Mad Dog and Glory
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| Mad Dog and Glory | |
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 |
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| Directed by | John McNaughton |
| Produced by | Steven A. Jones Barbara De Fina Martin Scorsese |
| Written by | Richard Price |
| Starring | Robert De Niro Uma Thurman Bill Murray Kathy Baker David Caruso |
| Music by | Elmer Bernstein |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | March 5, 1993 (USA) |
| Running time | 97 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $19 million |
| IMDb profile | |
Mad Dog and Glory is a 1993 film written by Richard Price and directed by John McNaughton. It stars Robert De Niro as a Chicago crime scene investigator (ironically nicknamed "Mad Dog" by his colleagues because of his timidity, to his chagrin), Uma Thurman as bartender "Glory" (in debt to her boss), and Bill Murray as Glory's boss, who identifies himself as both an "expediter of dreams" and a member of Cosa Nostra. David Caruso has a supporting role as Mad Dog's partner.
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 scene photos he has taken on the job, photos taken with the careful craftsmanship of a man who really wanted to be a fine art photographer 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 (played by Murray), a bystander at a hold-up in a convenience store who later turns out to be a mob boss. Mad Dog talks the robber, who has killed the store's owner, out of killing either Milo or Mad Dog. This places Milo in Mad Dog's debt, a debt that seems less motivated by Milo's code of honor than by the Jennifer Melfi-like advice of Milo's therapist.
Soon Mad Dog is visiting Milo at his comedy club; Milo is also an aspiring stand-up comedian.
Mad Dog meets Glory at the club; the rest of the film focuses on the two of them, and the complications that arise from each of their relationships with Milo.
[edit] Changes after test screenings
According to a profile of producer Steven A. Jones written by Luke Ford, 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-screened 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 typecasting 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 comedian 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, a meekness the script went to pains to develop through the plot.
Other reshoots for the film were done to make Glory seem less manipulative and Milo more of a puppetmaster behind Glory's actions.
[edit] Trivia
- Richard Belzer has a cameo role as the comedy club's master of ceremonies.
- Martin Scorsese was inspired to bring in producer/director team Jones and McNaughton after seeing Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer.
- Uma Thurman was seen naked in one scene.
[edit] External link and reference
- Profile of producer Steven A. Jones, with details about the film, from the webblog of Luke Ford
