Sunday 1 November 2015

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1995: Kevin Spacey in Seven

Kevin Spacey did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying John Doe in Seven.

While I often say that reviewing a supporting performance in a mystery film is usually a spoiler, this time though the fact that I'm even stating that Spacey is in the film is the spoiler, since the film itself does not list him in the opening credits since when he fully appears there is not a doubt that he's the killer of people based around what of the seven deadly sins they've committed. John Doe is an enigma until Spacey directly walks into the film over an hour and a half in. Spacey actually does have a brief appearance earlier in the film as a photographer, though we don't see his face clearly, as he gets into an altercation with one of the lead detectives Mills (Brad Pitt) over taking pictures, at one of Doe's own murders, and essentially Spacey plays it as John Doe playing it as a purposefully obnoxious photographer. His other contribution is the form of just his voice as Spacey states in a matter of fact fashion that Doe will hasten his plans due to the detectives having found his hideaway. The meat of his performance though is in that last act when he finally makes his full appearance which is one of the most memorable villain introductions in a film as he enters the police station on his own covered with blood.  

This first scene already has the imagery and the shock of the mysterious killer suddenly turning himself, but Spacey also brings far more than simply walking in on the scene. Spacey merely in his introduction presents something about his John Doe which defines his characterization of him. That is as he first walks into the police station Spacey speaks each attempt to get the detectives attention in this quiet unassuming voice until they repeatedly don't notice him, and then Spacey suddenly breaks that to a far cruder tone to finally get their attention. Once they see him though he returns to that quieter more eloquent speaking voice. This may seem minor, but it's something that Spacey uses to allude to something about John Doe, who of course is a character we know nothing about. More on that later. Much of the time though Spacey plays John Doe as though he is some other worldly man in the way he speaks with this certain detachment. Spacey is chilling in the way he realizes John Doe's mentality in this way he speaks about his crimes, which is not that of a series of extremely brutal murders, but rather to him is a message seemingly from the heaven itself, as though he is a man who is on a mission from God to do these things, in order for society to change.

Spacey is outstanding because of just how convincing he is in creating this mind of John as he explains his task with such a unpleasant grace as though what he is doing is a righteous act. Spacey exudes this sense of superiority of John, but not in quite the way that's usually case with Spacey playing a pompous character, which he does well. Here though Spacey brings this in this strange distance about it that it is not that John Doe is this excessively confident man, although he is in fact that, but rather Spacey presents it as a man who is so confident in his own perceived duty as though he is above all things. When John Doe indicates the purpose of his plan, Spacey makes it as though John is speaking of something profound. What is so off-putting is the way Spacey is able to illustrate John Doe's words not as just ravings of a mad man, though they are that, instead as a man with an absolute faith in his own moral code. This moral code involves extremely brutal murders, and Spacey is tremendous in the way the motivation for this is all in John's words. The murders in the film are not remotely practical, but rather would require an excessive amount of time and effort. Spacey makes them believable because is able to honestly portray John Doe as a man who would do these things.

Now this would be already a great performance if Spacey merely did what I've already written, but Spacey manages to give the character even more complexity, even within his limited screen time. Now back to his initial entrance where he was already that preacher of the word, except when he had to get the detectives attention. This comes back when Doe goes along with Mills and his older partner Somerset (Morgan Freeman) to supposedly find the bodies of his last two victims. Again it results from when John Doe does not believe his message is getting across, this time coming when Mills states to John that his victims were innocent. This sets Doe to describe each victims sins, but no longer as that man above the world. Spacey's presents very intense disgust and a vile sickness as John loses some of his composure in his descriptions, as though the idea of the people being innocent is more that Doe can stomach leaving him unable to stay as a the man with the purpose he believes is greater than himself. The humanity in Doe breaks out in this moment, as Spacey alludes to perhaps whoever it was the man who became John Doe, a man with such a hatred towards the worst in society. I love this moment in Spacey's performance because he so naturally realizes that Doe is not something from heaven or hell, but still a man inside his "better" self. The new self is not an act, though Spacey reveals what came before, as what came before is what created John's current state. Spacey does outstanding work here as he creates such a compelling force of a man with John Doe in these few scenes, while managing to make the crimes and most pivotal the final act of his plan conceivable. When it is revealed what John Doe wants in the end, it only seems logical as Spacey has so effectively made sense out of the man's twisted mind. In just a few scenes Spacey creates an unforgettable villain, that lives up to his build up and reputation beforehand, giving an amazing performance essential to the success of the film.

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

A 5 well earned.
Louis: Who would be your cast and director for:
There Will Be Blood (1930's and 40's versions)
In a Lonely Place (2000's and 2010's versions)
Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1980's versions)

Robert MacFarlane said...

I think my favorite moment of his performance was his perfectly smug, Spacian delivery of "Oh, he didn't know".

Matt Mustin said...

Amazing performance. Spacey's actually my win in both categories this year. Robert, just reading that gave me chills.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I think the awfulness of Dexter and how it created that weird "Serial Killer has a Point" trope made me appreciate what the film and Spacey did with John Doe retroactively. His smug delivery of John's insistence of his own piety makes it clear that no, serial killers don't really have points. They're just cowardly evil people.

Psifonian said...

"Detective... Detective... DETECTIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!!!"

Brilliant performance that pretty well flogs the hell out of his Keyser Soze.

Robert MacFarlane said...

I totally agree with that. I always found he made it too obvious he was the bad guy in Suspects for the twist to work.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

There Will Be Blood

1930's directed by Erich von Stroheim

Daniel Plainview: Edward Arnold
Eli Sunday: Montgomery Clift
H.W.: Freddie Barthlomew
Henry: Joseph Schildkraut

1940's directed by Orson Welles

Daniel Plainview: Welles
Eli Sunday: Eli Wallach
H.W.: Dean Stockwell
Henry: John Carradine

In a Lonely Place:

2000's directed by David Lynch

Laurel: Naomi Watts
Dix: Liev Schreiber

2010's directed by Anton Corbijn

Laurel: Cate Blanchett
Dix: George Clooney (In hopes of Corbijn pulling out another The American out of him)

Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1980's Directed By Peter Weir)

Dobbs: Mel Gibson
Howard: Richard Farnsworth
Curtin: James Woods
Cody: Ray Liotta
Gold Hat: Danny Trejo

Luke Higham said...

Louis: I'm very happy with this review and rating. :)
1. Spacey
2. McGoohan
3. Cheadle
4. Neill
5. Hackman

Anonymous said...

Louis since they are in your top 10 what are your thoughts on Dolores Claiborne and Smoke?

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Ratings & Thoughts on the cast of Smoke (1995).

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your cast and director for Seven in the 30's, 40's and 50's?

Michael McCarthy said...

You know what? I'll be optimistic.

1. Kevin Spacey
2. Patrick McGoohan
3. Don Cheadle
4. Sam Neill
5. Gene Hackman

Anonymous said...

I'll change my predictions.
1. Spacey
2. McGoohan
3. Cheadle
4. Neill
5. Hackman

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Seen any new films recently, if so, what are your thoughts on the film/s and ratings & thoughts on the cast/s.

Luke Higham said...

Louis:
Mr. Holmes
http://putlocker.ms/watch-mr-holmes-online-free-2015-putlocker-v2.html

Mississippi Grind
http://putlocker.ms/watch-mississippi-grind-online-free-2015-putlocker-v9.html

Bone Tomahawk
http://putlocker.ms/watch-bone-tomahawk-online-free-2015-putlocker.html

Anonymous said...

Luke: I am 100% sure that Spotlight will win Best Ensemble.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I think it will win SAG, even with The Hateful Eight being its only competition.

Anonymous said...

Luke: Yes, the SAG Award. I don't know if we already have done this, but rating predictions for Spotlight and The Hateful Eight.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous:
Spotlight
Keaton - 4.5/5
Ruffalo - 4.5/5
The Rest of the main cast - 3.5

The Hateful Eight
Jackson - 4.5/5
Russell - 4.5/5
Leigh - 5
Goggins - 3.5
Bichir - 4
Roth - 4.5
Madsen - 3.5/4
Dern - 4/4.5
Tatum - 4

Anonymous said...

Luke: I'll do mine.
Spotlight
Keaton: 5
Ruffalo: 4,5/5
McAdams: 3,5/4
Schreiber: 3,5/4
Tucci: 3,5/4
The Hateful Eight
Jackson: 5
Russell: 4,5/5
Leigh: 5
Goggins: 3,5
Bichir: 4
Madsen: 4
Dern: 4/4,5
Tatum: 4

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: You forgot Tim Roth.

Anonymous said...

Luke: He's a 4,5.

Luke Higham said...

Anonymous: I'll make a slight alteration and up Keaton to a 5.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Ever seen Marlon Brando's screentest for Rebel Without A Cause.

Anonymous said...

*?

Anonymous said...

*Have you seen

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Dolores Claiborne - (It's a very interesting the film in that it tells basically a murder story from the point of view of the murderer but we are absolutely suppose to sympathize with the murderer. It completely works in that regard helped certainly by the great acting from the entire cast particularly Bates and Parfitt. In addition though Taylor Hackford creates such a sense of place with his direction, and his handling of the murder sequence is particularly effective.)

Smoke - (An extremely low key film in that even the scenes that seem to suggest there will be a climax building the film abruptly cuts away. That's fine by me as I really love just the tone the film strikes up as we merely just spend time with these various characters well realized through the film's strong ensemble. It relaxed ways work so well in having a nice bit of humor but as well some very poignant moments that it achieves with a quiet grace.)

Luke:

Mr. Holmes I found to be a delightful and moving film with a lead performance well worth saving. I liked how it had fun with the character of Holmes still why honestly examining what the actual distance of the man would create as well. It a small film in just the best sort of way as it creates a fascinating and intimate study of a character we also often see at a certain distance.

Parker - 3.5(I liked his performance for the most part as he made the quick witted child seem honest, while never becoming too cloying in the role either. He strikes up a nice chemistry with McKellen, although the same can't be said for his onscreen mother though I don't think that's his fault. I do feel there a few moments where he could have brought a little more such as in the scene where he insults his mother, but still it's fine work)

Morahan - 3.5(Found her to be quite moving in her single scene as she effectively realizes both the intense sorrow of her character, and that desperate need for someone who would actually be able to understand her loneliness)

Linney - 2(Even for someone whose pretty forgiving of accents, I can't let this one slide. The problem is Linney's is not only terrible it is also inconsistent in just what terrible accent she's doing whether its a bad Scottish, bad Irish or a bad cockney accent she seems to throw everyone in for good measure. Only worse is she decides to make it extremely thick so it dominates her performance. She actually is fine past this, but her terrible vocal work makes her stick out in the worst sort of fashion)

Youth - (Did not care for the film at all, and it does not help that it's pretty sure its a masterpiece. I don't mind a film trying to be great, but when it fails it can come off very badly. I felt that was the case here that just had too much excess and I found all the eccentric sequences quite tiresome very quickly. It's a nice looking film, but oh so hollow. Caine's story in particularly I felt was so poorly developed that it felt meaningless. Keitel's story was better, but I still did not think it amounted to much. The bits and pieces of other weirdness involving the other character's ended up adding to almost nothing, other than Paul Dano's just because he gives a good enough performance to overcome the material to a certain extent)

Saving Caine and Keitel since one must. Although I will say that if one must be nominated I'd prefer it to be Keitel.

Louis Morgan said...

Weisz - 3(She's just fine in hitting the thin beats to her character which for the most part is being heartbroken over her mistreatment. Then of course she has a monologue at Caine, which is delivered well enough, but so poorly conceived in just how much it tells instead of shows. The monologue completely decides to attempt to give us all of Caine's background in a moment and fails miserably because it does not feel earned in the least. Of course this is not Weisz's fault.)

Dano - 4(Dano really is good in doing the pompous actor routine, and even though this would be an easy time to be extremely mannered and artificial I found Dano surprisingly at ease in the role. Dano's more relaxed is interesting in that he makes us sympathize with a self-important actor, while somehow avoiding the film's own self-importance. Dano infuses some needed natural humor to his part, while still getting his character's journey, of sorts across, while avoiding falling into some of the film's pitfalls despite being the centerpiece in one of its most ridiculous indulgences.)

Fonda - 2.5(Not a one scene wonder in my book as I felt she slightly overplayed the acerbic routine, and like the film she ended up seeming a bit too obvious without making that the point of the character either. She needed to be a breaking point for the character, but Fonda plays it in a too disingenuous fashion for that to wholly work. She's a character that receives quite the build up and does not live up to it)

I originally wrote out my thoughts on the Smoke cast, but they were erased so right now I'll just give you the ratings.

Keitel - 4
Hurt - 4
Perrineau - 4
Whitaker - 4
Channing - 3.5


Anonymous:

30's Directed by William Dieterle

Mills: Clark Gable
Somerset: Walter Huston
Tracy: Myrna Loy
John Doe: Robert Montgomery

40's directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Mills: Dana Andrews
Somerset: Edward G. Robinson
Tracy: Teresa Wright
John Doe: Laird Cregar

50's directed by Richard Fleischer

Mills: Tony Curtis
Somerset: James Stewart
Tracy: Janet Leigh
John Doe: James Mason

Alex Marqués said...

Spacey's work here is the definition of a perfect supporting performance IMO, he leaves an unforgettable impression in spite of his short screentime. Great review!
I really appreciate your insight regarding acting performances and your commitment to this blog, keep up the good work!

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Have not seen it.

Calvin Law said...

Spotlight
Keaton - 5
Ruffalo - 4.5
McAdams - 3 (she just doesn't seem to be Louis' type of actress, although who knows he seemed to like her in Southpaw)
Everyone else - 3/3.5

The Hateful Eight
Jackson - 4.5/5
Russell - 4.5/5
Leigh - 4.5/5
Goggins - 4
Bichir - 4
Roth - 4/4.5
Madsen - 4
Dern - 4.5
Tatum - 4

Anonymous said...

Louis: Here it is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2lRdkNGDcY

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: It looks like McKellen's getting a 5. :)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Is Keitel Lead or Supporting in Youth.

Robert MacFarlane said...

@Louis: I have a few friends who warned me about Youth back when it premiered at Cannes. They said essentially the same thing.

Louis Morgan said...

Alex Marqués:

Thank you.

Anonymous:

Though he would have too old for the part when the film was made, he was good in that scene.

Luke:

I could go either way. He has perspective, but so does Dano. His story feels almost as important as Caine's but in the end Caine is more clearly positioned as the lead. Really if one put the film as an ensemble I'd be okay with that. To be honest I'm unsure at the moment since a valid argument could be made for either category. If he's nominated in supporting, I would not name it as category fraud.

Robert:

Well I'm glad I'm not the only one.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Do you plan on seeing Spectre this weekend.

Calvin Law said...

'A delightful and moving film with a lead performance well worth saving@

This bodes very well for Mr McKellen :)

Calvin Law said...

Luke: Incredibly happy that Louis liked the film, phew :)

Luke Higham said...

Calvin: Me Too. :)

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Yes in regard to Spectre, maybe Spotlight as well if it comes to my theater.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What do you think of these dream groups?
Steiger/Scott/Brando
Leachman/Kahn/Bancroft
Monroe/Remick/Hartman/Wood
Bogart/Bacall/Powell/Loy

Michael McCarthy said...

I completely agree with Louis on Fonda. She didn't put a hint of complexity in her relationship with Keitel's character even when it clearly existed in the script.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis, what's your rating and thoughts on Johnny Depp in Nick of Time?

Luke Higham said...

Locks for the 2015 reviews
Lead Actor
Johnny Depp in Black Mass
Matt Damon in The Martian
Abraham Attah in Beasts Of No Nation
Jason Segel in The End Of The Tour
Ian McKellen in Mr. Holmes
Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs

Supporting Actor
Benicio Del Toro in Sicario
Josh Brolin in Sicario
Mark Rylance in Bridge Of Spies
Idris Elba in Beasts Of No Nation

Calvin Law said...

RatedRStar: Just watched Lan Yu and I have to say it's a shame Shaolin Soccer entirely dominated the awards that year as it was an equally strong, stronger even, HK motion picture, with terrific performances by the two leads.

RatedRStar said...

Calvin: Yes Shaolin Soccer is a pretty enjoyable film, it is probably no surprise that it won most of the awards as Stephen Chow had gotten an overdue factor going for him, I am more disappointed that Lan Yu recieved I believe 13 nominations but lost them all, this isnt as shocking as 2012 when the mediocre Cold War won virtually every award against another 13 nomination loser in The Bullet Vanishes.

RatedRStar said...

Calvin: The Assassin is a film I am very curious about.

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Steiger/Scott/Brando -(Likely be too late for Brando to do anything interesting)

Leachman/Kahn/Bancroft - (I'd assume it be a Mel Brooks comedy, and even when the comedies faltered they usually did not, so I'd take it)

Monroe/Remick/Hartman/Wood - (Can't envision what it would be exactly due to the rather contrasting nature of both the performers and usually the content of their films)

Bogart/Bacall/Powell/Loy - (As two groups of sparing couples it would probably be a lot of fun to watch)

Matt:

Depp - 1.5(A funny thing is that I was quite surprised to learn that it was in fact Johnny Depp who was the lead of the film, not that he disappears into the role exactly, I just assumed it was some standard bland leading man type who never lead many other films. No instead its Depp, giving a very non-Depp performance actually, unfortunately that does not make it a good performance)