Gary Oldman

Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg - The Fifth Element.

I alway really enjoyed his Mason Verger in "Hannibal" as well. I know many people think it was overdone, but I think he was hilarious with some of his one-liners, horrifying in some of his actions, and above all, grotesque in every way. That is still one of the creepiest make-up jobs ever, and his voice is just perfect.

If he's your man, you might also want to track down the BMW film "Beat the Devil" where he plays Satan to Clive Owen's driver. Probably the oddest most off the wall installlment of that series.

As for "what happened", I don't think much of anything. There are very few successful actors who, when faced with some success and acclaim, don't gravitate to the paychechk every now and then. If they didn't, it would be akin to starting out in a company and refusing promotion after promotion because you just preferred the mail room. Even actors have kids to feed, and would like to live well and retire. By and large I don't think Oldman has done this as much as some others, as he still pushes himself and seems game for the oddball role every now and then.

He is also probably one of the truest chameleons in the business, which is interesting after some of the iconic roles he's played.

I would also like to add The Professional. His psychotic performance has to be one of the best corrupt cop characters in cinema.

"I love these little calms before the storm."

I didn't care for it either. I know some do, but its so wildly out of step with the rest of the series it just rubbed me the wrong way. Still, if you're an Oldman fan, worth a look I suppose.

I don't think he declined so much as just changed. Drinking may be part of it, and so is marriage and children, and just growing older. A lot of actors have kids and change, because they don't want their entire career to be in films that they can't show and say "This is what Dad does." It may be a stupid reason for a snobby film geek, but to me it makes perfect sense. Diehards will say "sell out", but its this type of thinking that gets cool respected actors into superhero films and comedies and other fun films.

A perfect case in point. I don't think anyone could argue that Depp isn't doing great work, some of his best. But I also think its fairly obvious he's doing different work, and for different reasons. He flat out says a lot that his kids have changed the types of films he does. And that has had benefits for everyone who likes movies.

Leon= The Professional

Gary Oldman is one of those bizarre actors whom I have immense respect for...and will see a movie if he is it...and yet I cannot vividly remember any of his roles...I suppose that is down to the fact that he really does become the character.

Also his directorial effort Nil by Mouth is one of the most incredible movies of the 90s...even if it does make you feel mentally abused by the time the credits role....

[QUOTE=Raiftel]Leon= The Professional [QUOTE]


Whoops, my bad. I knew that.

Count me in with the HANNIBAL supporters when it comes to Oldman, I love the flashback to him cutting his face singing "That's Entertainment." It's just out there and nutty and I dug all of it.

I was beginning to think it was about done for him when I saw SIN, even by DTV standards that was just plain bad. But I enjoyed him BATMAN BEGINS and look forward to seeing him play Gordon again.

His role in LEON is one of the 10 best villains ever, bar none.

For completion's sake I have to mention that he was the best thing about the awful "Lost in Space".

And yeah, I love his whole recounting of his disfigurement in "Hannibal".

"Mason, start peeling off your face."

"It sounded like a good idea at the time."

And I loved his Jim Gordon. So perfect, so exactly as it should be. I was almost surprised at how good he really made that role, and I can only hope they expand it for the sequels.

I loved him in The Contender. His speech to his college that end with, “In this war there will be casualties. So God help me, not among us.”

All this stuff about Oldman purposely slowing down his career for his family is making me respect the sanctity of marriage and shit. Could we please delete it?

His best was at The Professional. He was evil.

My two cents

I adore Gary Oldman. He's definitely one of my favourites, if not my number one actor in cinema.

For my money, his best performance was the subtle, Reagon-esqe villain of The Contender (an excellenet film, incidentally.) Also, his Det. Gordon in Batman Begins showed what else he was capable of; making a dull role interesting.

Then there are his scene stealing OTT parts, my favourite of which is the roof-lifting Drexl of True Romance. That scene is simply rivetting.

There's something wrong with him.  It's not natural that someone can be that talented.  He's just phenomenal.  I just watched Immortal Beloved, in which he plays Beethoven.  It's a Bernard Rose film that never got its due, and he's so incredible in it.  Such an emotional movie.  It just takes your breath away.  A few nights ago I watched him in Bram Stoker's Dracula, and even as campy as the movie is, he's riveting the whole time he's onscreen. 

The opening poster said he had an amazing run from 90 - 96. Fuck that, all about the 80's, man. SID & NANCY, PRICK UP YOUR EARS, WE THINK THE WORLD OF YOU, and the brilliant TRACK 29. Out of the gate he was like 70's Pacino/ DeNiro good.

Out of the mother***ing gate.  Sid and Nancy is mesmerizing because of him.  He was never anything less than completely one with whomever he was playing.  I can't think of a single bad performance.  And that wacky Red Riding Hood doesn't count.  I have to see Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

A thread for Gary Oldman is incomplete without these:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for making that part of my life.

 

I'm liking Oldmans current career, where instead of hamming it up Stansfield-style he grounds a performance by sheer force of talent. TINKER TAILOR underlines this but he's also the MVP of the Nolan Batfilms, which is impressive.

 

Love the guy and I'd watch him in anything (even that mess RED RIDING HOOD)

 

His voiceover work in Kung Fu Panda 2 was actually really great.  

 

I loved his delivery of:  "I don't caaaaare what scars do..."

I was recently lamenting the fact that he's never won, or even been nominated for an Oscar. He's one of those guys whose name immediately makes me think, "give this man an Oscar already!". All that chameleon-like acting and mastery of accents and not even a nomination? Shameful.

 

I guess 25 years isn't a very long career by Oscar standards. I hope he'll get his due someday. I can understand him not getting nominated for all the crazy over-the-top performances of his we love (like the ones giffed above), but he should have at least been nominated for "Sid and Nancy". Up yours, Academy. Wang Kiz.

The Academy is not exactly known for getting it right.  It's almost a badge of honor to get snubbed.  Just ask Stanley Kubrick, Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Peter O'Toole, Albert Finney...

 

Amaze:

 

 

 

Edited by yt - 11/22/11 at 9:42am

Any ideas what the fuck this was about?

Apparently, he was short on cash.

 

Haha....I'll show myself out.

Har har.  Tiptoes is awesome!

Interesting that in the six years since this thread was started Oldman's career has had a kind of second wind. I wonder what it was, that led to that fallow period for much of the 00's?

He was in movies during that period, ie Harry Potter & Dark Knight trilogy; he just wasn't in leads, other than Tiptoes.  That can be a byproduct of growing older.  Nicolas Cage is a perfect example of the reverse of that (though I love the Nic Cage) in that he'll take almost any movie as long as he's the lead and rarely plays supporting characters. 

This times a thousand. Oldman's amazing as Sid Vicious, it's actually my favourite performace of his. While I enjoy his 'Moustache Twirling Villain' thing, I actually prefer Oldman in sympathetic roles. There's an honesty about him that really shines through (See also: Jim Gordon).

 

It wouldn't have been like this if any of you had seen "Sonny"!

 

 

(I have not seen "Sonny").

 

Being peceived as an asshole and drunkard, getting typecast as a villain, and starring in the completely shitty adaptation of The Scarlet Letter (1995), especially during a period when critics where descending upon co-star Demi Moore and looking for a takedown.

 

 

 

Also, apparently Uma Thurman ended her marriage with him, and one of the accusations was, apparently, that he shits with the door open.

I thought it was that he didn't flush after taking a shit. 

I've actually seen Sonny ... twice.  It wasn't much better the second time around but it was definitely more hilarious.  I still respect actors trying their hand at directing.  Oldman did Nil By Mouth, which I thought was brilliant!

I remember Oldman talking back in the day about a follow up writing/directing project called Spanish Fly, which presumably fell through for whatever reason. Oddly google seems to find no mention of this anywhere at all.

 

 

<3  The rest is here.  http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/meaning-of-life-2012/gary-oldman-quotes-0112

Gary Oldman has never let me down. His turn in Leon possibly the best villain I have ever seen. I will watch any random movie on cable if I see him in the credits on the info screen.

Count me among the Gary Oldman fans. One of the best actors in the business.

Is there a person who doesn't like Gary Oldman as an actor? Is there someone who shrugs and says 'meh, never really cared for him. Isn't he just the american Gabriel Byrne'?

 

Does that person exist? Because I've never met them, only people who don't know his work, or know his work and think he's amazing.

 

If they did exist, they would be sorely mocked for not realizing Oldman is English.

Bugger me. I've always thought he was a 'Mericaner. You guys are losing talent like crazy in my eyes. Next you'll tell me your 80's champion turned Governor isn't a native american!

 

I've been a bit scared to comment in this thread, for fear of getting carried away and writing a wall of text. Let me just say the mans been my absolute favorite actor since I was about 14 and wondered how Oliver Stone was able to get a Lee Harvey Oswald impersonator to act so well. I later realized this was also the man Coppola had cast as Dracula and tracked down Sid and Nancy and Meantime. At the time I was an aspiring actor myself - Oldman became my personal thesp hero. I devoured everything he did.

 

That passion for the mans work has never dimmed, even if my ambitions to the method have faded, seeing his comeback and transition to elder statesmen of british thesps has been one of my great movie geek joys of the last decade.

 

Objectively, I think Daniel Day-Lewis may just pip Oldman as Worlds Greatest Living Actor, but subjectively as to my favorite, there's no contest.

 

 

I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I honestly haven't seen a lot of the man's most famous performances: Dracula, Sid and Nancy, JFK, Leon ("EVER-Y-ONNNNE!"), but the man is an insane talent nonetheless. Even in crap like Lost in Space or Quest for Camelot, he's at least enjoying hamming it up.

 

And he's still the most underrated part of Nolan's Bat-films, radiating genuine decency and honor as Jim Gordon.