Romeo Is Bleeding (1993)

Director:

Peter Medak

Writer (WGA):

Hilary Henkin (written by)

Release Date:

4 February 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

A corrupt police sergeant who supplies tips on the locations of safeguarded witnesses to the Mob bites...

Plot Keywords:

Russian | Police | Mafia | Mistress | Assassin

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

100 min | Spain:104 min | Japan:110 min | Argentina:106 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:16 | South Korea:18 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 (video rating) | Australia:MA | Canada:R (video rating) | Germany:18 | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Portugal:M/18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Trivia:

Ellen Barkin bowed out of this project because she was pregnant.

Goofs:

Plot holes: When Jack shoots Lena in the large floor area, after discarding the weapon, the camera pans out and we see two cops atop the stairs just standing as if nothing took place.

Quotes:

Jack Grimaldi: I try to stop thinking. Try to get my head straight. If I could just get my head straight... then everything would be all right.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Free Enterprise (1998)

Soundtrack:

BIRD ALONE

Outrageously Entertaining!

Probably everyone has one favorite movie that they consider "their own" because few, if any, of their friends share their admiration for it. Mine is this one. I just love this film.

It is only one out of over 5,000 movies have either rented or purchased that I watched back-to-back nights after seeing it for the first time. A dozen viewings later, It's still just as good, if not better. It is, start-to-finish, the most entertaining crime movie I have ever watched.

Being of fan of film noir, those wonderfully-narrated crime films of the '40s and '50s, Romeo Is Bleeding is right up my alley. I may be wrong but believe this whole film is simply a parody of the film noirs: an outrageous take on those movies with an over-the-top villain (Lena Olin, the most fascinating female I have ever come across on film), along with over-the-top characters, action scenes, dialog and narration. It's a wild, fun - albeit sick - ride, not to be taken seriously (which a lot of people did and then thought it was too goofy). Evidence of this film-noir spoof is in the dialog, with a number of fantastic dark-humor lines, many delivered by Olin. One has to see this a number of times to catch all the humor in here. Kudos to screenplay writer Hilary Henkin for her work.

Oldman is superb and its the glue that holds this unique story in tact. His narration, including the exaggerated inflection in his voice, is fantastic. I appreciate the American accent this British actor used, too. Olin, as Russian hit- woman Mona Demarkoff, she is one character I guarantee you will not ever forget. Roy Scheider, Annabella Sciorra, Juliette Lewis, Michael Wincott and others - cameos by Dennis Farina and Ron Perlman - all deliver great performances with lines that, well,....as I said, are outrageous.

If you love the old film noirs, please check this movie out and remember it's tongue-and-cheek.