Review of Mad Dog and Glory (1993) by Mark B — 11 May 2004

DeNiro, Bill Murray, and a young Uma. What more could a film want to be a masterpiece? A great story and director in this case.

DeNiro is a cop nicknamed Mad Dog for his outrageous behavior. On the job one night, he saves comedy club owner Bill Murray's life in a hold up. Out of gratitude, he sends over Glory (Uma Thurman) to take care of him for a week and make his dreams come true. Will the previously lonely DeNiro be able to part with her when the time comes?

The film is in theory about the redemption of a hard-boiled cop by a soft tender beautiful girl. A crucial problem is that he doesn't act nuts or hard boiled at all for the first half of the film. He is a good neighbor, picking up newspapers. A good partner, cooling down hot-headed David Caruso's pugilistic instincts. He is also a cool negotiator in the situation where a gun is pointed at Murray's head. How this behavior essays a "Mad Dog" is beyond me.

Besides that, they do a good job of setting up the loneliness of his existence. The routine where he sees neighbors making out yet has nothing. The nights as days and vice versa. The dream of being a photographer stymied by duty. And so on.

Uma's Glory represents a sort of redemption from life alone. And because Uma is, well, Uma, nothing more need be done besides having her gazelle-framed beauty enter the picture. Beyond that, Uma is tender and understanding of Mad Dog. At the same time, she is realistic in her outlook, and knows that she is in debt to Bill Murray's character. A great performance to hold it all in balance by Uma.

Bill Murray does some of his best work here as a comedy club owner who gives off gratitude for those who have helped him and live honorably. He does everything in his power to help out DeNiro's character. Yet, because of his power and shady connections, it is assumed that he is a mobster or other criminal.

At the end, I came off not really liking DeNiro's character. He seemed to have been ungrateful and petulant in his actions. Murray was far more understandable in his motives and justified in what he did. The plot goes through some silly hoops to force the eventual union of Mad Dog and Glory, and loses steam on the way.

Yet, around this skeletal story are built terrific performances and a few sterling little scenes. Fans of any of the three leads should definitely rent it. Otherwise, there are much better picks to reach for first on the shelves.