“I think a film should be as sinister and lively, as odd and riveting… as a dream,” says Norman Mailer, novelist-turned-moviemaker. “A good powerful dream.” Mailer’s own movie, “Tough Guys Don’t Dance,” has the makings of a bad powerful dream. Based on his 1984 novel, it turns a murder-mystery plot into a melodramatic fandango so dark and delirious that it’s hard to know whether he wants us to laugh, cry, or cringe.
The answer is all three, of course. This is the kind of film that begs to be called controversial — and surely will be, by reviewers and publicists alike. Just as surely, the term will imply automatic praise in many cases, as if its meaning didn’t include a critical “con” as well as a promotional “pro.” Mailer has benefited from that careless use of “controversial” as much as any writer in memory, using it to build a feisty media presence that has rivaled — many would say outstripped — his accomplishments on the printed page.