I thought Malcolm McDowell was perfect for it, and that Paul Bettany was wrong for it. McDowell was extremely naturalistic in the role, believable as a jealous psychotic. While Bettany seemed like exactly what he was in real life, a young actor trying his hardest to look cool and doing his very best Goodfellas impersonation. The older generation of actors exuded a natural cool and toughness. There are few actors from the new generation who are able to naturally exude that same energy, and when they try it usually comes off as forced and transparent. The whole "look at me" scene in that guy's kitchen was painful to watch, Bettany was just trying so hard there.
Where they are going wrong I think is they are trying to be what they grew up watching. But that's not them, and when they ape those characters it comes off as extremely forced. The scenarios and actions of their characters are heavy enough, they don't need to ham it up. If they had the guts as actors to not try playing it cool and instead play it straight, they'd come off a lot more realistic and scary.
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danwiild
10 years ago
You hit the nail on the head for everyone, except Paul Bettany. I grew up in East London, and he reminded me of a few real characters I met.
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