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... more » 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!« less
Mark H. (djmark) from MONTEREY PARK, CA Reviewed on 12/3/2014...
This is an amazing film, and sparked my Lena Olin fetish.
2 of 3 member(s) found this review helpful.
Mark G. from SPRINGFIELD, MA Reviewed on 12/2/2014...
Great story about a cop who invisions himself as a "Romeo," and chooses to live his life immorally because he can never get enough money. It is well told, very violent, with some subtle humor. Great cast led by the very talented actor, Gary Oldman.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Cutting of Crucial Scene Ruined Movie For Me
Zarah Mayes-Orowitz | Chicago, IL United States | 05/15/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"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.
"
One of the best examples of Noir
J. Gabriel Estrada Quintero | Mexico City | 03/13/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"What this great film shows is how much some viewers THINK they know about noir-cinema but how little they really do. This film is one of the few that'll make you say Wow! when you just finish it. Not only because of Olin, Gary Oldman makes his part so well that it's almost impossible to imagine somebody else in it. This is really one of the best and most interesting pieces of film noir (which means getting deep down the darkest human feelings and being able to show it on the screen) and that you'll be able to see in a long time. To compare it with such an overrated piece of parafernalia like Pulp Fiction is to show how little you understood or what a small number of noir films you have seen. Rent it, watch it, own it -you'll thank Mr. Medak for it."
Eerie, moving, terrifying
Volunteer of America | Austin, Texas | 02/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Most of the aspects of this film have been well covered in the other reviews; Gary Oldman's character, etc. Although the plot is occasionally lacking in continuity, one can easily fill in the gaps. I did want to mention the extraordinarily atmospheric music by Mark Isham, especially the closing piece; where you can hear the groaning and moans of the film's demonic beings - Jack, a relatively ordinary soul, finding himself in a world peopled by devils in human form like Mona DeMarkoff and Don Falcone. Another point: Jack Grimaldi, Oldman's character, is the name of a famous circus clown; I wonder if that was intentional. The dreams, the Hole, Olin's insane laughter, the shots of the dead in the swimming pool and the FBI agents ("those Feds didn't come out too good...") sprayed by DeMarkoff sprawled in the bloodstained room as the light fixture swings back and forth, Nick Gazzara's "stank like a m*thaf***! Hahahahahahaha", Oldman's introduction at the Holiday Diner; for me, this film contains a great many moments that are extraordinarily atmospheric, poignant and original. And terrifying."
Thriller!
S. Hoffmann | Broadview Heights, Ohio United States | 12/30/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I am one of those people who have seen so many movies, and read so many books that I can usually figure out a plot line quite early on in any film. But this movie has so many unique twists, I was literally "on the edge of my seat" the first time I saw it. It's a wild ride as we watch Gary Oldman self-destruct as the corrupt, womanizing cop on the wrong side of the mob. Lena Olin's performance as the Russian assassin, is, simply, priceless. This is one of the very best "action" movies I've seen. I recommend it to Oldman fans, "cop 'n gangster" fans, or anybody who just likes a really good movie! And don't miss Roy
Scheider as a Don! I'm deliberately keeping my comments sparse,
because I don't want to give away ANYTHING about this movie to those of you who haven't seen it. Just see it!"
Outrageously Entertaining!
Craig Connell | Lockport, NY USA | 04/21/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Probably everyone has one favorite movie that they consider "their own" because few, if any, of their friends share their admiration for it. Mine is this one. I just love this film.
It is only one out of over 5,000 movies have either rented or purchased that I watched back-to-back nights after seeing it for the first time. A dozen viewings later, It's still just as good, if not better. It is, start-to-finish, the most entertaining crime movie I have ever watched.
Being of fan of film noir, those wonderfully-narrated crime films of the '40s and '50s, Romeo Is Bleeding is right up my alley. I may be wrong but believe this whole film is simply a parody of the film noirs: an outrageous take on those movies with an over-the-top villain (Lena Olin, the most fascinating female I have ever come across on film), along with over-the-top characters, action scenes, dialog and narration. It's a wild, fun - albeit sick - ride, not to be taken seriously (which a lot of people did and then thought it was too goofy). Evidence of this film-noir spoof is in the dialog, with a number of fantastic dark-humor lines, many delivered by Olin. One has to see this a number of times to catch all the humor in here. Kudos to screenplay writer Hilary Henkin for her work.
Oldman is superb and its the glue that holds this unique story in tact. His narration, including the exaggerated inflection in his voice, is fantastic. I appreciate the American accent this British actor used, too. Olin, as Russian hit- woman Mona Demarkoff, she is one character I guarantee you will not ever forget. Roy Scheider, Annabella Sciorra, Juliette Lewis, Michael Wincott and others - cameos by Dennis Farina and Ron Perlman - all deliver great performances with lines that, well,....as I said, are outrageous.
If you love the old film noirs, please check this movie out and remember it's tongue-and-cheek.