MovieChat Forums > True Detective (2014) Discussion > Anyone else finding Stephen Dorff steali...

Anyone else finding Stephen Dorff stealing the show?


I know the show is supposed to feature Mahershala, but damn, I find Dorff to be nipping at the heels of McConaughey.

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You’re right, me too. He’s just as good if not better than Ali in his role. As a matter of fact I like his character better compared to Ali’s in “True Detective”

More colorful & fun to play off of than Ali’s. He’s got the better dialogue by far, & we’re not alone. I’m sure many here feel that way.

Mashershsla Ali has got this guilt/angst/tortured/emo thing going on that I just don’t get. Maybe it’s me I don’t know but I don’t particularly care for his character.

Yeah he does a great job acting & all but what does that mean if great as his skill is, you just don’t care the character he’s playing anyway?

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Yup. I don’t find myself feeling particularly sorry for Hays. And maybe that’s fine, maybe that’s just the design of his character. But I did feel sorry for Woodard (the American Indian guy).

Roland comes across as a fully-realized living breathing “human”. And I also love how Roland never goes for the racist bait that Hays is always throwing out there.

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I'm going to be heartbroken if it turns out Roland had something to do with the kidnapping. There were some clues in the last episode. When Hays came out of the bathroom and asked about the car, I believe that was a test. Hays gave that little smirk he does when he's lying in an interrogation. I think he was playing up the Alzheimer's in order to test Roland about something he did see, and if Roland would lie about it. Note that they didn't actually show if there was a car there or not.

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Hopefully it’s a McGuffin or we find out Roland is/was actually trying to protect Hays for a reason we don’t know yet.

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Dorff has the better dialogue and gets to "counter" Ali's brooding and indignation. Ali's acting is brilliant, but Dorff is the more likeable character and he is also very well acted.

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Their duality reminds me of Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Duvall in Lonesome Dove.

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I'm finding Ali's character to be less and less sympathetic with each passing show.

Unconscionable that he never even bothered to read his wife's book until she was dead and gone. That's when he picked up the key clue that Lucy wrote the ransom note.

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They are both killing it in this! IMO better than Harrelson/McConaughey who were great,

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Acting-wise, this show is better than S1. Story-wise and directing, S1 is still definitely on top (so far).
S3 is for sure a step way up from S2 but I fear a let down finale.

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I'd actually reverse that (acting better season 1, story better season 2), but we all win when the product is so good.

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Yeah he’s the real star for me. Ali doesn’t do anything for me as an actor. Very bland, wooden unemotional face. He sucks.

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They were both excellent.

😎

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I think it boils down to the writing. The writer(s)behind Dorff's character killed it with his lines, turning what would have been a good performance into a very good one.

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