British actor Paddy Considine can do anything, I’m utterly convinced of it. Whether it’s the kick ass/bad ass role in Dead Man’s Shoes, the comedic role in Hot Fuzz or the everyday guy who has found himself way over his head in the opening of The Bourne Ultimatum.
Three very different roles at three different ends of the character acting spectrum.
According to his own blog, Considine claims he has been offered the role of the villain Jigsaw in The Punisher: War Zone. He is said to be reading the script right now and will make his decision either way soon.
Jigsaw is a mobster assassin who attempted to kill Frank Castle but failed and was pushed through a plate glass window scarring his face for life. After a surgeon attempted to stitch his face back together, the result was something resembling a jigsaw puzzle. Of course, Jigsaw wants his revenge and this ruthless killer won’t stop until he gets it.
Considine seems like a good choice to me. He will need to bring the A-Game intesnity he brought to Dead Man’s Shoes but I think he could do it fine. Ray Stevenson fills Thomas Jane’s shoes as Frank Castle when The Punisher 2 opens next year from director Lexi Alexander.
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Okay, let me make sure I got this straight. You have a movie about an American anti-hero being played by a British actor. And his antagonist, another Amnerican character, is being played by an Irish actor. Just another sign (as if we needed any more!) that this movie is simply screwed.
And yes, yes I know, Christian Bale is Welsh and Cillian Murphy who played Scarecrow is Irish, but guess what — I disagreed with the casting of both of them as well. Too many times non-American directors preztel themselves into all kinds of stupid casting decisions in their maniacal drive to offer work to as many of their countrymen (or at least to as few Americans) as possible. Casting people who don’t sound, look or act American to play an American. It’s the most damned annoying thing in the world to have to sit through a movie where some freaking Brit with an inch-thick cockney accent is trying to sound like he’s from Pennsylvania, or New York. But damned is these damned foreign directors don’t think it’s “great!”
On a positive note, while Bale’s laughably horrible “Batman” voice sucked ass, (be honest Matt, you know he sound liked sh*t!) his acting was good, his Welsh accent was under control (it helps that Bale lived much of his childhood in the US) as was Murphy’s, (whose Irish cadence only came out to play a couple of times) but does anyone seriously think Lexi Alexander is anybody’s Christopher Nolan?
Without Thomas Jane, the film is already screwed.
As for foreigners playing parts with accents, I think it really is a case by case scenario. Dick Van Dyke in Marry Poppins springs to mind of course, for an example of one end of the spectrum. But what about Colin Farrell in Tigerland and Phone Booth? Or Gary Oldman in just about any non-English role he’s played?
Regarding your ‘Batman voice’ comments, I’m left only with the desire to fight you. Each to their own I guess.
You cast the right people for the role, regardless of where they are from. If they are the best and can pull off a convincing accent then that’s good enough for me.
As far as Batman’s voice in Begins goes. I will admit I did laugh the very first time he began shouting but I think that was only because I was so taken back at the unexpected direction he went in.
Once I got use to it, the voice made sense. The whole reason for wearing a cowl and cape and a ridiculous costume was to scare the shit out of the thuugs… so putting on that voice just heightens it.