Random Noise

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Next up, my selection for best actor. My thiking, in reverse order:

#5 – Tommy Lee Jones, In the Valley of Elah

Tommy Lee Jones plays the role of Hank Deerfield, a former military officer who investigates the disappearance of his son who has returned from Iraq. When his son is found murdered, he helps a local detective Emily Sanders (Charlize Theron) investigate. The story has a mild set of twists and turns, but nothing overly surprising. Eventually they piece together what happened the night his son was murdered.

As explained during the movie, the title refers to the valley where David fought Goliath. Hank uses this story to illustrate that much is possible when you conquer your fears, also that things aren’t always what they appear. In many ways, this is an analogy to many parts of the plot line. Hank has a shrine to his Army son at home and believe’s he’s every bit the respectable soldier that he was. Yet this reality falls apart the more Hank investigates exactly who his son was. Just like David, Hank must push past his fear that his son was not completely honorable. Tommy does a good job with this, but I felt the role was fairly straightforward, and others could have played the part just as well. Tommy’s role as Sheriff Ed Tom Bell in No Country for Old Men was a much better performance.

#4 – Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Johnny Depp is Benjamin Barker, a barber falsely arrested by the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) who has the hots for his wife. After returning from imprisonment he adopts the name Sweeney Todd and plots his revenge against Judge Turpin. He’s unable to capitalize on an opportunity to murder the Judge and instead takes out his anger on innocent visitors to his barber shop. Eventually the Judge does return and Todd is able to get his revenge. As you probably already know, the entire film is a musical – there’s little direct dialog from Depp, nearly all his of his lines are sung.

I was impressed that Johnny Depp did all his own singing in this film. His songs are very moody and draw you into his character. The lack of direct dialog means we’re drawn more to his eyes, body language and mannerisms – all qualities that Depp is skilled at (think: Captain Jack Sparrow, or Willy Wonka). As a result this role is an excellent fit for him and the result is quite memorable.

#3 – Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Viggo Mortensen plays the role of Nikolai, a driver for Kirill (Vincent Cassel), the son of a Russian mob boss Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl). They operate out of Semyon’s restaurant in London. Nikolai is the cleanup man for the operation and handles the disposal of bodies as well as the protection of Kirill. When Kirill kills a rival Chechen leader, Semyon hatches a plan to save his son from their revenge. He promotes Nikolai (giving him the same distinctive tattoos) then tells the Chechen’s that Nikolai is actually the one they’re looking for. This culminates in a brutal fight scene in a Russian bath house.

I think Viggo is a strong actor, he played the role of Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings series, and was the star of A History of Violence. In this role he has a really interesting character – the movie unfolds showing him as an integral part of the mob – he has a thick Russian accent and a slew of tattoos that attest to his rank. Yet as we follow the escapades of Kirill, who brings Nikolai everywhere he goes, we learn that Nikolai has a good & pure heart. The conflict leaves you feeling uneasy, as if you don’t really understand what Nikolai is all about, yet he’s confident in his actions. When it’s later revealed he’s an undercover police officer things drop into place. I found myself rethinking many earlier parts of his performance as a result… Ohh, and that brutal fight scene? It’s very intense. Roger Ebert says it "sets the same kind of standard that The French Connection set for chases. Years from now, it will be referred to as a benchmark." You’ve been warned.

#2 – George Clooney, Michael Clayton

George Clooney is Michael Clayton, an attorney at a large New York law firm who’s often called upon as a ‘fixer’. He will go anywhere at anytime to help important clients and important cases with difficult issues. One such case is the U-North case. The lead defense attorney, Arthur (Tom Wilkinson), has gone off his medicine and caused a scene during a deposition. Michael tries to help Arthur, who’s also a longtime friend, but a few days later Arthur mysteriously dies. Michael breaks into Arthur’s apartment and finds that he was actually building a case for the prosecution. Michael suspects foul-play, and when his car is also blown up (luckily not harming him), he finishes the job Arthur began by confronting U-North with the incriminating evidence Arthur found.

George Clooney does a really good job in this film – his character has just the right balance of affection for his friend Arthur, aspirations for a better career, bad habits, and moral integrity. George plays the role without going over the top in any one these areas, which makes him very relatable. He has a commanding presence in many scenes, forcefully dishing out his agenda & taking control of key moments – such as advising an important client who’s hit a jogger, and in the final scene where he confronts a director at U-North. For all these reasons, he ranks highly in my picks this year.

#1 – Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Daniel Day-Lewis is Daniel Plainview, an oil speculator in the late 1800’s, early 1900’s. After doing the digging & striking oil on his first well, he goes on to manage his own oil prospecting company. One day he’s approached by a man named Paul Sunday (Paul Dano) who tells him that he knows where oil is so plentiful, it seeps out of the ground. Daniel follows his lead to the small town of Little Boston, and after confirming his claim buys up all the land he can and begins drilling. Many things happen during his quest for oil in Little Boston, his adopted son loses his hearing due to a drilling accident, a man claiming he’s Daniel’s brother is revealed as a fraud, and Daniel must play nice with an influential local resident, Eli Sunday (Paul’s twin brother), to keep up appearances. This is a really broad summary of the movie (which is almost three hours) – there’s much more going on here than I can write in a paragraph.

Anyway, Daniel Day-Lewis is my pick for best actor this year. His character is dedicated to his business. He cares about nothing else (not even his own health as shown in the beginning) – he’s 100% focused on being absolutely the best oil man possible. This personality trait comes into conflict many times during the movie. What’s interesting is how Daniel resolves each of these conflicts in different ways. One common theme is how the intensity at which he deals with these conflicts increases as his oil business grows. By the end of the film, he’s developed such a distaste for others that he ends up disowning his son and killing another almost as if to only amuse himself. It’s an amazing and eerie performance.

Next up – best director, then best picture. Hopefully I can get both posted before the Oscars begin tomorrow night.