22: Mad Dog And Glory [1993]
Director John McNaughton
Screenplay Richard Price
Studio Universal Pictures
Genre Police/mob drama
Released 1993
Running Time 96 minutes
Starring Robert De Niro, Uma Thurman
Co-Starring Bill Murray, David Caruso
Synopsis
Wayne Dobie [De Niro] is a crime scene photographer, affectionately – and ironically – nicknamed “Mad Dog” by his partner Mike [Caruso] because of his timid nature. After he walks in on a hold-up in a convenience store, he manages to overcome his fears and successfully saves the hostages, including mob boss Frank Milo [Murray]. Milo invites Wayne to his club, where he falls for barmaid Glory [Thurman]. Milo offers Wayne a gift in exchange for saving his life – one week with Glory as his personal assistant.
Reaction
When we first meet Wayne, he’s incredibly reserved and his only form of expression is mumbling along to blues in his flat. After the hold-up in the convenience store, which is the first time he’s had to draw his gun in the line of duty for fifteen years, he’s heavily shaken by the experience. Wayne struggles to work out what he’s feeling for Glory and what he’s “meant” to do – should he be saving her from her debt to Milo or should he avoid interfering in her life? Over their time together, they have a series of incredibly awkward and cold discussions about her previous “jobs” for Milo, including a period assigned to a man who raped her.
As their week together nears an end, Wayne decides that he wants to free Glory from her obligation to Milo – he offers to transfer her debt to him. She balks at the idea that he’s trying to buy her, so Wayne takes on Milo in a fight for her freedom in the film’s final scene. Surrounded by cops and mobsters, the pair battle in the street; after taking a beating from the mob boss, Wayne finally lands a couple of decent blows, knocking out one of Milo’s teeth. Impressed by Wayne’s determination – and finally living up to his Mad Dog nickname – Milo agrees to leave the pair alone.
As a David Caruso fan, it’s interesting to see him in an early film role, setting the tone for much of his career ahead – as a smart-talking, tough cop. Mike’s a much more physical cop than either NYPD Blue‘s John Kelly or CSI: Miami‘s Horatio Caine – he stands up to the abusive boyfriend of Wayne’s neighbour and is right there, egging-on Wayne in his fight with Milo at the end of the film.
Bill Murray’s Milo is used sparingly, only appearing when needed to move on the story, ostensibly to give more screen time to Wayne and Glory. The lack of fire between De Niro and Thurman means that this was a poor decision, and Murray is largely wasted in the role. His best moment is near the beginning when delivering a stand-up set at his own club, full of bad jokes about Italians, and that alone says everything about Murray’s role in this film.
My biggest difficulty with Mad Dog comes from the incredibly shallow drawing of Glory’s character. She was attracted to Wayne precisely because he wasn’t the strong, aggressive type she’d been with previously; being with her changed Wayne and gave him the strength he wanted, but as a result lost everything that attracted her to him originally – yet they still end the film together. There’s so much potential in this scenario which the film is simply too scared to address.
Mad Dog and Glory is a self-aware film which understands that there a sizeable number of potential cliches that await any romantic film, so it wisely tries to steer clear of them. However, in avoiding the pitfalls of making the wrong decisions, Mad Dog ends up making no decisions at all and leads to a totally unremarkable experience. With no real depth to any of the characters or their relationships, there’s a reason why this isn’t hugely well-regarded in either of Murray or De Niro’s bodies of work.
[Copyright 1993 Universal Pictures]
Box Office
USA: $11,081,586
105th-highest grossing film in the USA in 1993.
Awards/Reviews
No awards/nominations
Rotten Tomatoes: 76% fresh [25 reviews]
Find Out More
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Buy Online
BBFC Classification: 15
Amazon UK – £3.93 [DVD]
hmv.com – £8.99 [DVD]
Play.com – £3.99 [DVD]
iTunes – Not available
NEXT UP: Tootsie [1982]
