would indicate. He had a low tolerance for bullshit and he paid a high price for his attitude. I have been a fan since The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984). That movie made me go back and watch his bit in Body Heat (1981), Diner (1982) and the juicy role as "Motorcycle Boy" Coppola gave him in Rumblefish (1983). He pretty much held your eye whatever the part. Then, despite a bashing from critics, I thought he was great in Year of the Dragon (1985), an overlooked Cimino piece. He had
two great characters to portray in 1987 when he starred as the tortured lead in Angel Heart (with De Niro as the devilish Louis Cyphre) and the title role in Charles Bukowski's unofficial biop Barfly, a great flick if you like dark stuff. He was at the top, with access to the best roles and matinee idol looks to back up his acting chops. The top directors were using him regularly when 9 1/2 Weeks came along. It's a quirky film, I liked it but didn't love it. It was directed by Adrian Lyne who reportedly did what he could to bury Rourke for his behavior and disposition on the set. With Rourke doing little to dispel those notions, a few other indiscretions nudged him into a different light to those that determined his choices.Then, the wheels came off. Professionally and personally. Those deciding who gets what chose to teach him who really was the boss. He responded with full blown self destruct, boozing and beyond while changing his focus to an ill-advised career in boxing.
The result is obvious. Through the worst of times he still made you look in small roles thrown his way by various friends. The best of these IMO is his take on a meth chef known as "The Cook" in the small indy film Spun (2003). Great performance. So, now with The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke returns to the "A" list after an extended visit to the other side. Here's hoping
that he clears the last hurdle to the mainstream.
that he clears the last hurdle to the mainstream.
No comments:
Post a Comment