Directed by David Mamet • 1991 • United States
Starring Joe Mantegna, William H. Macy, Ving Rhames
In David Mamet’s cinema, nothing is as it seems—so you better know what you’re looking for. Unfortunately, the protagonist of Mamet’s nightmarish urban odyssey HOMICIDE, inner-city police detective Bobby Gold (Joe Mantegna), is as bewildered about who he is as who (or what) he’s after. Gold’s investigation, following the murder of an elderly Jewish candy-shop owner, leads him down a path of obscure encounters and clues, to a profound reckoning with his own identity. Filled with Mamet’s trademark verbal play and featuring standout supporting performances from William H. Macy, Ving Rhames, and Rebecca Pidgeon, HOMICIDE is a taut, rich work from a true American original.
Up Next in Noir
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The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
Directed by John Cassavetes • 1976 • United States
Starring Ben Gazzara, Timothy Agoglia Carey, Seymour CasselJohn Cassavetes engages with film noir in his own inimitable style with THE KILLING OF A CHINESE BOOKIE. Ben Gazzara brilliantly portrays a gentleman’s club owner, Cosmo Vitelli, desper...
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The Hit
Directed by Stephen Frears • 1984 • United Kingdom
Starring Terence Stamp, John Hurt, Tim RothTerence Stamp is Willie, a gangster’s henchman turned “supergrass” (informer) trying to live in peaceful hiding in a remote Spanish village. Sun-dappled bliss turns to nerve-racking suspense, however, ...
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A Colt Is My Passport
Directed by Takashi Nomura • 1967 • Japan
Starring Joe Shishido, Chitose KobayashiOne of Japanese cinema’s supreme emulations of American noir, Takashi Nomura’s A COLT IS MY PASSPORT is a down-and-dirty but gorgeously photographed yakuza film starring Joe Shishido as a hard-boiled hit man caugh...
