Jan 12 2009
Golden Globe Winner Colin Farrell in Minority Report
The Golden Globes this year were like a lot of awards shows–people winning for film and TV shows I’ve never seen, many of which I have no desire to see. But I was invested in one particular category, Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy (let’s not even talk about the weird combination of apples/oranges there). Colin Farrell was nominated along with the wonderfully talented Brendan Gleeson for a little movie called In Bruges. The following trailer (uncensored, with language) gives you an idea of the quirkiness of the film, but don’t let the comedy fool you. It’s a dark, violent, heartbreaking film that kind of goes a little too haywire at the end, but it’s still a remarkable experience, particularly because of the acting.
When Colin Farrell appeared in Hart’s War, Phone Booth and Minority Report in 2002, he was the Next Big Thing. With his dark, dark eyes and caterpillar eyebrows and bad boy image, he was definitely something different, and had some real acting skill to back up all the cockiness. Then he went on to do The Recruit, S.W.A.T., and Daredevil. Not bad performances, but not really the powerhouse follow-up one would have expected. But he also did roles in smaller, more challenging films like Veronica Guerin, Intermission, and A Home at the End of the World. In the latter film, as well as Alexander, he played a bisexual character–though Alexander’s controversial gay text was more like subtext that got even more ambiguous in later edited DVD versions.
I feel one of his best performances came about in The New World, a lush film both exquisitely beautiful and painful in its harshly realistic portrayal of early settlers and the American Indians they encountered. Watch Colin Farrell in this movie as well as Phone Booth, Minority Report, and A Home at the End of the World, and you’ll get to see the startling range that he has, with both physical and emotional aspects of acting roles. He’s always intriguing to watch, and it’s an extra treat when we get to hear his native Irish brogue, as evident in the above In Bruges clip.
I didn’t really get the whole Colin-as-hot-stud fangirling when he first appeared, but I get it now. If you’re unsure what all the squee is about, rent or buy A Home at the End of the World to see his doe-eyed, beautifully sensitive performance. You’ll be stunned at this different side of him. But here, right now I’ll give you one of his early break-through performances, as a cocky federal agent looking to take down Tom Cruise’s pre-crime investigator in Minority Report. It’s a relatively small role in a big sci-fi adventure, but he’s pivotal to the story and makes a memorable impression with something that could have been a cardboard character in the wrong hands.
Chasing down the suspect… (*Click* all pics for larger images)
Winning in the fight…
Not doing so well in the fight…
Chasing the one that got away… I love that in this role, Colin even has a particular running style. It’s sort of stiff, upright–he’s an athletic guy, but he’s also an anal, arrogant white collar worker and it shows in his movements.
Admiration… I loved this cap, because it’s just this brief flash on screen, when Tom Cruise’s character gets away. He’s pissed at first, but then there’s just this brief hint of a smile as he appreciates the skill of his adversary.
Hot stud in the office…
Following the clues at a murder scene… As he moves around the room in the film, the crisp white shirt and suspenders highlight the nice set of strong shoulders he has…
Figuring out the mystery… A range of expressions as the character basks in his own cleverness, including a gorgeous flash of smile. I like the last one because the light is just right to see that his eyes are in fact brown, though so dark they look black in wider shots.
Hope you enjoyed the Colin Farrell photos. Stay tuned to the Shrine for future Colin goodness. I think I’ve got A Home at the End of the World screencaps around here somewhere…
Minority Report Colin Farrell screencaps, c2002 Twentieth-Century Fox.
I am thrilled Colin won. He’s been overlooked for so long, and you know it’s due to his bad-boy image. God forbid his talent should have been noted.
“In Bruges” was a great film. It’s too bad it didn’t get the wide release it deserved.
I agree that Colin has been terribly overlooked. I double-checked his IMDB stats to be sure I hadn’t missed an award–and while he has won some Brit and Irish awards, he’s gone largely unrecognized at the major events.
I’m so glad he won for “In Bruges”. It’s a startling, unexpected, gut punch of a film…heh…and some of the finest work Colin’s ever done. I was thrilled when I saw the nomination but thought it was a huge longshot that he’d win. It was actually a few seconds before I started squealing when they announced his name because it didn’t seem real…lol. I think he felt the same way!