Mad Dog and Glory is a
1993 filmThe year 1993 in film involved many significant films. -Events:...
written by
Richard PriceRichard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter.-Life:A self-described "middle class Jewish kid," Price grew up in a housing project in the northeast Bronx...
and directed by
John McNaughtonJohn McNaughton is an American film and television director, originally from Chicago, Illinois.His first feature film, made in 1986, was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film McNaughton directed, co-wrote, and co-produced. "Numerous complications plagued the controversial film", delaying its...
. It stars
Robert De NiroRobert Mario De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director, and producer.De Niro is well-known for his method acting and portrayals of conflicted, troubled characters and for his enduring collaboration with director Martin Scorsese...
as a Chicago
crime scene investigatorForensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
(ironically nicknamed "Mad Dog" by his colleagues because of his timidity),
Uma ThurmanUma Karuna Thurman is an American actress. She has performed predominantly in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action thrillers. She is best known for her work under the direction of Quentin Tarantino...
as bartender "Glory" (in debt to her boss), and
Bill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live, and went on to star in films including Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.-Early years:Murray, the fifth...
as Glory's boss, who identifies himself as both an aspiring stand-up comedian and a member of the
MafiaThe Mafia is a Sicilian criminal society which is believed to have emerged in late 19th century Sicily, and the first such society to be referred to as a mafia . It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct...
.
David CarusoDavid Stephen Caruso is an American film and television actor and producer. He is currently known to audiences for his role of Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the TV series CSI: Miami.-Early life:...
has a supporting role as Mad Dog's partner.
Mad Dog and Glory is a
1993 filmThe year 1993 in film involved many significant films. -Events:...
written by
Richard PriceRichard Price is an American novelist and screenwriter.-Life:A self-described "middle class Jewish kid," Price grew up in a housing project in the northeast Bronx...
and directed by
John McNaughtonJohn McNaughton is an American film and television director, originally from Chicago, Illinois.His first feature film, made in 1986, was Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, a film McNaughton directed, co-wrote, and co-produced. "Numerous complications plagued the controversial film", delaying its...
. It stars
Robert De NiroRobert Mario De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director, and producer.De Niro is well-known for his method acting and portrayals of conflicted, troubled characters and for his enduring collaboration with director Martin Scorsese...
as a Chicago
crime scene investigatorForensic science is the application of a broad spectrum of sciences to answer questions of interest to a legal system. This may be in relation to a crime or a civil action...
(ironically nicknamed "Mad Dog" by his colleagues because of his timidity),
Uma ThurmanUma Karuna Thurman is an American actress. She has performed predominantly in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action thrillers. She is best known for her work under the direction of Quentin Tarantino...
as bartender "Glory" (in debt to her boss), and
Bill MurrayWilliam James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live, and went on to star in films including Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.-Early years:Murray, the fifth...
as Glory's boss, who identifies himself as both an aspiring stand-up comedian and a member of the
MafiaThe Mafia is a Sicilian criminal society which is believed to have emerged in late 19th century Sicily, and the first such society to be referred to as a mafia . It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct...
.
David CarusoDavid Stephen Caruso is an American film and television actor and producer. He is currently known to audiences for his role of Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the TV series CSI: Miami.-Early life:...
has a supporting role as Mad Dog's partner. The film was screened out of competition at the
1993 Cannes Film Festival- Jury :* Louis Malle * Claudia Cardinale * Inna Churikova * Judy Davis * Abbas Kiarostami * Emir Kusturica * William Lubtchansky * Tom Luddy * Gary Oldman * Augusto M...
.
Plot
De Niro's Mad Dog is a meek and lonely man who, at the opening of the film, has spent years on the beat without ever having to draw his gun. He decorates his apartment with
crime sceneA crime scene is a location where an illegal act took place, and comprises the area from which most of the physical evidence is retrieved by trained law enforcement personnel, crime scene investigators or in rare circumstances, forensic scientists....
photos he has taken on the job that have the careful craftsmanship of a man who really wanted to be a
fine art photographerFine art photography refers to photographs that are created to fulfill the creative vision of the artist. Fine art photography stands in contrast to photojournalism and commercial photography. Photojournalism provides visual support for stories, mainly in the print media...
but settled for a civil servant job because of the security and benefits it offered.
Early in the film, Mad Dog crosses paths with Frank Milo (Murray), a bystander at a hold-up in a convenience store who later turns out to be a mob boss. Mad Dog saves Milo's life, placing Milo in Mad Dog's debt, a debt that seems less motivated by Milo's code of honor than by the advice of Milo's therapist.
Soon Mad Dog is visiting Milo at his
comedy clubA comedy club is a venue, typically a nightclub, bar, or restaurant where people watch or listen to performances, including stand-up comedians, improvisational comedians, impersonators, magicians, ventriloquists and other comedy acts...
; Milo is also an aspiring
stand-up comedianStand-up comedy is a style of comedy where a comedian performs for a live audience, usually speaking directly to them. It is usually performed by a single comedian with the aid of a microphone, either hand-held or mounted on a stand...
.
Mad Dog meets Glory at the club and the rest of the film focuses on the two of them and the complications that arise from each of their relationships with Milo.
Mad Dog (Robert De Niro) gets to know Glory (Uma Thurman) even more. When she spills coffee on his hand when he goes to the club she's ordered by Milo to go to his place and stay with him for one week to take care of him and his hand. They fall in love with each other and Mad Dog feels she embraces his solitude as she is a fun person that has been introduced into his life.
Mad Dog decides he wants her to move in with her, which aggravates Milo. Milo says that Mad Dog has to pay 40 grand to give her her freedom. Mad Dog does his best to get the money but falls short 13 grand. He decides later on to have a fist fight with Milo in order for him to keep her. He gets beaten bad but never gives up because he loves her. Milo is touched by that and lets her go free without any money or strings attached.
Cast
- Robert De Niro
Robert Mario De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director, and producer.De Niro is well-known for his method acting and portrayals of conflicted, troubled characters and for his enduring collaboration with director Martin Scorsese...
- Wayne 'Mad Dog' Dobie
- Uma Thurman
Uma Karuna Thurman is an American actress. She has performed predominantly in leading roles in a variety of films, ranging from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action thrillers. She is best known for her work under the direction of Quentin Tarantino...
- Glory
- Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live, and went on to star in films including Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.-Early years:Murray, the fifth...
- Frank Milo
- David Caruso
David Stephen Caruso is an American film and television actor and producer. He is currently known to audiences for his role of Lieutenant Horatio Caine on the TV series CSI: Miami.-Early life:...
- Mike
- Mike Starr
Mike Starr is an American actor. Known for his large size, he has typically been typecast as playing thugs or henchmen.Starr was born in Flushing, Queens, New York to a retail employee mother and a meatpacker father. His older brother Beau Starr is also an actor. Mike Starr is a graduate of...
- Harold
- Tom Towles
Tom Towles is an American actor.Towles was born and raised in Chicago. He became an actor after a stint in the U.S. Marines, beginning with an uncredited performance in Dog Day Afternoon . He has appeared in film and television extensively since the 1980s...
- Andrew the Beater
- Kathy Baker
Katherine Whitton "Kathy" Baker is an American character actress.-Personal life:Baker was born in Midland, Texas, the daughter of French-born Helene Andree "Lany" and John Seawand Baker, who was a geologist and educator. She was raised a Quaker. She studied acting at the California Institute of...
- Lee
- Derek Annunciation - Shooter (as Derek Anunciation)
- Doug Hara - Driver
- Evan Lionel - Dealer in Car
- Anthony Cannata - Pavletz
- J. J. Johnston - Shanlon
- Guy Van Swearingen - Cop
- Jack Wallace
Jack Wallace was the 20th head college football coach for the Drake University Dragons located in Des Moines, Iowa and he held that position for twelve seasons, from 1965 until 1976. His overall coaching record at Drake was 60 wins, 65 losses, and 3 ties...
- Tommy the Bartender
- Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor, perhaps best known for his work as Sgt. John Munch on Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit...
- M.C. / Comic
Changes after test screenings
According to a profile of producer Steven A. Jones written by
Luke FordLuke Ford is a writer, blogger, and former pornography gossip columnist known for his salacious disclosures and traditionalist Jewish religious views.-Personal:Ford moved to California in 1977...
, the film was delayed by a year because of studio-required changes. Jones and director McNaughton were contractually required to deliver the film with absolutely no changes to the script written by Price. After doing so, Universal
test-screenedA test screening is a preview screening of a movie or television show before its general release in order to gauge audience reaction. Preview audiences are selected from a cross-section of the population, and are usually asked to complete a questionnaire or provide feedback in some form...
the film, then insisted on reshooting the film's final scene. As written, when Milo and Mad Dog fight, Milo dominates Mad Dog. Mad Dog's one connecting punch did no damage, but did serve to prompt Milo to realize that Glory wasn't worth fighting over.
It was reshot to respond to an audience
typecastingTypecasting is the process by which a film, TV, or stage actor is strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters with the same traits or ethnic grouping....
of De Niro, who they saw as the
Raging Bull he had played more than a decade earlier. Those who saw the test screenings couldn't accept the fact that De Niro's Mad Dog had done so poorly against Murray's Milo. Such a reaction was ironic because De Niro had actually been offered the Milo role, and had insisted on the Mad Dog role instead precisely because of its meekness.
Other reshoots for the film were done to make Glory seem less manipulative and Milo more of a puppetmaster behind Glory's actions.
Trivia
- Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, writer, and actor, perhaps best known for his work as Sgt. John Munch on Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit...
has a cameo roleA cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television. Short appearances by film directors, politicians, athletes, musicians, and other celebrities are common. These roles are generally small, and...
as the comedy club's master of ceremoniesA master of ceremonies, microphone controller or MC , sometimes called a compère or an MJ for "microphone jockey," is the host of an official public or private staged event or other performance. The MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving...
.
- Martin Scorsese
Martin Marcantonio Luciano Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. He is the founder of the World Cinema Foundation, a recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award for his contributions to the cinema and has won awards from the Oscars, Golden Globe,...
was inspired to bring in producer/director team Jones and McNaughton after seeing Henry: Portrait Of A Serial KillerHenry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a 1986 film directed by John McNaughton about the random crime spree of a serial killer who seemingly operates with impunity. It stars Michael Rooker as the nomadic killer Henry, Tom Towles as Otis, a prison buddy with whom Henry is living, and Tracy Arnold as...
.
- During filming, Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray is an American actor and comedian. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live, and went on to star in films including Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.-Early years:Murray, the fifth...
accidentally broke Robert De NiroRobert Mario De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director, and producer.De Niro is well-known for his method acting and portrayals of conflicted, troubled characters and for his enduring collaboration with director Martin Scorsese...
's nose.
External links
- Profile of producer Steven A. Jones, with details about the film, from the webblog of Luke Ford
Luke Ford is a writer, blogger, and former pornography gossip columnist known for his salacious disclosures and traditionalist Jewish religious views.-Personal:Ford moved to California in 1977...