Revisiting Kurt's Career

I think that is a fair statement. Kurt is easily my favorite actor of all time. I've been a fan since I watched Elvis with my dad when I was ten. It always bothered me when people thought Stallone was SO much better in Tango and Cash because I think Kurt can act circles around a lot of more successful stars of his generation. However, he does not have the bankability that many of them have or had. Even some of his films that were great weren't necessarily box office gold. Let's not forget the ones that were supposed to be huge and just tanked (Poseidon, 3000MTG). I guess I keep hoping he finds that one role that lifts him right to the top like Crazy Heart or True Grit did for Bridges (whose career is actually fairly similar until the last few years).

If your Costner and Cruise statement was directed at my dig in the other thread, that's just a personal issue of mine. I have a hard time watching either of those two (particularly Costner) even though I readily recognize their draw is and always has been bigger than Kurt's.

Your breakdown is pretty good (although I would add Executive Decision to the just-better-than Good category. He does have a lot of "guilty pleasure" movies that, I think, turned out to be fantastic films but only after the passage of time (BTLC, EFLA, Captain Ron, Overboard, and I love Unlawful Entry, hell, I even like Dreamer). He's also got some, like Dark Blue, that didn't quite work at the box office but his acting was top notch. Soldier is another example of a movie that I think is fun to watch. However, in all fairness, the story could have been better and I feel it is thrown together badly. Yet, Kurt's acting in this is phenomenal. Let me also add that Tequila Sunrise is one of his personal bests. The movie had some issues (more with Gibson and Pfeiffer's characters) but it is gorgeous to watch and Kurt knocks it out of the park.

I get frustrated with his lack of star power (I hate saying success because I doubt he views his life as unsuccessful - he's well-liked, seems to love and enjoy his family, he's still healthy, etc) because I truly believe he is an incredibly talented actor. More so than almost anyone of his generation. You just have to really watch his films, even the ones most critics think unworthy.

As a woman I can also tell you that I think he is easily one of the most gorgeous men to ever grace the big screen. I love a true man's man and he is just about perfect from head to toe. Hollywood could do with a few more men like Kurt and less Robert Pattinsons.

Ultimately, I just wish he'd get back out there. I don't care if he makes another classic or another clunker. I just want to see him again. It's been too long.



Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle.

He pretty much seemed tailor made for the highest echelon of star- excellent actor, highly charismatic, and the type of handsome that guys like Harrison Ford and Sean Connery had: uniformly attractive to both men and women. I guess it came down to his role selection- some of them just did not pan out like they were supposed to, and he never found that franchise or pop culture phenomenon to latch onto that propelled him in to the next level of stardom.bHis biggest hits were appreciated later, but did not make a giant splash when they came out.

Stallone had Rocky then Rambo, Travolta had SNF and Grease, Cruise had Risky Business then Top Gun, Gibson had Lethal Weapon, etc. Russell started off with iconic films, but they weren't recognized as such until years later. There were a lot of great leading men in the 80's and 90's, so the competition for projects must have been fierce; he didn't have that extra oomph, I suppose, that enabled him to steal parts from bigger stars.

I completely forgot Tequila Sunrise! I do really enjoy that, particularly as a big fan of Robert Towne. But Kurt is phenomenal in it, I agree.

It baffles me that Kurt never broke out of the mid-level box office hit arena, when guys like John Travolta did. I don't get the attraction- For the past month I have done a little travel through Travolta's filmography, and the guy can be just downright awful. And mostly of the time, just 'meh'.

With Costner, I totally understand why some don't like him. He has this monotone, dead pan delivery (and also an odd pronounciation where he enunciates bizarrely), that I can imagine is off putting. A discrepancy in talent is evident inThe Untouchables in some of the scenes of just Costner and Connery- Connery blows him out of the water. That said, Dances with Wolves is an absolute masterwork, and Open Range is up with Rio Bravo, Unforgiven, and McCabe and Mrs. Miller as one of my favourite westerns.

I am a little disappointed that Kurt dropped out of Django Unchained; it feels like Tarantinto has a big appreciation for Kurt's ability, so I wouldn't be surprised if they collaborate again sometime down the line. I enjoy seeing him onthe big screen, and hopefully he is in something deserving of his talent soon.

Deathproof could've been better. Rodriguez would've done a better job. Good one to Kurt for hopping off that shizt train.

What QT did with Kurt in Deathproof is shameful. It takes maturity to have your villains leave the picture in style, or with a bang, not bitch-slapped to bejeezus, it's just very very stupid not silly to have that as the climax. People a certain age it's just more respectful to let them die with some dignity, or rather if you know you can get someone of Kurt's stature why the hell do you make such a primitive flat character that supposedly everyone should hate thus justifying him being beat to death as the reward for the audience?

Michael, Jason, Mr. Brooks they were antagonists perhaps but when they died it was rewarding and cool not pathetic and stupid.

Bless Kurt for many great movies and
Breakdown should be mentioned more it's a Thriller classic for me personally and it's great to know the guy is stable within his family and successful in business (aint he into wine business now?)

I agree that Deathproof was not QTs best work but I found Kurt's performance to be very enjoyable. He took the character and ran with it. You've got to give him credit for having guts and tackling things other actors may be afraid to touch (BTILC and Captain Ron for starters, even though they are much loved). He's always been portrayed as an everyman who saves the day. It was great to see the tables turned and get his ass kicked. I always felt the idea was that he was your typical bully. He's all bad ass until someone stands up to him. His hatred of women left no room for him to ever think they were capable of fighting back. When they did, he was really knocked of his game. Besides, even if you didn't like how it ended, you've got to give Kurt props for really going all out. Him crying when he poured alcohol on the gun wound was fantastic.





Well, my days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle.

You hit a home run! Kurt did an amazing job for what was given to him. Sorry but I feel the man should be in bigger pictures such as Breakdown not a scapegoat for QT's stupid fantasies.

Kurt would have still been in baseball if he wasn't injured.

Agreed. Kurt is a solid actor, and adds real charisma to his roles. He did what he could with that Tarantino disaster.

Used Cars goes in the "great" category.