This Friday’s Top 5 comes from my close friend and former bandmate (and the only person so far to put a ban on The Situation), Tim Coslar. As you may know, Tim is currently the mouthpiece for The Invasion and I owe him more favors than probably either of us could count. Take it away, homeboy:
Tim’s Top Five “Good Guys in Movies”
Joe and I love a lot of the same records, but we have different favorite songs from them. Same with films. Joe’s for the sobering brutality in “Goodfellas”, while I’ll take the romanticized hard drama of “The Godfather”. Though I think we’d both pick a rebel artist like Lennon over a smart craftsman like McCartney. Maybe. Anyway, my top 5 “good guys” in movies.
Liam Neeson as Robert Roy MacGregor in “Rob Roy”. He fights a corrupt establishment @ the cost of everything he has, loves, and is. Plus Tim Roth is so good @ being bad in this, you fear and root for Rob even more. Rob’s defining lines: “Honor is a man’s gift to himself. You must never dishonor a woman or malign a man, nor stand aside and let another do so.” “Old men with honor are kings, but not all kings have honor.”
Eric Bana as Hector in “Troy”. He’s out of place when reason is strangled by greed, pride, and superstition. Honor guides his thinking and what he lacks in skill he (almost) makes up for in heart. Defining lines: “I’ve killed men, and I’ve seen them die, and there’s nothing glorious about it.” “All my life I’ve lived by a code. Honor the gods, love your woman, and defend your country!”
Ethan Hawke as Jake Hoyt in “Training Day”. New vice cop is manipulated, slapped around, held @ gun point in 3 LA ghettos, and violates several police rules on his first day on assignment. Denzel Washington is great in this, and Jake Hoyt refuses to break, even in the scariest kitchen scene I’ve ever watched. Defining lines: Well, actions speak louder.
Sylvester Stallone as Jack Carter in “Get Carter”. Sly’s like a samurai in a shark-skin suit, returning home to find out how his honest brother died; or who killed him. Defining lines: I don’t remember exactly what he says to his teen-aged niece. But after what she’s been through and you see them both tear up, you’ll go easy on him for wreaking merciless, indignant fury on the guilty. And Mickey Rourke’s a bad @$$.
Omar Epps as Q in “Juice”. People always seem surprised to know I like some hip-hop. GQ wants to make music and rise above. Respect without intimidation. Tupak Shakur looked pretty comfortable in his role as Bishop. Defining lines: Most effective is Q silently shaking his head “no” on the roof. But the best is when Q tries to talk it out to avoid more violence, and when it fails he drops a beatin’ with his bare hands. Five plus face!
Honorable mentions: Matt Dillon as a remorseful scam-man on a quest in “City of Ghosts”; Russell Crowe as super-intense Bud White in “LA Confidential”; and Javier Bardem as a principled policeman tracking a political terrorist in “The Dancer Upstairs”.
Thanks Tim – have a great weekend everybody.