Mad Dog and Glory movie review (1993)

He also collects bets, which is why he controls a young woman named Glory (Uma Thurman), who is trying to work off her brother's gambling debt. One day she turns up at Wayne's house and explains that Frank is giving her to him for a week, in gratitude.

This is a present Wayne does not want. Indeed, he is beginning to see that his entire relationship with Frank is a big mistake, since there is no way to be this gangster's friend without being drawn into his activities. Wayne doesn't even think of himself as a real cop. He's shy and fears he is a coward. He works for the department as an evidence technician and frames his photos of dead bodies as if they were art; he's a would-be Weejee.

The screenplay by Richard Price ("The Wanderers," "The Color Of Money") avoids the temptation to paint this situation in broad strokes. A dumb comedy might have been made of the situation, but this is a smart one. It's about a man who begins the movie with no friends, and quickly gets one he doesn't want and another, Glory, who terrifies him. She gives him kissing lessons, but he is uncertain about his bedroom skills, and when she tries to get his shirt off he explains that he should do some sit-ups. "Right now?" she asks. She can't believe her ears. "No . . . I mean generally."

The director, John McNaughton, is best known for the chilling "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer." This movie is completely different in theme, and yet it has the same quiet way of developing characters. The camera watches people while they gradually reveal themselves. Nothing is simply told to the audience.

For De Niro, Murray and Thurman, what happens is sort of magical. De Niro is known for his ability to get into characters by changing himself physically, and here, somehow, he seems to have shrunk. He seems shorter, more tentative. Murray, reining in his rapid-fire comic gift, comes across as the kind of guy who would love to be gentle and nice but was born with the wrong genes. Thurman, so elegant in other pictures, here becomes almost mousy in some scenes; Glory has low self-esteem, as indeed she should if she allows herself to be made into a thank-you note.

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