Truthfully, what I love about Walken is that he can be the guy from The Prophecy AND the guy from Hairspray. He can act as the intimidating mob boss in True Romance and play opposite Dennis Hopper in one of the most tense scenes I've ever seen on screen, and dance in the Fatboy Slim video, Weapon of Choice.
He is nothing if not a versatile actor. His face is sharp and angular which makes him perfect for the role of the bad guy. My two favorite of his villains are both named Max. Max Zorin from the Bond movie, A View to a Kill, and Max Shreck from Batman Returns. In the Bond film, he has this ridiculous yellow hair that makes him look elitist and weird. He accepted the role that was first offered to David Bowie. In Batman, he is a "friend" to the Penguin and pushes Selina Kyle out of a window creating Catwoman. His character has wild gray hair and is a bit cartoonish, but then, all of them were in the Burton Batman movies.
He's been in The Stepford Wives, Waynes World 2, Wedding Crashers, Annie Hall, and Click to name a few. I think it's fair to say that he plays his comedy with a straight face and his villains with a smirk. Ultimately, both of these things serve to convince you that maybe he is really crazy. Since he's best at playing crazy, it stands to reason his next movie is called Seven Psychopaths. In the clip below, watch him read the part of June from Honey Boo Boo...which is what started this entire journey through this Walken wonderland. It's just fantastic!
What's your favorite Walken role?
I love him in everything (his quick turn in Pulp Fiction is awesome). But my favorite is Blast from the Past (gulity pleasure but I LOVE that movie). Have you heard Kevin Pollack impersonate him? Classic.
ReplyDeletei do love his scene in pulp fiction with the watch! i will check out the impersonation! i have heard a few people do him pretty well.
DeleteEven though he's just the pre-headless horseman...i'll have to say his role of the Hessian Horseman in Sleepy Hollow is my personal favorite.
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