David Mamet's outline for his 1991 film, Homicide

[The Road Warrior]

Thanks for posting MacH, fascinating. It's a shame it's as small as it is but you still get the idea. That's probably a graphologist's dream.

[Richmond Weems]

Still looks like bvllsh!t. But it's not my outline and I'm not David Mamet (I don't think I'm David Mamet...hold on...no, I'm not) so this again goes back to I don't know anything.

What I will say though, and I'm sure I'll get picked on for this, is that having read/listened to a lot of Mamet, I like Mamet, but I'm not as impressed with his genius as he is.

HH

[christopher jon]

What I will say though, and I'm sure I'll get picked on for this, is that having read/listened to a lot of Mamet, I like Mamet, but I'm not as impressed with his genius as he is.

You're not alone. I've never been a big fan of any of his work either.

[Richmond Weems]

Originally Posted by christopher jon

You're not alone. I've never been a big fan of any of his work either.

Just to be clear: I do like his work, but I don't think he's as great as everyone else says he is. I think THE VERDICT is a great film, but I also think that has more to do with Lumet and Newman than Mamet. I know, I know, it's blasphemous to say that, but Mamet's work has always been a little "cold", and it takes a very talented actor that can bring something to Mamet's framework.



HH

[Dr. Vergerus]

Count me in, too. I don't understand how a country that gave birth to the talent of Tennessee Williams can regard Mamet so highly...

[The Road Warrior]

I enjoyed Glengarry GR but last year after watching many of his other films, found him just too stagey for my tastes, and in his books, especially Bambi vs. Godzilla, felt on many occasions like I was being preached at instead of being informed; but he does make a lot of sense between some of the very sure-of-himself viewpoints. I wondered if that's just his writing style.

I still found it fascinating, but not so much as any big fan of Mamet, which I'm not, but more as one writer's way of working things out.

[ChadStrohl]

The Edge is my favorite Mamet. But I've never read the script, only watched the film, but it fits in my wheelhouse more than his usual melodrama.

[ATB]

What's funny about that outline is the apparent focus on structure. This coming from a writer known for his strength in characters and dialogue.

It is pretty great to be able to see his obsession with structure. I would've assumed he started with well-drawn characters and felt his way through the structure of their stories.

[asjah8]

Very cool visual. The thing I've always gotten from Mamet's body of work is a writer who consciously appeals to our intellect when much of today's mainstream works appeal to our visceral emotions. Perhaps that can seem cold at times but I sincerely appreciate what he's going for. He doesn't dumb things down, but lays out his scenarios and allows us to make up our mind about the relevance.

What's cool to see in the visual is that he makes a concerted effort to match the intelligence of his argument with deeper spirituality. Unless I miss my guess, the note up in the topmost left corner refers to the Descent Myth and the Sumerian goddess Inanna. It makes me want to go back and watch Wag the Dog, The Untouchables, Glengarry Glen Ross and other works to see if I can unravel the religious undertones.

[Bobby Dazzler]

Gimme The Verdict, The Untouchables and Wag the Dog on my list of credits any day!

Glengarry Glen Ross works better on the stage.

But what a play...