is more like The Spanish Prisoner, in that it has a confused, manipulated central character you can easily identify with. In my book, though, it's a far better film, playing around with the police procedural drama in a very interesting way, and although there is a sort of trick ending, it has more to do with character development than mere showing-off on Mamet's part. The film is already pretty devastating by that point; the coda just puts the icing on the cake. Mantegna carries the film wonderfully - if anyone can make such self-conscious dialogue sound real, he can.

An essay/featurette comparing Homicide to Mamet´s "Bobby Gold"-plays would have been interesting, and I´m surprised it´s not part of the package.

life_boy wrote: Mamet seems to want us to know he's a writer during every moment...

A friend of mine claims he can hear Mamet chuckling over his own cleverness with every line of dialogue.

Anyone as clever as Mamet can chuckle in the background all he wants

If we were talking about films like Heist or State and Main, I'd agree about the chuckling, though I still find it quite amusing (my favourite: 'Everyone needs money - that's why they call it money'). In Homicide, more than in any other Mamet film I've seen, the dialogue is self-conscious but not amusing, and I certainly don't hear a self-satisfied chuckle behind it. In this case the stylised writing is intended more to create a Pinter-ish sense of anxiety and alienation. Mamet is still pulling the rug out from under us, but this time around it hurts - rather than just being funny/annoying.

domino harvey wrote:Anyone as clever as Mamet can chuckle in the background all he wants

So that's what the gag reel is going to be....

In any case, the man often talks as if he had written his own dialog.

Sloper wrote:

Murdoch wrote:How does this compare to House of Games and The Spanish Prisoner? I loved tSP and only partly enjoyed HoG but hated both their endings and it's left me with mixed feelings toward Mamet, I feel like he doesn't know how to wrap up a film.

I also have slightly mixed feelings about House of Games. I think the problem with that film has to do with the protagonist, who remains impenetrable to the viewer throughout, and I'm guessing this is why the ending doesn't work for you (personally I really like it, I find it very unsettling). Homicide, in a way, is more like The Spanish Prisoner, in that it has a confused, manipulated central character you can easily identify with. In my book, though, it's a far better film, playing around with the police procedural drama in a very interesting way, and although there is a sort of trick ending, it has more to do with character development than mere showing-off on Mamet's part. The film is already pretty devastating by that point; the coda just puts the icing on the cake. Mantegna carries the film wonderfully - if anyone can make such self-conscious dialogue sound real, he can.

I agree with your assessment of House of Games and I think it's ending played well within the context of the Crouse-Mantegna relationship, whereas the ending of Spanish Prisoner felt very campy and silly - the Asian FBI agent with the southern hillbilly accent - which didn't mesh well with the overall film.

Based on how you describe it I will probably enjoy Homicide, but I'm approaching it cautiously.

RobertAltman wrote:An essay/featurette comparing Homicide to Mamet´s "Bobby Gold"-plays would have been interesting, and I´m surprised it´s not part of the package.

Are you thinking of Bobby Gould, perhaps? The character from the plays Speed-The-Plow and Bobby Gould in Hell is a production chief at a movie studio, a not a police detective. Unless you're referring to something else?

I am so happy to see Homicide is on the way! So many favorite scenes in this, picking just one --

Spoiler

When Joe Mantegna is on the phone ranting to his partner about being forced to take on the old Jewish lady case, then turns around to find Rebecca Pidgeon has been sitting there behind him the whole time listening -- and then her retort! Devastating!

Whammy! As only Mamet can write them. I hope this leads more Mamet down the road, like The Spanish Prisoner, or maybe a two disc The Winslow Boy, pairing it with the Anthony Asquith original. Slightly off topic, have just received a copy of a new book about The Spanish Prisoner that's pretty interesting so far.

Ebert's original review, for those interested.

So thrilled. I've been waiting for this since way back. Was hoping they might bundle with "A Life in the Theater" or "The Water Engine," as those are two I've never yet been able to track down. I watched this religiously for years until I just couldn't take the tape fuzz anymore.. Yay for Roger Deakins in 1.85!