Homicide

Homicide is about racism. Two cops on homicide are going after a notorious and elusive black criminal. They are played by William H. Macy (Fargo) and David Mantegna (House of Games; he's a master at the repetitive Mamet dialogue). They are met with a lot of disapproval in their venture by black rights organizations and the black community. They are accused of racism and working in the assassination techniques of 60's cops during Civil Rights. However, when Mantegna is attempting to converse with a black community head, the man calls him a kike, and so the snowball begins to roll. Mantegna is taken off the case, and put on a lame and easy one: finding out who killed an old jewish woman in a black neighborhood. Mantegna is consumed by his feelings of racism against jews (just as the black communities allegations are misplaced, so is Mantegna's). He gets mixed up with a Jewish resistance force who believe it was a mass conspiracy to kill the old woman (for she was an arms dealer for jews way back when) and he becomes totally obsessed by supposed hatred towards jews. If this plot sounds complicated, it is. But its the downward spiral of Mantegna that makes the film so interesting. It's awing to watch him believe things that are totally unbelievable just based on the idea that someone might have hated jews. It's damn good, interesting.
Homicide: ★★★1/2