Mad Dog Time (1996)

Director:

Larry Bishop

Writer (WGA):

Larry Bishop (written by)

Release Date:

8 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Bring your brains.

Plot:

With his boss in the madhouse, a mobster is temporary boss of the criminal empire just as vicious rivals threaten the control of the empire.

Plot Keywords:

Mob Boss | Nightclub | Cigar Smoking | Bathrobe | Voice Over

Cast

Ellen Barkin	...	Rita Everly
Gabriel Byrne	...	Ben London
Richard Dreyfuss	...	Vic
Jeff Goldblum	...	Mickey Holliday
Diane Lane	...	Grace Everly
Burt Reynolds	...	'Wacky' Jacky Jackson
Larry Bishop	...	Nick
Joey Bishop	...	Mr. Gottlieb
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Jake Parker
Angie Everhart	...	Gabriella
Henry Silva	...	Sleepy Joe Carlisle
Michael J. Pollard	...	Red Mash
Gregory Hines	...	Jules Flamingo
Billy Idol	...	Lee Turner
Billy Drago	...	Wells

Also Known As:

Trigger Happy (UK)
Bullet Point (Germany) [de]
Eine Sippschaft zum Ermorden (Germany) (TV title) [de]
Encantado de matarte (Spain) [es]
Encantat de matar-te (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Il tempo dei cani pazzi (Italy) [it]
Kuduz bakisi (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
La gâchette en tête (Canada: French title) [fr]
Mad Dogs (France) [fr]
Matar-te É Um Prazer (Portugal) [pt]
Prazer em Matar-te (Brazil) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

93 min | Germany:85 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | DTS-Stereo

Certification:

South Korea:18 | Australia:M | Germany:18 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Bruin Grip Services

Trivia:

Joey Bishop, in his final film, plays a character named 'Mr. Gottlieb'. Bishop's real name is Joseph Abraham Gottlieb.

Quotes:

Ben London: Vic's dead... That is, you wish he were dead. And after he gets out tomorrow, you'll wish you were dead. When he went into that hospital a month ago, I thought it was your run-of-the-mill nervous breakdown. But Vic... is sick, Mick. Vic is a sick prick, Mick.

Mad Dog Time a/k/a Trigger Happy

I originally saw this very dark comedy around 2000 or so on cable TV. What a surprise and delight! Everyone is covertly armed in this movie! Dreyfuss plays the "mental" don (remember the New York don who was supposed to be schizophrenic? Art imitates life or vice-versa?). Diane Lane and Ellen Barkin are at their most beautiful and NOT to be toyed with! Thus proving that beauty and toughness DO go together! Then there is the great "bullshit" scene between Barkin and Jeff Goldblum (Rita and Mickey) where they verbally play off the world "bullshit." This film is both subtle and bald. For all the shooting, it can be a very quiet film. And, you have the opportunity to see several actors in their final or near final roles. Joey Bishop. Richard Pryor. Henry Silva. It is not a film for everyone. But, if you like a film that has a lot of word play and keeps moving without blowing up everything in sight, this is the film for you. Roger Ebert dumps on this film. He's flat wrong. THIS is a fine, fine film! Maybe just not one for Ebert. I consider it as a 10 because of how well it is done and how funny the script can be, while not really being a straight comedy kind of film. I like it so well that I bought it on DVD because it just doesn't get shown very much on cable TV. Now, it's all mine!