Homicide (Mamet, 1991)

[kaytee]

The only reason I gave this movie a watch was because David Mamet was behind it and he does not disappoint.

Like all his films the writing is the most exciting part of his movies and this blends a nice mix of police work with ethnic and spiritual tensions within the Jews. A Jewish homicide detective played by Mamet regular Joe Mantegna who gets tangled in a racially charged case along with a Homicide of an old Jewish lady. While trying to solve his case he realizes that Jews must stand together and help each other out only to get fucked in the butt coz all they care about is themselves and lesson learnt.

William H. Macy, Rebecca Pidgeon show face as always too.

This one is for you if you like Mamet's writing with unconvincing acting.

[madali]

Homicide (David Mamet, 1991)

"Bob, I'm gonna tell you what the old whore said, and this is the truest thing I know: "When you start cumming with the customers, it's time to quit.""

At first, it seems like an above average cop film. The directing is good, the office politics as tempered as all other cop films, William H. Macy is there, and the police officer, Bobby Gold, is involved in two murder cases.

But then it gets even better. Bobby's new case is about an old Jew woman murdered at her shop in a prominently black neighborhood. To Bobby, initially it seems like an open and closed case, or simple robbery, but the victims family tells him something else is up, and the trail seems to lead to a big conspiracy. Bobby himself is a Jew and the case seems to bring him face to face with himself. The victims accuse him of not being a real Jew and of being a person with no identity, and slow, Bobby seems to understand what they say.

And the brilliance of the film is that it not only leads Bobby on the wrong path but so do we. The Jewish members constantly seem to belittle his identity of not caring enough about being a Jew and it makes Bobby feel guilty, but should he? Bobby is a cop, and his identity is a cop, what matters if he is a Jew or not? To care for a root so strongly is sometimes commended and recommended, but caring for something deeply, means you have to defend it strongly, and defense and offense is sometimes not as separate as it may seem. Is it not better if Bobby HAS no roots? Isn't his roots to his job, enough?

The job will not give you all the answers, but it will give you some to think about.

4/5