Romeo is Bleeding

Starring:Gary Oldman, Lena Olin, Annabella Sciorra, Juliette Lewis, Roy Scheider, David Proval, Will Patton, Larry Joshua, James Cromwell, Wallace Wood, Gene Canfield, Michael Wincott, William Duff-Griffin, Paul Butler, Tony Sirico, Victoria Bastel, Katrina Rae, Joe Paparone, Owen Hollander, Neal Jones
Director: Peter Medak
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Romeo Is Bleeding is the flawed black comedy from director Peter Medak (The Krays) about a bad cop who slowly gets his due. Gary Oldman plays yet another quirky character, this time a New York detective on the take. His life goes haywire as he squares off with a Russian hit woman. Despite an intriguing cast and great dialogue, the movie becomes a bit too eccentric for its own good as several actors have nothing to do. The high point is Lena Olin, who finally has a role she can sink her teeth into: her zesty, monstrous assassin, Mona Demarkov, is one of the great movie villains. --Doug Thomas

Description

Gary Oldman delivers an uncanny performance (The New York Times) and Lena Olin is 'the most astoundingly vicious and sexy female villain in movie history (Variety) in this spine-tingling, erotic film about a crooked cop and the sadistic hit woman who lures him into a lethal dance of deceit. Co-starring Annabella Sciorra, Juliette Lewis and Roy Scheider, Romeo Is Bleeding is a mind-blowing, crazy, outrageous movie (WNBC-TV)! Jack Grimaldi (Oldman) leads more than a double life: He's a veteran cop, a two-timing husband and a corrupt mob informant. But when the Feds enlist him to protect Russian gangster Mona Demarkov (Olin) at the same time that the Mafia orders himto kill her, Jack's world of greed and lust begins to crack. Complicating this already dangerous situation is Mona herself, a seductive schemer who entangles Jack in a deadly, depraved plan of her own!

Customer Reviews:

Romeo Is Bleeding - Bogart meets Lucretia McEvil.......2007-06-05

The words 'wildly entertaining' describe Romeo is Bleeding to perfection. The narration by Gary Oldman takes you back to old Philip Marlowe films. And, of course, Oldman's portrayal of Jack Grimaldi is, as usual, absolutely perfect. He'll have you rooting for his "good-guy doing naughty things" character - and he does some really naughty things. Gary Oldman fans have GOT to see this one. Lena Olin is the most frightening, the most enjoyable villainess you'll ever see, bar none. She's simply fantastic.

Dark and Extraordinary.......2007-04-20

If you are a Gary Oldman fan, you MUST see this movie! This is one of his finest performances, subtle and completely believable.

The story opens with Oldman as a cheating husband and corrupt cop, but twists and turns after that, incorporating subtle overtones of the paranormal and many ethical and moral dilemmas in a complex story of survival. Great stunt work, too. This one will grip you from beginning to end!

Outstanding Film-Noir Thriller!.......2006-10-18

I can certainly see where the critics were wrong on this one. I viewed this film when it was first released, and thought it was great! Not just the suspense that is in the film, but the entire originality and creepy eeriness of the film too! When I saw reviews of this film a week later blasting the film, I knew then [always did] that critics were usually off the mark. That is why I pay no heed to critics when they criticize or rave about films. This is one hell of a film. Jack (Gary Oldman) is a police sergeant. As a detective on the force he earns added income by accepting payoffs from a certain mobster named Falcone (Roy Scheider). Jack has inside information on the Witness Protection Program, and knows when certain individuals are being relocated. He gives this information to Falcone, whenever he requests it. In turn, Falcone rewards Jack very handsomely with large cash payments.

However, problems occur when the latest request by Falcone to give him information on a Russian hitwoman (Lena Olin), backfires on Jack. Jack finds himself in hot water. Not only with the department, but the Russian hitwoman and Falcone too! This is no ordinary hitwoman. Mona (Lena Olin) gives a superb acting performance in this film. There are some shocking scenes involving Mona [no spoilers] that are very disturbing. What ensues are fast-paced, creepy and totally unsuspecting scenes throughout the film. Jack knows he has messed up, but it is too late to turn back. And Mona, he finds, is more than he bargained for. She is also more than Falcone bargained for too! This film is highly recommended. However, it may appeal to certain audiences only. I recommend the film highly, however, you may want to rent it first to see if it appeals to you. I found the film great in its entirety, and Lena Olin's character is one hell of a strange one. [Stars: 5+]

This Ain't Scooby-Doo.......2006-07-27

I'll start by saying that I am not a big fan of Gary Oldman, but boy does he give a terrific performance in this movie. He played a cop on the take and not a very sympathetic one at that. He crosses paths with a very nasty Lena Olin who must have had the time of her life playing the Russian assassin. The ending was fantastic. Parts of the movie were pretty gory, but I really believe necessary. This was just an excellent film. Don't pour yourself a bottle of wine to watch this though. Pop a brew and grab a bag of chips..

Cutting of Crucial Scene Ruined Movie For Me.......2006-05-16

Romeo is Bleeding could have been a quintessential new film noir classic. The plot line was thrilling, and Lena Olin was particularly mysterious and devious as the Russian hitwoman. Needless to say, Gary Oldman's performance was stellar as the duplicitous cop. However, the DVD version cuts a very crucial scene. I saw this movie at the theatre when it was released. There is a scene in which Gary Oldman shoots Lena Olin in the arm before putting her in handcuffs; instead of going to a hospital, they get into a fight. While he's driving, she's in the back seat of the car attacking him with the only weapons available to her at the time--her legs. Eventually Gary Oldman crashes his car, and Lena Olin runs away from him (handcuffed, no less),then, rather than go to a hospital, she retreats to her apartment where she cuts off her own arm with a power saw. This scene was brutally shocking, but it augmented the sinister dynamic of Lena Olin's character. More importanly, it explained how she became armless. This was the kind of scene that put the viewer on the edge of his seat anxiously awaiting the unfolding of the next event. Cutting that particular scene caused major incongruity because when Gary Oldman and Lena Olin crash the car, she fights with him and then runs away, hands cuffed behind her back, and at that point, the movie immediately cuts to a scene in which her arm is missing, with nothing in between--no explanation for the missing arm. Anyone who hasn't seen the movie before is going to be confused. The viewer will be left wondering what the heck happened to her arm. This will leave you very frustrated because for the remainder of the film you'll be wondering how she became an armless hitwoman. That was one scene that should not have ended up on the cutting floor. The film editors made a huge error in judgment.

Average customer rating:

Romeo Is Bleeding - Bogart meets Lucretia McEvil
Dark and Extraordinary
Outstanding Film-Noir Thriller!
This Ain't Scooby-Doo
Cutting of Crucial Scene Ruined Movie For Me

Romeo Is Bleeding [Region 2]
Starring: Gary Oldman , Lena Olin , Annabella Sciorra , Juliette Lewis , and Roy Scheider
Director: Peter Medak
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Thrillers | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00008YNGU