Monday, August 29, 2011

I believe

Steve and I finally saw Cowboys & Aliens yesterday. I went in with low expectations and actually had a pretty good time with it. Yes, it was formulaic, often cheesy, and completely lacking in subtlety. But the explosions! And gunfights! And alien abductions! And sweaty cowboys! Hey, I was quite pleased.

Best of all, Daniel Craig had me within the first thirty seconds of the movie. He just . . . he always makes me believe in his characters -- even when they're doing and saying the most preposterous things.

It's what I like best in actors who play action heroes (and here I loosely define action hero as "one who'd prefer to solve problems by fighting rather than talking") -- that ability to own the role so completely that I always see the character rather than the performance.

So whether Daniel Craig is playing . . .


an alcoholic police detective with anger issues


a drug dealer who wants to quit the game


a government agent with a license to kill


or an alien-busting cowboy . . . I BELIEVE!

[BTW, Michael Fassbender also accomplishes this in every role he plays, in my opinion. Whether it be a demon (with eyeliner!), a centurion, a mutant, or a 19th century gothic hero, I always buy into him as character.]

Which action hero actors make YOU believe?

[cross-posted at Livejournal]

6 comments:

  1. You took two of my all-time favorite heroes. Daniel Craig and Michael Fassbender. I have to say that Johnny Depp is also very good at what he does. From Mad Hatter to Pirate, he nails his role every time.

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  2. Nicole -- hooray for similar taste in action heroes! And good point about Johnny Depp. He does seem dedicated to fully inhabiting his various roles.

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  3. Michael -- it's those eyes . . . and I think he might work out once in a while, too. :)

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  4. Daniel Craig *sigh* Johnny Depp *sigh* Harrison Ford as Han Solo or Indiana Jones *sigh*

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