Re-watching the film again I had a greater appreciation for it, which I'll admit started to creep up on me long since I reviewed Nolte originally, though there are some slightly iffy moments in direction I'd say this has some of the best writing of Schrader's career even if in a way he explores less than it could.
Part of the choices are fundamental within the character of Wade Whitehouse, who I think is really a brilliant subversion of the rough and tumble type that Nick Nolte was often cast in, but here it is turned on its head. Perhaps I needed more exposure to Nolte's body of work to fully appreciate it, or perhaps for whatever reason I just wasn't able to see it at the time. Because Nolte's performance is as a fundamentally broken man that we slowly uncover that fact, while it being readily apparent right away, however within the sort of Nolte oeuvre of this era. Nolte's early scenes are potentially of the tough guy actor who might be onto something, the town is against him, his ex-wife is against him, he might have something to do about it, however none of that is really the case. Nolte's physical work here is remarkable in creating this alternative setting, helped by great costuming where he always seems to have clothing a few sizes too big, however Nolte's typical physical manner is as a man who doesn't at all know how to stand, how to move, how to do much of anything. Nolte isn't lumbering as a giant, rather he is lumbering as a klutz who can barely keep it together one way or another. His whole early scenes of attempting to act as a small town cop, or even trying to be a parent to his daughter, is of the same fumbling fool who can't stand up straight when speaking to anyone, rambles in his delivery to his daughter that is tries to be warm however fails to be so, and even as a cop his acts of trying to "uphold the law" are of the most tepid kind of spineless acts that barely even register. Even the toothache he begins with, Nolte's performance realistically brings that pestering pain as just another thing that sits on the man, and seems to make him far less than what he claims to be.
I think key to his performance is the potential for a better nature, that soon is used up within the narrative, however seems to have some chance by honestly Wade's best moments as a human early on with Sissy Spacek's Margie, where Nolte portrays not this manly man, or even charming lead, rather there seems to be any genuine tenderness in his interactions with her. Again Nolte subverts typical posturing to be really honestly quite meek in the moments of speaking to her with some real warmth, such as when he asks her to marry him as just an idea. Nolte's delivery of the scene brings Wade most unlike how we will see him in terms of being his father's son, because he not only seems to be genuine in his affection, Nolte's performance is without force, rather a wholly honest gentle ask that suggests there is some care within Wade, even if that will be quickly covered up by so many things as the film progresses. Or really regresses very quickly as Wade visits his tyrannical father Glenn (James Coburn), who we previously saw via flashbacks where we saw him a heavy drinker, an alcoholic and violent abuser of his children. Although the strangeness is perhaps, though perhaps painful reality, in this film it is merely part of the reality, the reality that becomes ever present when Wade becomes once again the realm of his father, due to his mom having died from Glenn's neglect that led to death from the cold of their home. An especially disturbing moment due to the way it plays out so matter factly, and we see Wade's discovery as this very subdued, yet potent reaction of resignation to see his mother having died by his father's lack of care.
Coinciding with the family tragedy is the red herring of the film, the Nick Nolte "vehicle" plot where a local hunting guide goes out with a wealthy visitor, the latter who is killed in a strange hunting accident leaving Wade a bit suspicious of the whole thing. Something that Nolte approaches in his performance however with certainty but not the certainty you'd expect from other hard boiled Nolte characters. Nolte's performance though has almost a humorous undercutting quality of the man playing detective as he makes a curious glance here or there whenever it seems like there is some tidbit of information he might be taking from it. Nolte's performance is key in that there is no great genius behind any of Wade's thinking, rather deep down it is something entirely different. We are allowed to play in the vehicle a bit more when Wade converses over the phone, and eventually in person, with his brother Rolfe (Willem Dafoe) who plays into Wade's ideas of the murder and uncovering an entire conspiracy within the town built around the murder. Something where Nolte's performance is inflamed with passion of figuring out this complex situation against Dafoe who seems to push every idea but in this passive way that encourages, but doesn't entirely involve himself. Wade's pursuit finding little other than freaking out his murder suspect to shoot Wade's vehicle, but even Nolte's reaction to that isn't of some eureka but this simplistic befuddlement. Because all of this paranoia nonsense, where such certainties are lacking in Nolte's performance, not against the performance, but rather illustrative of the man going off on completely nonsensical connections of a man seeking purpose out of anything, even deranged conspiracy.
The third act of the film is both that has some of the best moments, but the whole thing seems like too much of a running train to get to the end of things, that is a little surprising as every mistake Wade makes pile on each other, seemingly the catalyst by the introduction of his dad back into his home life and the death of his mother. I would say I think all maybe could've been told in this time, just it isn't paced perfectly as either scripted or edited, regardless Nolte's performance I think most manages to embody the growing tension. Part of that as we see the man's mistake just adds up and Nolte's performance I think works because of the shoddy sort of foolishness of the way he portrays Wade's more brutish actions that scare away all the women in his life, and he seems to represent his father. What I think Nolte does so well by portraying this is because he doesn't show Wade suddenly becoming his dad, rather he shows the man basically replicating the behavior truly learned, but not understood. A strange idea perhaps, but rather what Nolte's performance does is have the moment of the man in conflict with himself, however the fundamental choice is that Nolte portrays this all as a man who isn't aware of that. When we see him lash out randomly at a bar tender, or even at Margie and his daughter he plays this quick instinctual reaction to distress wholly learned, because after each time Nolte looks at it with not quite demented, but very much a man lost in himself as he realizes what he's done not as shame but more of "oh, what'd I do". Nolte presenting a man completely lost in state of inadequacy symbolized in part by the man broken by himself, in this case symbolized, but also literalized by his infected tooth driving him insane to the point he rips it out with pliers, which is great visceral acting by Nolte in making you feel every bit of that pain in the scene. But that isn't the cause of it all, the cause of it is Glenn, and the adult reactions between Wade and Glenn are key to understanding Wade's broken state. The first being his protective outrage when Glenn gets pushy at the funeral, where it is fascinating to see Nolte, common as the tough guy, bring the rage, yet seem so weak in his physical grappling, and Nolte manages to convey the stunted boy in these moments in the way you see the fear in his eyes even as he's tackling an old man. Their final confrontation in particular is brilliant work from Nolte, and what might seem one of the most nonsensical choices, I think is one of his most incredible, when he accidentally kills Glenn in their final fight. Nolte's playful way of pointing the gun at him, with this grin on his face like it is all a game, might seem insane, but rather speaks to the state of Wade as this child forever still in that infantile state by the abuse of his father. It is this strange father/son game even in the fight, and he reacts as though it is all part of that relationship even when it results in this death as Nolte shows the man completely lost within this state of delusion. Which gives logic to his final action of killing the man he's come to believe is a murderer, with this satisfied grin, of a man completely gone mentally, having fully become lost in the delusions so easily created from his traumatic life.
Part of the choices are fundamental within the character of Wade Whitehouse, who I think is really a brilliant subversion of the rough and tumble type that Nick Nolte was often cast in, but here it is turned on its head. Perhaps I needed more exposure to Nolte's body of work to fully appreciate it, or perhaps for whatever reason I just wasn't able to see it at the time. Because Nolte's performance is as a fundamentally broken man that we slowly uncover that fact, while it being readily apparent right away, however within the sort of Nolte oeuvre of this era. Nolte's early scenes are potentially of the tough guy actor who might be onto something, the town is against him, his ex-wife is against him, he might have something to do about it, however none of that is really the case. Nolte's physical work here is remarkable in creating this alternative setting, helped by great costuming where he always seems to have clothing a few sizes too big, however Nolte's typical physical manner is as a man who doesn't at all know how to stand, how to move, how to do much of anything. Nolte isn't lumbering as a giant, rather he is lumbering as a klutz who can barely keep it together one way or another. His whole early scenes of attempting to act as a small town cop, or even trying to be a parent to his daughter, is of the same fumbling fool who can't stand up straight when speaking to anyone, rambles in his delivery to his daughter that is tries to be warm however fails to be so, and even as a cop his acts of trying to "uphold the law" are of the most tepid kind of spineless acts that barely even register. Even the toothache he begins with, Nolte's performance realistically brings that pestering pain as just another thing that sits on the man, and seems to make him far less than what he claims to be.
I think key to his performance is the potential for a better nature, that soon is used up within the narrative, however seems to have some chance by honestly Wade's best moments as a human early on with Sissy Spacek's Margie, where Nolte portrays not this manly man, or even charming lead, rather there seems to be any genuine tenderness in his interactions with her. Again Nolte subverts typical posturing to be really honestly quite meek in the moments of speaking to her with some real warmth, such as when he asks her to marry him as just an idea. Nolte's delivery of the scene brings Wade most unlike how we will see him in terms of being his father's son, because he not only seems to be genuine in his affection, Nolte's performance is without force, rather a wholly honest gentle ask that suggests there is some care within Wade, even if that will be quickly covered up by so many things as the film progresses. Or really regresses very quickly as Wade visits his tyrannical father Glenn (James Coburn), who we previously saw via flashbacks where we saw him a heavy drinker, an alcoholic and violent abuser of his children. Although the strangeness is perhaps, though perhaps painful reality, in this film it is merely part of the reality, the reality that becomes ever present when Wade becomes once again the realm of his father, due to his mom having died from Glenn's neglect that led to death from the cold of their home. An especially disturbing moment due to the way it plays out so matter factly, and we see Wade's discovery as this very subdued, yet potent reaction of resignation to see his mother having died by his father's lack of care.
Coinciding with the family tragedy is the red herring of the film, the Nick Nolte "vehicle" plot where a local hunting guide goes out with a wealthy visitor, the latter who is killed in a strange hunting accident leaving Wade a bit suspicious of the whole thing. Something that Nolte approaches in his performance however with certainty but not the certainty you'd expect from other hard boiled Nolte characters. Nolte's performance though has almost a humorous undercutting quality of the man playing detective as he makes a curious glance here or there whenever it seems like there is some tidbit of information he might be taking from it. Nolte's performance is key in that there is no great genius behind any of Wade's thinking, rather deep down it is something entirely different. We are allowed to play in the vehicle a bit more when Wade converses over the phone, and eventually in person, with his brother Rolfe (Willem Dafoe) who plays into Wade's ideas of the murder and uncovering an entire conspiracy within the town built around the murder. Something where Nolte's performance is inflamed with passion of figuring out this complex situation against Dafoe who seems to push every idea but in this passive way that encourages, but doesn't entirely involve himself. Wade's pursuit finding little other than freaking out his murder suspect to shoot Wade's vehicle, but even Nolte's reaction to that isn't of some eureka but this simplistic befuddlement. Because all of this paranoia nonsense, where such certainties are lacking in Nolte's performance, not against the performance, but rather illustrative of the man going off on completely nonsensical connections of a man seeking purpose out of anything, even deranged conspiracy.
The third act of the film is both that has some of the best moments, but the whole thing seems like too much of a running train to get to the end of things, that is a little surprising as every mistake Wade makes pile on each other, seemingly the catalyst by the introduction of his dad back into his home life and the death of his mother. I would say I think all maybe could've been told in this time, just it isn't paced perfectly as either scripted or edited, regardless Nolte's performance I think most manages to embody the growing tension. Part of that as we see the man's mistake just adds up and Nolte's performance I think works because of the shoddy sort of foolishness of the way he portrays Wade's more brutish actions that scare away all the women in his life, and he seems to represent his father. What I think Nolte does so well by portraying this is because he doesn't show Wade suddenly becoming his dad, rather he shows the man basically replicating the behavior truly learned, but not understood. A strange idea perhaps, but rather what Nolte's performance does is have the moment of the man in conflict with himself, however the fundamental choice is that Nolte portrays this all as a man who isn't aware of that. When we see him lash out randomly at a bar tender, or even at Margie and his daughter he plays this quick instinctual reaction to distress wholly learned, because after each time Nolte looks at it with not quite demented, but very much a man lost in himself as he realizes what he's done not as shame but more of "oh, what'd I do". Nolte presenting a man completely lost in state of inadequacy symbolized in part by the man broken by himself, in this case symbolized, but also literalized by his infected tooth driving him insane to the point he rips it out with pliers, which is great visceral acting by Nolte in making you feel every bit of that pain in the scene. But that isn't the cause of it all, the cause of it is Glenn, and the adult reactions between Wade and Glenn are key to understanding Wade's broken state. The first being his protective outrage when Glenn gets pushy at the funeral, where it is fascinating to see Nolte, common as the tough guy, bring the rage, yet seem so weak in his physical grappling, and Nolte manages to convey the stunted boy in these moments in the way you see the fear in his eyes even as he's tackling an old man. Their final confrontation in particular is brilliant work from Nolte, and what might seem one of the most nonsensical choices, I think is one of his most incredible, when he accidentally kills Glenn in their final fight. Nolte's playful way of pointing the gun at him, with this grin on his face like it is all a game, might seem insane, but rather speaks to the state of Wade as this child forever still in that infantile state by the abuse of his father. It is this strange father/son game even in the fight, and he reacts as though it is all part of that relationship even when it results in this death as Nolte shows the man completely lost within this state of delusion. Which gives logic to his final action of killing the man he's come to believe is a murderer, with this satisfied grin, of a man completely gone mentally, having fully become lost in the delusions so easily created from his traumatic life.
2 comments:
For a while, I was interested in the movie, but that interest died down over the years. Interesting post.
I'd go even lower...
Post a Comment