Romeo Is Bleeding is a 1993 neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Peter Medak, written and produced by Hilary Henkin, and starring Gary Oldman, Lena Olin, Annabella Sciorra, Juliette Lewis, and Roy Scheider. It follows a psychosexual cat-and-mouse game between a corrupt cop (Oldman), and a ruthless mob assassin (Olin) who begin to fall in love. The film's title was taken from a song by Tom Waits.
Released in the United States by Gramercy Pictures, the film was critically unsuccessful and did not perform well at the box office (grossing $7 million from a $10 million budget), although its acting has garnered praise.
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Plot
Jack Grimaldi is an NYPD homicide detective who seems to have everything: a lavish lifestyle; a beautiful wife, Natalie; and an adoring teenaged mistress, Sheri. However, Jack only affords his lifestyle because he's on the take, doing favors for Mafia boss Don Falcone in exchange for large cash bribes. Jack's latest task is to reveal the location of Nick Gazarra, a mobster-turned-state's witness protected by federal agents. Gazarra and his protection detail are subsequently killed by a mob hitwoman, Mona Demarkov. Jack is disaffected by this outcome, being uncomfortable with his complicity in the deaths of other law enforcement personnel.
