Mad Dog and Glory (1993)

Mad Dog and glory is a very interesting film in regards to the actors who take on the lead roles. De Niro leads as a calm, quiet, forensics photographer who accidentally saves the life of mob Boss Bill Murray. This is interesting as Murray is taking on the role of the Mobster, a role that De Niro has helped define over the last 35 years. Also, this film is a comedy to a certain extent so De Niro is taking on a film that Murray would be suited to and expected to appear in.The plot basically consists of Frank Milo (Bill Murray) wanting to thank Mad Dog (De Niro) for saving his life by 'giving' him Glory (Uma Thurman) to be his maid for a week.There are some great comedic moments in the film but they do mainly belong to Murray who steals the show and walks away with the movie. The cast is peculiar in itself not only for the role reversals of De Niro and Murray but because of the casting of David Caruso as De Niro's cop partner who physically can't handle sharing the screen with such a great.The storyline starts off quite well but does tend to get a little silly at times and there are several sex scenes that were not really necessary and could have just been implied (it was as if the crew needed to fill up time in the movie).Overall, definitely watchable and enjoyable for Bil Murray's role, which one wished it would have been larger as he gets not nearly enough screen time. 6/10.

John McNaughton, the director of "Mad Dog and Glory", has been associated with other, more violent, pictures. In this film he shows a restraint no one would have predicted.The story centers around Wayne, a shy detective in the Chicago Police, who is instrumental for saving the life of a mafioso, Frank Milo. To show his gratitude, Frank sends one of his body guards to invite Wayne to the stand club he owns. A comic mafioso? Well, Frank's humor is not for everyone, including Wayne, who seems ill at ease. It's obvious Wayne doesn't want to be thanked for his good deed.To make matters worse, the following day he receives a visit from the young woman who almost burned him at the club with hot coffee. Glory, it turns out, owes Frank Milo big time. She is paying for her brother's debt and Frank makes her go do nice to Wayne. At the start, it's clear Wayne is a man that has been out of practice, not being with a woman in quite some time. Glory, a beautiful woman, makes Wayne get back on track as he begins falling in love.Frank Milo has other thing in mind. His generosity has limits, and he comes to collect Glory. He realizes how much Wayne has fallen for the young woman so he names a figure for taking possession of Glory, but Wayne doesn't have the money. They end up in a fight, but peace is restored with a forgiving Frank.Robert DeNiro makes a strange appearance underplaying Wayne's role. He looks different, not as tall as he normally looks. Bill Murray who plays Frank Milo, gives another of his effortless performances. Uma Thurman is Glory, the beautiful woman that catches Wayne's heart. Others in the cast include, among others, David Caruso and Kathy Baker."Mad Dog and Glory" is a different kind of gangster movie directed with sure hand by John McNaughton.

If you don't like movies that are adequately summarized in a 20 second spot, if you do like to see actors work against stereotypical expectations and do it well, if you don't believe people or endings are all good or all bad and you're OK with that, this might be a movie you will want to add to your collection. DeNiro is doing the expected only in that he is practicing his patented shape shifting technique -- I found his characterization both believable and involving. Murray gives his first great serious performance -- who knew he could be menacing? Uma is hard to figure, in the way conflicted people often really are. David Caruso gives the most out-there performance I have seen from him, and in this movie it works. (I didn't know him in his first TV cop series, but this character is nothing like the one he plays in CSI Miami.) You might even find yourself rethinking what really happened, and liking that, too.

Okay, I haven't seen "Gigli," so this may not be the worst movie of all time, but it is the worst one I have seen. Now, you would think that any decent movie with Robert De Niro, Bill Murray, and Uma Thurman would be worth a watch, and it would....but this movie is not in any way decent or redeemable. My best friend and I watched this on video, and when it was over, just looked at each others, as if to say, "What the hell was the point?" The only other time we seen a movie together that elicited that kind of reaction was "Batman & Robin." Ironically, once again we had Uma Thurman in a dog of a movie. At least in "Batman & Robin we get to see Uma in a skimpy green outfit, which to me remains the only redeeming feature of this movie...which gives it one more redeeming feature than "Mad Dog and Glory." Save your money and don't rent this. And if it comes on cable on a rainy day, you are better off watching the spelling bee on ESPN. For that matter, you might be better off watching static or a test pattern. Mad Dog and Glory remains my most hated movie...ever.