Mad Dog And Glory

It's always interesting to see Martin Scorsese's name attached to projects. When he only produces, the quality can run all over the place, but it's never a fun game to guess why the famous director chose to produce a project over others.

That thought came to my mind while watching director John McNaughton's 1993 dark comedy "Mad Dog and Glory," which is new to Kino Lorber's Studio Classics Blu-ray catalog this month. Does the film look at gangsters and the manipulation of power in a way that Scorsese would respect? Yeah, it pretty much does. Does it have the formal and dramatic rigor to mix the comedic and darker aspects together? Well, not as much.

Seemingly designed to cast two big actors to play against type, the film follows cop Wayne 'Mad Dog" Dobie (Robert DeNiro) as he drifts in and out of his days taking pictures of dead bodies. Slowly slipping into complete disaffection, Mad Dog's life is upended when he saves charming stand-up comedian/gangster Frank Milo's (Bill Murray) life during a convenience store robbery. Frank then sends Glory (Uma Thurman), a woman who is indebted to Frank, over to Mad Dog's to cheer him up over the course of the week. What ensues is Mad Dog finally waking up and learning to love life, even when it involves a dangerous gangster with the power to end it all.

"Mad Dog and Glory" is best when it studies manipulation of power on both Wayne and Frank's side of the law. While Frank opts for a blunter abuse of power in organized hits and various other criminal activities, Wayne is nervous to use his cop title to try to right the wrongs he sees in his daily life. The bit about Mad Dog being hesitant to use his clout to stop a man from beating his girlfriend rings true. These are two different characters that showcase anger and power in that anger in different ways. When "Mad Dog and Glory" returns to being a drama with a quirky sense of humor, less about it lands successfully.

New to Blu-ray, and with a brand-new restoration from Kino Lorber, the film is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. While it may not be an unheralded classic, "Mad Dog and Glory" is a great showcase for both DeNiro and Murray's range of acting talents. With a few anecdotal but brief special features on the disc, you're not going to get provided with much insight as to why or how this project came to be. But that's okay because director John McNaughton shows here that he was willing to venture out and explore other avenues to tell stories. If you want to watch something McNaughton has incredible command over, I recommend renting or buying "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer." Other special features include:

� New Audio Commentary by Director John McNaughton
� Making-of Documentary Featurette
� Interviews
� Theatrical Trailer

"Mad Dog and Glory"
Blu-ray
$29.95
https://www.kinolorber.com/product/mad-dog-and-glory-special-edition-blu-ray