Random Noise

Oscar Time: Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Tonight I finished Into the Wild, the last movie I needed to watch to make my selection for best supporting actor. So, here is my thinking, in reverse order as usual:

#5 - Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Tom Wilkinson plays the role of Arthur Edens, an attorney who has spent the past few years of his life building a defense for a multi-million dollar class action lawsuit against an agricultural products company, U-North. His life takes a turn when he has a mental breakdown during an important deposition. He decides that he’s been living a lie defending a company he knows to be guilty. He knows U-North knowingly produced cancer causing chemicals and his new found fondness for one of the victims causes him to pursue U-North rather than defend them.

Tom’s my #5 pick because I didn’t see Arthur’s history in much of Tom’s performance. Arthur is supposedly the law firms most experienced lawyer, someone who has been working the U-North account for quite some time, but also known to be a bit erratic when not taking his medication. But all this is spoken too and doesn’t really seem evident in his performance. Instead we’re introduced to him after he’s off his medication, so we only see his eccentricities. Such a strong and capable lawyer surely would be struggling to balance a mental instability with the logical & reasoned application of the law. I was also disappointed that his character never really explores his affections for one of the victims.

#4 - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War

Philip Seymour Hoffman plays the role of Gust Avrakotos, a frustrated CIA agent eager to help congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) fight against the Soviet incursion into Afghanistan. With Charlie’s help to obtain congressional funding, Gust and a small group of CIA agents help fund the local Mujahideen fighters. Their (US funded) resistance is a success and the Soviets withdraw, but Gust is left disappointed that the US government is not willing to assist the Afgans with rebuilding their society.

Usually I’m a big fan of Philip Seymour Hoffman. I thought he was amazing in The Talented Mr. Ripley, Love Liza, and especially Capote (where he won the Oscar for Best Actor, as I predicted two years ago). I’m not sure who I would cast for this role, but it would not have been Philip. It’s not that he did a bad job - he had the best acting (by far!) in this movie. The problem here is that I don’t think the role is very unique (how many frustrated government employees in bad moustaches have we seen before). His character is entirely predictable, he has no bonds to others, no intriguing morals, no real personal depth. Winning an academy award demands an amazing character and performance, and the character just isn’t Gust.

#3 - Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild

Hal Holbrook plays the role of Ron Franz, an older gentleman living by himself with no immediate family. He meets the movie’s main character, Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) when he spots Chris hitch-hiking and offers him a ride. Chris has been hitch-hiking across the country in a heroic effort to seek personal truth, a reconnection with nature, a freedom that can only be realized through poetic ideals unencumbered by the motions of modern life. Chris’s encounter with Hal is especially memorable because of how Chris challenges Hal’s unconscious assumptions & for the strong bond formed between the two.

Ron is an especially interesting character because he arrives at a turning point in Chris’s travel to Alaska. Chris has already been on the road for some time, and has planned to leave society forever and head to Alaska. Ron is the last person he befriends on that journey. When Ron first meets Chris, he’s clearly confused. He doesn’t understand why a well educated young person would want to ignore his potential and ‘live in the dirt’. Yet as the two get to know one another, it’s clear Ron begins to question who’s actually living the better life - the young traveler, or the old man set in his ways. Their relationship ends on an especially poignant moment - a moment Hal delivers exceptionally well, leaving us wondering what happened to Ron after Chris heads to Alaska.

#2 - Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Casey Affleck plays the coward Robert (Bob) Ford. Yes, apparently every time I mention Robert Ford, I must also remind you that he was a coward for shooting Jesse James (Brad Pitt). The movie moved at a snails pace, chronicling Bob’s affection for Jesse James & for his outlaw lifestyle. Bob’s eager to join his gang of outlaws & be just as much a celebrity as Jesse. Yet his eagerness turns against him as Jesse jokes about his seemingly childish affection. Bob never earns the complete trust of Jesse and his desire for celebrity ultimately causes him to assassinate Jesse. Jesse was considered by many to be the Robin Hood of the wild west, and Bob is forever branded as a coward.

Casey was impressive in this role. At first he’s in awe of Jesse, eager to prove himself worthy of being a member of the gang. He completely idolizes Jesse & trembles when in Jesse’s presence. Yet his obsession turns resentful when his brothers tease him about his admiration, and he fails to gain Jesse’s trust. Gradually we see Casey’s resentment turn into a desire to prove himself better than Jesse, which leads to his assassination. Afterwards his character transitions once again, to that of someone haunted with extreme guilt & resentment. Casey managed to make all these transitions believable - transparent to the viewer, yet complex when viewed by other characters.

#1 - Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men

Javier Bardem plays the role of Anton Chigurh, a professional hitman, hired to collect a bag of money that’s been found Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin). He follows the signal from a tracking device hidden in the bag as Llewelyn tries to escape traveling city to city. He’s quick to eliminate people he believes are sinners (those trying to steal the loot), and he uses the flip of a coin to determine if the innocent should also be dispatched.

This movie was incredibly captivating, largely in part to Javier’s performance. He’s ‘the hunter’, methodically chasing after the stolen money. He’s has no problem murdering those in his way. Yet he’s not a mindless killer - as we follow him, we learn he believes he’s principled in his ways. He uses the flip of the coin to decide what to do with innocents. The tension and randomness of the flip introduces some tremendously tense moments in the film. His encounter with a gas station attendant is especially captivating. I was left holding my breath the entire scene, completely entranced by his performance as he asked the attendant to call the coin-flip without knowing the consequences of being wrong. Javier commanded my attention and put on an amazing performance which makes him my pick for best supporting actor.

I’m down to 6 films left to watch - hopefully I can get through them before the award ceremony!