Review of Romeo Is Bleeding (1993) by Tony P — 09 Apr 2008

This is a decent contribution to film noir, but eventually gets so heavy in misery that it becomes hard to take seriously. Gary Oldman is magnetic, and more than able to keep up with the dismal tone, but everything else seemed rather artificial.

Lena Olin's performance is shallow. I'm all for the femme fatale sort of character, but without any vulnerability or concern she's just a force of nature, which is an unfair opposition for a broken man.

There never seemed to be anything at stake for her. I loved the relationship between Oldman's character and his wife. I loved seeing them dance in their backyard. The script is powerful; I loved the idea of "the hole" that became his life.

The ending, although unnecessarily deceptive, was pretty effective. Lots of intense lighting and raw sexuality.