Thursday 8 December 2016

Alternate Best Actor 1951: Richard Basehart in Fourteen Hours

Richard Basehart did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite winning NBR, for portraying Robert Cosick in Fourteen Hours.

Fourteen Hours is rather compelling hidden gem, despite a few lets slowly explain the psychology of the situation it to the audience moments, about a man standing on a ledge of a tall building threatening to commit suicide.

Richard Basehart plays the man who we first meet as he's already on the ledge apparently waiting to jump off. The film's star I suppose is Henry Hathaway's direction which presents the sort of communal experience in related to the event with almost as much importance as the even itself. The film often wavers from the men though it always come back to him, and the one person he agrees to negotiate with. The man being a random beat cop Charlie Dunnigan (Paul Douglas), who just happens to be one of the first ones to speak to the man. Might as well get the negative out of the way first. Basehart is an actor I've found okay at best in the other films I've seen him in, as the fact that he got his start on stage is immediately apparent. He does have a tendency, in this film as well, to oversell even the most basic lines with the expression of someone making sure those seated in the back rows will hear. It is not that all his line deliveries are bad, but they tend to feel off because of this broad approach which is not necessary on film.

There is much dependent on Basehart's performance, even with the film's wavering focus, particularly in terms of keeping the central tension alive. It must be believed that the man on the ledge, Robert, could jump at any time. Basehart is convincing in this regard as he makes the man's distress absolutely palatable. Basehart importantly never lets up in this, as even in his calmer moments, he still keeps the tense manner in his physical manner, showing the way Robert is almost seized in the anguish that has brought him to this point. Basehart effectively utilizes this throughout the film to maintain the question of whether or not Robert will jump. Basehart, despite this underlying quality always, manages to find nuance with this, and it easy to see how the role could easily been overplayed the whole time. Basehart carefully defines Robert when he can through the moments we are given throughout the story depending on whoever Robert might be interacting with at any given point.

Basehart works very well with Paul Douglas, as the two gradually strike up the right sort of chemistry. There is always a certain gap between them, yet the slow warmth that is created, in moments where Basehart relaxes just over so much are rather affecting. In order to try to get Robert off though they allow others to see him including his parents. Basehart is excellent when his overbearing mother appears as he shows Robert only become even more constrictive and emotional, suggesting he is even more likely to jump than before. When he meets his father, who attempts to reconcile with his son, Basehart conveys the way the initial fierce reaction of fear slowly assuages to a certain understanding. Through these interactions though Basehart is able to allude to the confused state of the man, who is mentally unstable from his upbringing, and is creates the sense of his past that has lead him to this point. It is unfortunate that film decides to have a doctor explain this all this to us, a la Psycho, since Basehart's performance fulfills that need to begin with. Obviously the part is limited in a certain regard, Basehart only moves a few feet throughout the film, yet he makes use of this. I find again his physical performance to be the most remarkable aspect in not only revealing the man's anguish, but as well creating the pressure of certain sequences. Basehart keeps essentially this suspicion in his body language, making that even passing a glass of water a tense moment. Again the center of it are his scenes with Douglas, and through them Basehart believably shows the gradual shift in Robert as he slowly comes back from literally the edge. It's a strong performance by Basehart, even with his overly enthusiastic of line deliveries, that might not carry the film but instead offers its honest emotional center.

80 comments:

RatedRStar said...

Paul Douglas is usually a poor actor but I liked him here 2, I am glad I voted for this to get seen since when I saw this film casually on YouTube I was plesantly surprised.

Anonymous said...

Tamed: Sorry bro, I don't recall any of your hindi film requests

Anonymous said...

Still haven't seen this, but good review. Rating and thoughts on Paul Douglas.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Is Norton in your 2000s supporting top 10 or just outside of it.

Luke Higham said...

Only a week to go until Rogue One is released.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Varun: They were:-
Shahrukh Khan in Baazigar for 1993 Lead
Soumitra Chatterjee in Apur Sansar (The World of Apu) for 1959 Lead
Amjad Khan and Amitabh Bachchan in Sholay (1975 lead and supporting respectively)
Darsheel Safary in Taare Zameen Par (Like Stars on Earth)
Amitabh Bachchan in Deewar for 1975 lead

Calvin Law said...

Luke: I'm seeing it on the 15th :)

Luke Higham said...

Everyone: From what you've seen, as well as word of mouth, who would you say has had the best body of work this year.

I'm going with Andrew Garfield. He's been getting really positive notices from some of the guys on the blog for his work in Hacksaw Ridge and I've heard he's brilliant in Silence.

RatedRStar said...

Off the top of my headI would go with Garfield as well I think this would be my own personal top 5

1) Andrew Garfield
2) Mel Gibson
3) Gordon Lam (For giving his two best performances in the same year for the first time ever in Trivisa which he will get nominated for the HK Best Supporting Actor and excelling as a lead in Nessun Dorma)
4) Peter Berg
5) Amy Adams

Unknown said...

Andrew Garfield and Amy Adams.

Anonymous said...

Tahmeed: They are all good (Darsheel and Bachan being great), except Khan in Baazigar. I prefer Khan in "Dil Se...", "Chak De India", "Kabhi Ha Kabhi Na"

Calvin Law said...

Ryan Gosling, Andrew Garfield, Denzel Washington.

Calvin Law said...

Louis: if you'd like to put your delightful poem on Love Actually onto Film Thoughts, that'd be swell :)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: If you're up to it, could you do some poems on your least favourite films.

Matt Mustin said...

Louis: What's your ratings and thoughts on Jim Carrey in Fun with Dick and Jane?

Robert MacFarlane said...

1. Redgrave
2. Kapoor
3. Howard
4. Werner
5. Basehart

Bryan L. said...

Luke: Andrew Garfield. I read somewhere that he's actually really good in Silence.

Idris Elba has also had a good year, with Zootopia, The Jungle Book, and Finding Dory. He was misused in Star Trek Beyond, but that one is on the film.

Amy Adams as well. She was excellent in Arrival. Nocturnal Animals will start showing in my closest theater this Friday so I might go check it out.

Ben Foster delivered one of the great supporting performances of the year in Hell or High Water. He also paid his mortgage with Warcraft, The Finest Hours and Inferno lmao.

Tom Hanks also had a solid year with Hologram for The King and Sully. Inferno probably added a couple of zeroes to his rainy day fund, I bet.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

1. Redgrave
2. Howard
3. Werner
4. Basehart
5. Kapoor

Anonymous said...

Tahmeed: What do you think of my hindi film performances that i would request?

Here they are:



Nawazuddin Siddiqui-Gangs Of Wasseypur Part 2 (5)

Tigmanshu Duhlia-Gangs Of Wasseypur (4.5)

Manoj Bajpai-Satya (4.5)

Amitabh Bachan-Dewaar (4.5)

Aamir Khan-1947:Earth (4.5)

Aamir Khan-Rang De Basanti (5)

Sharukh Khan-Chak De India (4.5)

Sharukh Khan-Swades (5)

Sharukh Khan-Dil Se... (5)

Naserudin Shah-Sparsy (Translation: Touch... this is a beautiful movie about a blind teacher and his love interest, my friend is became blind when he was 19, this is his favorite movie, if i ever get to request a performance... i will request this one, an absolute 5, second greatest performance of all time)

Mukesh Rishi-Sarfarosh (5)

Mohan Lal-Company (5)

Ranbir Kapoor-Wake Up Sid (4.5, Louis would give him 3.5)

Rangeer Singh-Lootera (5)

Shahid Kapoor-Haider (5)

Shahid Kapoor-Kaminey (5)

Pankaj Kapoor-Ek Doctor Ki Maut (4.5)

Pankaj Kapoor-Maqbool (5)

Saif Ali Khan-Omkara (5)

Ajay Devgen-Company (4.5)

Parest Rawa-Sardar (5)

Abishek Bachan-Guru (5)

Amitabh Bachan-Piku (4.5)

Aamir Khan-Taare Zameen Paar (4.5)

Darsheel Safari Taare Zameen Paar (5!!!)

Irfaan Khan-Paan Singh To Maar (5)

Anupham Kher-Saaransh (4.5)

Om Puri-Ardh Satya (5)

Nana Patekar-Parinda (5)

RatedRStar said...

Finally caught up with 3 movies, Best Supporting Actor is looking great this year as well, not a single bad performance could get nominated at the moment.

I am surprised people aren't as excited, there are hardly any bad performances that will get nominated so far so at the moment its all looking great.

Lion
Nocturnal Animals
Florence Foster Jenkins

Anonymous said...

Happy 100th birthday to Kirk Douglas. What a badass actor.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

Varun: I haven't seen a few of those performances, but I wholeheartedly agree with you about SRK's, Bachchan's and Aamir Khan's performances. Naseruddin Shah was also incredibly powerful in Sparsy.
If you would want someone to be reviewed for 3 Idiots, who would it be? My favorite of the cast is actually Sharman Joshi's powerful work, which is underrated by most people. I'd give Aamir a 4.5 for that film as well.

Tahmeed Chowdhury said...

RatedRStar: What would your rating and thoughts be on Dev Patel's work in Lion?

Giuseppe Fadda said...

@RatedRStar: and Kidman as well.

Anonymous said...

RatedRStar: Your thoughts on the film and Rooney Mara as well?

Anonymous said...

Varun Neermul: I did nott really like "3 Idiots". But i would give Aamir a 4 for his performa ce. My favorite is also Joshi, he wouĺd get a 4 from me.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

I know you don't care for Love Actually and I really don't either, but didn't you even like Emma Thompson's performance? I really loved her and she was the movie's saving grace.

Calvin Law said...

I've heard Kidman is the standout in Lion.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Did I miss something with Louis and Love, Actually?

Giuseppe Fadda said...

@Robert: He posted a comment under Calvin's last post in which he expressed his thoughts on the movie with a small, hilarious poem and let's say his not a fan.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

*he's

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Your ten most anticipated films of 2017.

Mine are:
Dunkirk
The Snowman
Logan
Paul Thomas Anderson/DDL Film
War For The Planet Of The Apes
Blade Runner 2049
T2: Trainspotting
Three Billboards
Annihilation
Star Wars: Episode VIII

Anonymous said...

RatedRStar: Did you like Hugh Grant in Florence Foster Jenkins?

Calvin Law said...

I really liked Grant in FFJ and glad he's getting love even if it is category fraud.

Calvin Law said...

Luke: for me,

Star Wars VIII
Trainspotting 2
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Baby Driver
Dunkirk
Paul Thomas Anderson/DDL film
Three Billboards
Blade Runner 2049
Darkest Hour
Thor: Ragnarok/Logan

RatedRStar said...

I am not the best at explaining films but I will try...

Lion is an decent enough film, I felt an emotional rush certainly from its last half act and felt the performances were good enough to carry some of the limitations and predictability of the script which seemed to be just formula driven.

Dev Patel (4) Definitely his best work I have seen, I feel the script limits him to the same emotions and reactions which can get a little repetitive after a while, I also felt the film sometimes did the emotions for him in a 127 Hours kind of way, however he is certainly likable and takes a rather low key approach to carry a lot of the film but his best scenes are his scenes with....

Nicole Kidman (4) The MVP I would say, her scenes with Patel are the highlight of the film, particularly in her love for her son but also her sadness and disappointment in his sons search for his family rather than stay with his adopted family who cared for him, the film goes for a too simple approach to this situation with the adopted family and real family but Kidman always provides the right amount of power to loving her son which she calls her own.

Rooney Mara (2.5) Maybe I am being a bit harsh but I was a little disappointed that she would go from Carol to a purely one note supporting role, she is certainly loving enough and has a fine enough chemistry with Patel but there really isnt too much more than that, certainly fine enough.

Yes I did like Hugh Grant in Florence Foster Jenkins.

I am surprised that I wasnt asked to rate my 3 favorite performances out of the 3 films =D lol.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

@RatedRStar: ratings and thoughts on the cast of Nocturnal Animals and Meryl in Florence Foster Jenkins?

Anonymous said...

@RatedRStar: Who are the three best performances out of the three films in your opinion?

Louis Morgan said...

Finally saw Nocturnal Animals.

Anonymous:

Douglas - 4(He also has a little bit of a tendency to go big a few times like Basehart, particularly when he yells at Basehart at one point. The rest of the time though I really liked his performance in the way he realized the cop as an average Joe in a honest way. I particularly liked his more casual moments as he brought a real heart to the proceedings, all the while he still kept alive the right undercurrent of intensity always keeping the sense that he knows what could happen at any moment.)

Luke:

He'd by my number 10.

Most Anticipated:

1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2. Dunkirk
3. PTA/DDL film
4. Baby Driver
5. Blade Runner 2049
6. The Snowman
7. Logan
8. John Wick 2
9. Alien Covenant
10. Guardians of the Galaxy 2


Calvin & Luke:

I'm glad you enjoyed that, but I'll admit it was just a lark, since I was being the Grinch after all. In the future, with the right film, I might have to rhyme again though.

Matt:

Carrey - (I don't think there is such a thing as Carrey really phoning in a performance, but there are times where his energy just seems to be a complete waste. That's the case here where you can see him going for laughs, but they just don't hit here at all. Also I think he might have been a little bit of poor casting since Carrey seems a little off the wall no matter what, therefore it's not really all that funny when this "straight businessman type" goes off the wall in the second half of the film.)

Luke Higham said...

Louis: Thoughts on the film and ratings and thoughts on the cast.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: The Light Between Oceans is now online.

RatedRStar said...

Shannon, Johnson and Grant were the 3.

Streep (4) A pretty simple role actually but she is endearing, you certainly want her to succeed, I really loved her chemistry with Grant as they absolutely make a supportive winning couple,

Nocturnal Animals:

Adams (2.5) I dont think this quite works, I feel that the film wants to take sides with both Jake and Amy and I just felt that didnt work, purely because Adams' character is not likable in the slightest, in the scenes where she is supposed to be cold she is actually fine but in the scenes where she is supposed feel regret it never feels believable, why Jake would fall for this person makes no sense either which leads to.....

Jake (4.5) I was going to give him a 4 but I feel he does have some fantastic moments, for me his performance as Tony was easily the better of the two, his depression and desperation worked completely for me as a rather cowardly sort who has no idea what to do, while the real world Edward is still fine for me, he is kinda limited as just a desperate jealous man being dumped although he still hits the right notes I felt.

Shannon (5) A pretty memorable character who should have his own noir, just hearing his voice and being in his presence gives the film a much needed edge as he basically tears into each scene with an unpredictable creepy menace who isnt afraid of doing anything outside of humanity and is in completely control of each disturbing situation.

Johnson (4.5) I cant explain really with this one except that he is insanely creepy and makes you easily fear him, thats all there is to say but boy he does it well.

Linney (2) Her character is a joke, how would she know if Jake was too weak for Adams? she is hardly in it at all aside from that Linney doesnt add anything.

Hammer (2) Gordon Lam 2.0, except now that Lam has given a great performance that leaves Hammer as just meh, he doesnt add anything that would make Adams fall for him, just wasted.

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Where to begin with this one. Well Tom Ford does have an interesting visual aesthetic, which was also the case for A Single Man, but I didn't care for a Single Man, and in the end I did not care for this film either. The film has its two stories. I will admit the thriller side was the better side, and better by it was the only side I found engaging in the least. This is not to say it was a particularly remarkable example of the genre, very standard, basically a standard b-thriller you might find in the 50's just a bit more explicit, more compelling visually, and it is elevated by two supporting performances, one expected, one rather surprising.

The other half I suppose one would expect is what makes that something greater through the context. The actual framing of it is almost ridiculous at times, as how many moments do you really need to see of Amy Adams taking off her glasses well being apparently overwhelmed the emotional content of the book. It is the kind of the film just wanting you to interpret so very badly, as it tells the story of a vapid woman who ends up living a shallow vapid life by her mistakes due to her own vapidness that she claimed to above but was as vapid as the rest of them. A story that has been perhaps done before, but hey execution is often what matters more. The execution offers little, as Ford fails to truly pierce beneath his shiny surface to find any real emotional truth about it. Hey he throws some images one would assume are there to shock the viewer, whether it is jump scare that wold be appropriate in any z-grade horror film, or the film's opening credit which seems ripped straight from Bobby Peru's entrance in Wild At Heart. All that flash does little to hide that the film is as thin as its protagonist.

Saving Taylor-Johnson and Shannon.

Adams - 2.5(She is unable to really imply much of anything within her performance, nor does she really choose an exact path, a mistake Ford makes as well. That is there is no sense if this is meant to be a more stylistic characterization or the portrayal of a honest person in this situation. In either case Adams offers little to the role, and seems often just another piece of clothing or set decoration for Ford to play with)

Gyllenhaal - 3.5(He is reasonably effective in the thriller section in portraying just the emotional pain in the character, though I do think he ends up going too far with his final breakdown, and he is very much overshadowed by Taylor-Johnson and Shannon. His other half I felt was inert along with the rest of the portion. He does not go into as problematic of territory like a few of the other actors, but he never engages in the way he needs to.)

Hammer and Sheen - 1.5, 2(They add nothing to their roles, and just there fumbling with something I'll get to in a second. Well Hammer is even worse at than Sheen I'd say.)

Linney - 1.5(Okay she is the personification of the problem with the "real" half which I believe wants a Lynchian style to the performances, but Ford is unable to achieve this. He does not create an overarching consistent style that works in tandem with the material. It is also problematic because the actors just don't pull it off either. Linney is outright terrible in her extreme caricature that isn't funny nor does she seem genuine in a single second of her performance. The only person in the "real" section that seems to get the idea is Jean Malone, but she's only there for like 30 seconds.)

RatedRStar said...

Louis: Seems like we are pretty much in agreement I would say except Jake perhaps =D, rare for us eh? lol.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Yeah, basically.

Luke Higham said...

Everyone: What are your favourite TV performances this year.

Male:
Paul Dano in War And Peace
Kit Harington and Liam Cunningham in Game Of Thrones
Jeffrey Wright and Anthony Hopkins in Westworld
Sam Heughan and Tobias Menzies in Outlander
Jared Harris and Matt Smith in The Crown

Female:
Millie Bobby Brown in Stranger Things

Luke Higham said...

And Jeffrey Dean Morgan in The Walking Dead.

RatedRStar said...

Louis: Even if our explanations are kinda different lol but hey ho I guess its good enough lol

Robert MacFarlane said...

Barely watched much TV this year. Sophie Turner on Game of Thrones and Michael McKean on Better Call Saul I guess.

Luke Higham said...

Now I'm really starting to regret requesting 'The Witch' guys.

Hell, I'm willing to declare both of my requests null and void, if Louis allowed me to.

Anonymous said...

Louis: Your cast and director for a 1950's version of Nocturnal Animals.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Why are you regretting "The Witch" guys?

RatedRStar said...

Speaking of Laura Linney and Love Actually, I thought she was pretty poor in that as well.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: Hardly seen much TV this year except The Grand Tour and aside from the first episode I think its been pretty average so far.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

I really liked Adams more than you. I thought she realistically depicted her character's flaws but also managed to be quite moving in her portrayal of her character's realization of her mistakes. And I still think Jake was great. I care less and less for Linney the more I think about her though: I still do think she was okay but she is indeed a bit too much.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: It's not for their quality by any means. I predict a 4/4.5 for both of them. The reason I'm worried, is because I didn't expect Supporting to look anywhere near as strong as I thought it would and I'm quite sure the academy will make one or two fuck-ups come nomination morning.

With Supporting, theirs probably gonna be 15 or so performances that Louis will have more appreciation for than my requests and I really don't what Michael and Robert to be pissed off about a 5 star performance not being reviewed.

Lastly, we still have Moonlight, Silence, Rogue One and others for Louis to watch.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: If a requested performance is good thats all that matters, doesn't matter if it doesn't get a 5 =D, most performances in the bonus reviews wont get a 5, I am sure Louis knows that.

I was shitting myself back in December 2011 when I said that Claude Rains in Notorious was wonderful without knowing what Louis thought of it, for all I know back then Louis could have given that performance a 1 if he wanted and that would have been bad, I am pretty sure the Witch Guy will do fine lol.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I trust Louis enough to like them, which I'll be happy with. :)

I'd be even happier if he did both guys as an extra than part of the prediction contests or move them to the bonus rounds instead.

RatedRStar said...

As long as Louis sees the performance thats all that matters =D thats why I was desperate for him to see Jakub Gierzal lol even though I was pissing myself because he was basically reviewing the closest person to myself so if he gave Jakub a 1 he was basically giving me a 1 lol.

RatedRStar said...

Louis: If you were to review me as a person on this blog rating my knowledge and my manner would you give me a 3.5 lol xD?

Giuseppe Fadda said...

By the way, I agree Hammer was pretty awkward in Nocturnal Animals I thought Andrea Riseborough really gave the worst performance. I thought her single scene was downright awful.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: I'd get a 3.5 leaning down slightly (I admit, I ask Louis way too many questions and ask for some of the same once every week 'Seen anything new lately'). :)

Louis Morgan said...

Luke:

Supporting isn't too congested yet.

Anonymous:

Nocturnal Animals (1950's directed by Powell/Pressburger)

Susan: Deborah Kerr
Edward/Tony: Montgomery Clift
Hutton Morrow: Richard Crenna
Anne Sutton: Greer Garson
Detective Andes: Burt Lancaster
Ray Marcus: Steve McQueen

Giuseppe:

Oh Thompson's good in it, its the direction, the tone and the writing more than the acting that makes the film so cringe worthy for me.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar: Psifonian would definitely get a 5. Despite not being on the blog much lately, his prediction record is unparalleled.

Luke Higham said...

Louis: But if it does in your opinion, at least have a think about it.

Anonymous said...

RatedRStar: You seriously thought Louis would give Rains a 1 for his performance in Notorious?

Álex Marqués said...

Luke: I could include Evan Rachel Wood in that list of tv performances, she's brilliant in Westworld in my opinion.

Luke Higham said...

Alex: I liked her very much as well.

RatedRStar said...

Luke: He would probably deserve it to be fair lol

Anonymous: I didnt think he would but you I am sure you know what I mean, I didnt ( and still to an extent) think I knew anything about films so I thought my opinion would be the opposite from someone who is pretty experienced with films lol.

Giuseppe Fadda said...

@Louis: Oh I completely agree about the movie itself. I basically hate every single storyline with the exception of Thompson's and to a lesser extent Neeson's. I also thought Knightley's storyline's final scene was kinda cute but that's it.

Luke Higham said...

RatedRStar & Calvin: Have you seen Rillington Place with Tim Roth as Christie.

RatedRStar said...

I am about 50/50 with Love Actually, I like some of it and dislike some of it, depending on which story.

Luke: I did actually see about 15 minutes of it, I thought Roth seemed fine but I cant comment more than that.

Bryan L. said...

The early reviews for Silence has Issei Ogata as a standout of the film and that he could be the Christoph Waltz of this awards season. I think I speak for many of us when I say that I expected Neeson to be a candidate for Best Supporting Actor haha. Garfield now has to decide whether to campaign for this or Hacksaw Ridge.

Louis Morgan said...

94dk1:

Supporting actor ought to be interesting, I'm not ruling out Neeson yet as the Academy could embrace the name, since it is not as though Neeson is receiving negative reactions, over the unknown still.

Anonymous said...

I am quite frightened of the idea of a Hans Landa type performance in a Martin Scorsese film, could be quite scary in a Joe Pesci kind of way =D so Ogata I am curious about.

Anonymous said...

Louis: What are your thoughts on John Goodman as an actor?

Anonymous said...

Louis: Apparently Holden was the first choice for Power's role in Witness for Prosecution, but he turned it down.

Robert MacFarlane said...

Louis: I know he's saddled with terrible dialogue, but don't you think McGregor is too low on the 2005 Lead rankings for Revenge of the Sith?

Louis Morgan said...

Anonymous:

Goodman - (You thought it rather silly when some of the reactions to 10 Cloverfield Lane acted almost in surprise to Goodman's ability with a dramatic performance, since Barton Fink had so long ago proven Goodman's greatness as an actor with drama and comedy. Goodman excels at both whenever given the opportunity to do, and it is rare that he does not offer at the very least an interesting addition to his films. This can either be for the laughs or offering a completely unique presence. He's capable of so much more than so many seem to realize. Whenever he has the material he absolutely delivers.)

Anonymous:

I'm sure Holden would have done well in that role, but I think he would have made the twist easier to see. Not to mention I wouldn't want to take away Power's best performance from him.

Robert:

You know I happened to casually rewatch the film just a few weeks ago, which is why Ian McDiarmid went down once again. Watching though again McGregor only really shines in final duel. He is a step up from everyone else the rest of the time but still his performance stays awkward due to the material, and I'm sure Kermit The Frog's direction. There's his stilted banter in the early scenes, that weird enthusiasm in the Grievous fight, and I'm pretty sure he's cracking up while delivering the infamous "younglings line".

Anonymous said...

Louis: I think you'll prefer Power in Nightmare Alley.