Romeo Is Bleeding
Encyclopedia
Romeo Is Bleeding is a darkly comic 1993
crime
film
starring Gary Oldman
and Lena Olin
, directed by Peter Medak
. The film's title was taken from a song
by Tom Waits
.
Despite featuring established stars (Oldman had appeared in the starring role of Francis Ford Coppola
-directed blockbuster Dracula only a year prior), the film failed to make a significant impact at the box office, and it received a generally unenthusiastic reaction from critics.
in exchange for large fees, has a loving wife, Natalie, and an adoring mistress
, Sheri. He thinks he has it all, until both the cops and mob are outwitted by a sociopathic Russian mob assassin named Mona Demarkov.
The head of the Italian mob, Don Falcone, orders Jack to deal with Demarkov or face dire consequences. Jack is unable to kill her; she even seduces and makes a fool of him. Falcone, disappointed in Jack's ineptitude, orders one of Jack's toes cut off.
Seriously injured due to the amputation and realizing that he has endangered his wife and mistress, Jack instructs his wife to leave the city immediately, giving her money and instructions where to meet him out West when the time is right. Jack also ends his affair with his mistress and puts her on a train out of the city.
Jack tries to hunt Demarkov but soon realizes that he is putty in her hands. He is attracted to her sexually and no match for her professionally. Mona offers to pay Jack to help her eliminate Falcone and fake her own death. Although he obtains phony papers for her, she refuses to pay and attempts to strangle him. He shoots and seriously wounds her, then tries to drive away with her handcuffed in the back seat. Mona escapes by hooking her legs around his neck, causing him to crash the car. She slithers out through the shattered windshield without ever freeing her hands.
Mona lures Jack to an abandoned warehouse. He again attempts to kill her but is tricked into shooting Sheri instead. Mona fixes the corpse so as to suggest that it was she, and not Sheri, who died. (Her scheme involves severing her own arm and substituting it for Sheri's.) Mona then handcuffs Jack to the bed and has her way with him. Asking Jack, "with or without", he replies "without" and she mounts him after unbuckling her new prosthetic arm, her last concession to conventional appearances.
Demarkov then forces Jack to kill Don Falcone, burying him alive, even after having her arm replaced with a prosthetic. She proceeds to turn in Jack to the police, his former associates, copping a plea deal that will indict Jack for the multiple murders that she tricked him into committing.
The police arrange a confrontation between Jack and Demarkov at the courthouse, as he is heading in and she is heading out. She threatens to kill his wife. Thinking he has nothing to lose, and desperate to save the only thing good in his life, Jack grabs a gun from the ankle holster of a fellow officer and shoots her down. Jack turns the gun on himself, only to discover that the revolver
is empty.
Instead of being sent to prison for the murder, he is given a commendation. This frees him to begin a new life out West in a small, remote town. He waits at the appointed time and place, imagining Natalie's return to him, but her forgiveness is only in his mind.
. Of Rotten Tomatoes' top critics, none offered a positive review. Roger Ebert
called the film "an exercise in overwrought style and overwritten melodrama, and proof that a great cast cannot save a film from self-destruction," while Todd McCarthy opined: "This heavy dose of ultra-violent neo-noir gives Gary Oldman a face-first trip through the gutter that would make Mickey Rourke drool, but the far-fetched plotting eventually goes so far over the top that pic flirts with inventing a new genre of film noir camp." Janet Maslin
said of the film: "For all its promise, and for all the brittle beauty of Dariusz Wolski's cinematography, "Romeo Is Bleeding" eventually collapses under the weight of its violent affectations." Bon Jovi
recorded the song Always
for the film, but withheld the song after the band was given a preview screening and was not satisfied with it.
The film failed to make a significant impact at the box office, grossing only $3.6 million worldwide on a $10 million budget.
In 2011, Total Film
named Oldman's portrayal of Jack Grimaldi as one of the ten best of his career, writing, "Oldman's proficiency with accents comes to the fore as he perfectly narrates this film noir... this is up there as one of his best ever roles."
1993 in film
The year 1993 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster hits Jurassic Park, The Fugitive and The Firm. -Events:...
crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
starring Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
and Lena Olin
Lena Olin
Lena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress.-Early life:Olin was born the youngest of three children, in Stockholm, Sweden. She is the daughter of actress Britta Holmberg and the director Stig Olin...
, directed by Peter Medak
Peter Medak
Peter Medak is a Hungarian-born film director of British and American films.-Early life:He was born in Budapest, Hungary to a Jewish family, but in 1956 fled his native country for England due to the Hungarian Revolution...
. The film's title was taken from a song
Romeo Is Bleeding (song)
"Romeo Is Bleeding" is a song written and performed by Tom Waits, and released on his 1978 album, Blue Valentine.-Lyrics:Jay S. Jacobs, in his book Wild years: the music and myth of Tom Waits, describes "Romeo is Bleeding" as depicting "a guy who sticks a shiv into the local sheriff [and] is...
by Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
.
Despite featuring established stars (Oldman had appeared in the starring role of Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
-directed blockbuster Dracula only a year prior), the film failed to make a significant impact at the box office, and it received a generally unenthusiastic reaction from critics.
Plot
Jack Grimaldi, a corrupt cop who does favors for the MafiaMafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
in exchange for large fees, has a loving wife, Natalie, and an adoring mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
, Sheri. He thinks he has it all, until both the cops and mob are outwitted by a sociopathic Russian mob assassin named Mona Demarkov.
The head of the Italian mob, Don Falcone, orders Jack to deal with Demarkov or face dire consequences. Jack is unable to kill her; she even seduces and makes a fool of him. Falcone, disappointed in Jack's ineptitude, orders one of Jack's toes cut off.
Seriously injured due to the amputation and realizing that he has endangered his wife and mistress, Jack instructs his wife to leave the city immediately, giving her money and instructions where to meet him out West when the time is right. Jack also ends his affair with his mistress and puts her on a train out of the city.
Jack tries to hunt Demarkov but soon realizes that he is putty in her hands. He is attracted to her sexually and no match for her professionally. Mona offers to pay Jack to help her eliminate Falcone and fake her own death. Although he obtains phony papers for her, she refuses to pay and attempts to strangle him. He shoots and seriously wounds her, then tries to drive away with her handcuffed in the back seat. Mona escapes by hooking her legs around his neck, causing him to crash the car. She slithers out through the shattered windshield without ever freeing her hands.
Mona lures Jack to an abandoned warehouse. He again attempts to kill her but is tricked into shooting Sheri instead. Mona fixes the corpse so as to suggest that it was she, and not Sheri, who died. (Her scheme involves severing her own arm and substituting it for Sheri's.) Mona then handcuffs Jack to the bed and has her way with him. Asking Jack, "with or without", he replies "without" and she mounts him after unbuckling her new prosthetic arm, her last concession to conventional appearances.
Demarkov then forces Jack to kill Don Falcone, burying him alive, even after having her arm replaced with a prosthetic. She proceeds to turn in Jack to the police, his former associates, copping a plea deal that will indict Jack for the multiple murders that she tricked him into committing.
The police arrange a confrontation between Jack and Demarkov at the courthouse, as he is heading in and she is heading out. She threatens to kill his wife. Thinking he has nothing to lose, and desperate to save the only thing good in his life, Jack grabs a gun from the ankle holster of a fellow officer and shoots her down. Jack turns the gun on himself, only to discover that the revolver
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
is empty.
Instead of being sent to prison for the murder, he is given a commendation. This frees him to begin a new life out West in a small, remote town. He waits at the appointed time and place, imagining Natalie's return to him, but her forgiveness is only in his mind.
Reception
Despite the central performances by Oldman and Olin being generally well received, the film met with unenthusiastic reviews from most critics, garnering only a 24% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Of Rotten Tomatoes' top critics, none offered a positive review. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
called the film "an exercise in overwrought style and overwritten melodrama, and proof that a great cast cannot save a film from self-destruction," while Todd McCarthy opined: "This heavy dose of ultra-violent neo-noir gives Gary Oldman a face-first trip through the gutter that would make Mickey Rourke drool, but the far-fetched plotting eventually goes so far over the top that pic flirts with inventing a new genre of film noir camp." Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
said of the film: "For all its promise, and for all the brittle beauty of Dariusz Wolski's cinematography, "Romeo Is Bleeding" eventually collapses under the weight of its violent affectations." Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi
Bon Jovi is an American rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Formed in 1983, Bon Jovi consists of lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi , guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, as well as current bassist Hugh McDonald...
recorded the song Always
Always (Bon Jovi song)
"Always" is a power ballad by Bon Jovi. It was released as a single from their 1994 album, Cross Road and went on to become their best selling single, with 1.5 million copies sold in the U.S. and more than 3 million worldwide. The song reached #4 in the U.S...
for the film, but withheld the song after the band was given a preview screening and was not satisfied with it.
The film failed to make a significant impact at the box office, grossing only $3.6 million worldwide on a $10 million budget.
In 2011, Total Film
Total Film
Total Film is a British film magazine published 13 times a year by Future Publishing. The magazine was launched in 1997 and offers film, DVD and Blu-ray news, reviews and features...
named Oldman's portrayal of Jack Grimaldi as one of the ten best of his career, writing, "Oldman's proficiency with accents comes to the fore as he perfectly narrates this film noir... this is up there as one of his best ever roles."
Cast
- Gary OldmanGary OldmanGary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
as Jack Grimaldi - Lena OlinLena OlinLena Maria Jonna Olin is a Swedish actress.-Early life:Olin was born the youngest of three children, in Stockholm, Sweden. She is the daughter of actress Britta Holmberg and the director Stig Olin...
as Mona Demarkov - Annabella SciorraAnnabella SciorraAnnabella Sciorra is an American film, television, and stage actress. Sciorra received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead for the 1989 film True Love, and came to widespread attention in her co-lead role in Spike Lee's 1991 film Jungle Fever...
as Natalie Grimaldi - Juliette LewisJuliette LewisJuliette Lewis is an American actress and musician. She gained international fame for her role in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear for which she was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress...
as Sheri - Roy ScheiderRoy ScheiderRoy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his leading role as police chief Martin C...
as Don Falcone - Michael WincottMichael WincottMichael Anthony Claudio Wincott is a Canadian actor.Wincott was born in Toronto, Ontario and is renown for playing villainous roles-Filmography:*Title Shot - Robber*Wild Horse Hank - Charlie Connors...
as Sal - David ProvalDavid ProvalDavid Aaron Proval is an American actor, known for his roles as Tony DeVienazo in the Martin Scorsese film Mean Streets opposite Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel and as Richie Aprile on the HBO television series The Sopranos .-Biography:Proval was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Jewish heritage,...
as Scully - Will PattonWill PattonWilliam Rankin "Will" Patton is an American actor.-Life and career:Patton was born in Charleston, South Carolina, the eldest of three children. His father is Bill Patton, a playwright and acting/directing instructor who was a Lutheran minister and served as a chaplain at Duke University...
as Martie - Dennis FarinaDennis FarinaDennis Farina is an American actor of film and television and former Chicago police officer. He is a character actor, often typecast as a mobster or police officer. His most known film roles are those of mobster Jimmy Serrano in the comedy Midnight Run and Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty...
as Nick Gazzara (uncredited) - James CromwellJames CromwellJames Oliver Cromwell is an American film and television actor. Some of his more notable roles are in Babe , for which he earned Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, Star Trek: First Contact , L.A...
- Cage - Tony SiricoTony SiricoGenaro Anthony "Tony" Sirico, Jr. is an American character actor who is most famous for his role as Paulie Gualtieri in the television series The Sopranos.- Background and career :Sirico was born in Midwood, Brooklyn...
- Malacci - Ron PerlmanRon PerlmanRonald N. "Ron" Perlman is an American television, film and voice over actor. He is known for having played Vincent in the TV series Beauty and the Beast , a Deathstroke figure known as Slade in the animated series Teen Titans, Clarence "Clay" Morrow in Sons of Anarchy, the comic book character...
- Jack's Attorney - Stephen TobolowskyStephen TobolowskyStephen Harold Tobolowsky is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Ned Ryerson in Groundhog Day, as well as portraying Commissioner Hugo Jarry in Deadwood for nine episodes and Bob Bishop in Heroes for eleven episodes over the second and third seasons...
- District Attorney (uncredited)