Good acting performance can elevate films that would have sank into mediocrity without it. That could happen with actors that sometimes do the opposite and wreck potentially great films by hamming it up in their roles. One such example can be found in Gary Oldman whose strong performance in Romeo Is Bleeding, 1993 crime thriller directed by Peter Medak.
Oldman plays the main character, NYPD detective Jack Grimaldi who lives a very good life that includes he has a loving wife Natalie (played by Annabella Sciorra) and young mistress Sheri (played by Juliette Lewis). This is obtained by relationship with Mafia bos Don Falcone (played by Roy Scheider) whom he informs about police operations in exchange for large sums of money. The latest favour he is about to do for Don Falcone is reveal whereabouts of Nick Gazzara (played by Dennis Farina in uncredited role), mobster who turned informer. Gazzara and his protective detail are wiped out by Mona Demarkov (played by Lena Olin), deadly female assassin working for Russian mafia. Don Falcone then orders Jack to silence Mona as possible witness. That proves to be extremely difficult for Jack because she is not only master assassin but also a beautiful woman, quite able to seduce him. Jack not only fails to kill Mona, but she even manages to recruit him for her own diabolical schemes against Falcone only to ultimately betray him at each opportunity. Jack seems helpless against her against her manipulations even after losing Natalie, Sheri and some parts of his anatomy.
Romeo Is Bleeding had bad results at the box office and its reception among critics was even worse. Most complaints were addressed towards script by Hillary Henkin and its alleged failure to properly transplant film noir tropes into modern 1990s world. Another source of dissatisfaction among critics was large amount of violence which included torture and mutilations. To a certain degree, some complaints about excessive violence hold water and Romeo Is Bleeding isn’t a film that should be recommended to more sensitive viewers. Those who can handle such content might find that its impact was enhanced by quasi-poetic style of British director Peter Medak who insisted on great visuals, helped by famed Polish cinematographer Dariusz Wolski (who would later became best known for his work on Pirates of the Caribbean series). Romeo Is Bleeding, on the other hand, isn’t completely subservient to the visuals and Henkin’s script is very disciplined and economical, with basic character exposition for Jack handled at the very beginning and allowing audience to concentrate further how he would fare when confronted with some of the more bizarre and macabre consequences of his acts.
It is ultimately Gary Oldman’s skill in playing Jack’s role that makes Romeo Is Bleeding remarkable. Jack is somewhat atypical main character for this sort of the film. He is hardly an ordinary man who got seduced and corrupted by femme fatale; instead we already now that his morals is compromised at the very beginning. Being unfaithful to his wife, exploiting affections of possibly underage girl, betraying his duty to the public for the sake of money and willingness to kill – all that make him closer to villain to the hero. Yet, Oldman’s great skill in showing fear in Jack when his plans go wrong, as well as little traces of humanity and empathy in his character, make this anti-heroic character sympathetic enough for audience to care whether he will ultimately survive or receive just punishments for his misdeeds. Famed Swedish actress Lena Olin is, on the other hand, truly great in the role one of the most diabolical femme fatales in 1990s Hollywood, easily overshadowing Linda Fiorentino who had played similar character in The Last Seduction. Olin, never shy to use her sexuality, simply oozes almost primal menace of a female force pathetic men can’t resist. Roy Scheider is also good playing one of the most malevolent characters of his career, just as Juliette Lewis handles potentially thankless role of naive young girl and Annabella Sciorra gives something of a moral anchor to the audience. Romeo Is Bleeding is, despite sometimes problematic content, a film that could be recommended for the fans of modern incarnations of film noir.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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