Timothy Olyphant :: Hollywood Elsewhere

Timothy Olyphant

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After doing an above-average job with a romantic lead role in Catch and Release, Timothy Olyphant is back wearing his evil-and-dangerous mask in Live Free or Die Hard. One-trick-pony villains embody the very essence of movie boredom, and Olyphant has always been a multi-colored performer -- a witty darkman with a touch of perversity, a clever kidder, an existential tightrope walker, an absurdist comedian.

I haven't seen every last Olyphant performance, but his drug-dealer character in Go is, to my mind, still the best thing he's ever done. He's been fine in a lot of things since (I liked his work in Deadwood), but he's never played anyone as darkly brilliant and funny and surprisingly vulnerable as Todd Gaines, the bare-chested wise ass with the Santa Claus cap and the ecstasy tabs. That character was written and performed with just the right balance and attitude.

"Die Hard" is yesterday's news<< previous | next >>Weekend tracking

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 26, 2007 at 9:22 AM

comment #1

BurmaShave says ...

He was pretty good as a gay man in THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB. That was what first brought him to my attention. I am the center of the universe, by the way.

Posted by BurmaShave at June 26, 2007 9:42 AM

comment #2

Josh Massey says ...

I thought he damn near deserved Oscar nominations for his supporting work in Go and - seriously - The Girl Next Door. The latter was a shitty movie, but he was absolutely fantastic in it.

Posted by Josh Massey at June 26, 2007 9:47 AM

comment #3

BNick says ...

He's a simmering pot of righteous intensity in Deadwood. Seriously, he did virtually every scene with his teeth and fists clenched. And it was awesome.

Posted by BNick at June 26, 2007 9:58 AM

comment #4

Joe Leydon says ...

Josh: You are so right about Girl Next Door -- crummy movie, but Olyphant rocked.

http://www.movingpictureshow.com/archives/mpsGirlNextDoor.htm

Posted by Joe Leydon at June 26, 2007 10:09 AM

comment #5

Ian Sinclair says ...

I have seen Live Free and Die Hard and found it a lot of fun. It is well-made, the CGI is minimal, Willis is in very good form, the dialogue is snappy and it is altogether a first-rate summer action picture. Olyphant, bland as all get out, is the worst thing about the picture.

Posted by Ian Sinclair at June 26, 2007 10:14 AM

comment #6

Rich S. says ...

One of the problems with the Die Hard movies is that every villain has to try to live up to Alan Rickman in the first one, and that's damn near impossible to do.

Posted by Rich S. at June 26, 2007 10:22 AM

comment #7

Monument says ...

"The Girl Next Door. The latter was a shitty movie, but he was absolutely fantastic in it."

I have a friend who teaches a film class and uses this movie as an example of bad directing. He actually breaks down different scenes and points out every bit of bad blocking, camera angles, cuts... good performances notwithstanding, that film is an absolute turd.

Posted by Monument at June 26, 2007 10:43 AM

comment #8

The Winchester says ...

The trailer for Hitman was rleased to JoBlo today, too. He looks pretty badass, but the movie could go either way.

http://www.joblo.com/hitman-trailer-hits

He rocks in Go, and he and Jason Lee were the only good things in Dreamcatcher. I'll mostly see amovie he's in just because of him.(Like everyone else who's seen Girl Next Door)

Posted by The Winchester at June 26, 2007 10:46 AM

comment #9

jeffmcm says ...

Monument, does your friend talk about any of the other aspects of directing? Performance/music/editing/development of themes?

Posted by jeffmcm at June 26, 2007 10:49 AM

comment #10

Monument says ...

Of course he does, I thought the ellipsis implied that there was more, but perhaps not. The thrust of it was the nuts and bolts aspects that the director is responsible for. A good editor, music supervisor, and actors can make any director look much better than he or she actually is.

I'm not saying Luke Greenfield is a hack by any means, but that movie, in particular, blows.

Posted by Monument at June 26, 2007 11:04 AM

comment #11

Nick Rogers says ...

Nothing about "Catch and Release" was above average, except for its awfulness.

Posted by Nick Rogers at June 26, 2007 12:08 PM

comment #12

MiraJeffAICN says ...

I think Girl Next Door is one of the best teen comedies of the last 5 years. I'd much rather watch a sex comedy with heart and soul than an empty piece of crap like Old School. Plus GND featured Paul Dano and Chris Marquette, both of whom were great. And Emile is one of the leading actors of his generation. I liked the abrupt tonal shifts, like the car accident dream sequence. Olyphant is excellent, yes, but even if he wasn't in it, Cuthbert's exceptional hotness will always make the juice in that movie worth the squeeze.

Posted by MiraJeffAICN at June 26, 2007 12:32 PM

comment #13

George Prager says ...

he was good in High Incident. They should bring that show back.

Posted by George Prager at June 26, 2007 12:47 PM

comment #14

Monument says ...

"And Emile is one of the leading actors of his generation."

He definitely has the potential, but can we start some kind of petition to get him to stop trying to grow a mustache?

Posted by Monument at June 26, 2007 12:55 PM

comment #15

George Prager says ...

Is MiraJeffAICN the new Rex Reed or something? What's up with that?

Posted by George Prager at June 26, 2007 1:06 PM

comment #16

Dzayson says ...

I'll always have a soft spot for Girl Next Door because it was the first film role I booked upon moving to LA. Everyone on set thought it was going to be the Y-generation's Risky Business. Just goes to show ya.

Posted by Dzayson at June 26, 2007 1:24 PM

comment #17

Joe Leydon says ...

Monument: Sounds like your friend is a perceptive cineaste and (more important) a good teacher. It's amazing how many people who direct movies don't even know where to place the camera, a failing that often becomes painfully obviously in the first five minutes.

Posted by Joe Leydon at June 26, 2007 1:55 PM

comment #18

jeffmcm says ...

I'm a fan of Girl Next Door as well, in spite of the 'directorial' limitations, because it works on the basic level of emotional storytelling - which I consider to be significantly more important than being able to line up an eyeline match or whatnow. I went to USC and they spend a lot of time there teaching students how to do things the 'proper' way, a la a French art academy in the 19th century. The problem is that such an approach has little to do with actual storytelling, and the result is that USC thesis films are typically well-produced with good cinematography, production design, and editing, and are utterly devoid of interest on the level of creativity or personality.

Posted by jeffmcm at June 26, 2007 2:18 PM

comment #19

Monument says ...

I'm not going to write a long diatribe about Girl Next Door, nor am I accusing the director of not following 'proper' procedure (I really hope that you aren't comparing this film to the great works of art that rebelled against the French Art Academy, talk about your shitty analogies...but I digress), the movie is poorly directed. But I'm glad you liked it.

Posted by Monument at June 26, 2007 2:40 PM

comment #20

otakuhouse says ...

I root for Olyphant because of the Girl Next Door. I caught it a part of the way through while flipping channels and stayed for him. He's insanely brilliant in that movie and every time he shows up it's like someone hijacked American Pie with something completely left field from a much better film. The way he oscillates from creepy to kind and pathetic to funny without ever going over the top is incredible. But most directors probably have no idea how to use him. I basically got the vibe from that movie anyway that the director thought he was making Risky Business or Something Wild. But he wasn't.

Posted by otakuhouse at June 26, 2007 2:44 PM

comment #21

Josh Massey says ...

I gave up on Girl Next Door as soon as I heard the main character's last name was Kidman.

Posted by Josh Massey at June 26, 2007 2:50 PM

comment #22

jeffmcm says ...

Monument: no, I'm comparing a polished, anonymous movie like, say, Disturbia, to a French Art Academy movie. The Girl Next Door would be something made by a streetcorner guy by someone who hoped one day to get into the Academy.

Posted by jeffmcm at June 26, 2007 3:20 PM

comment #23

lipranzer says ...

In addition to Go and Scream 2 (I've never seen the Girl Next Door, or Catch and Release, for that matter), another movie showcasing Olyphant's talent is the little-seen Coastlines, by Victor Nunez (Ruby in Paradise). The movie, though it has problems, is very good, and Olyphant is terrific playing the proverbial guy with a past.

Posted by lipranzer at June 26, 2007 5:54 PM

comment #24

Dan Revill says ...

His performance in Deadwood is a case-book study in restrained anger. It was the perfect counterbalance to Ian McShane's. Man, I gotta pick up the 3rd season. And any word on where the wrapup movies are at in terms of getting done?

Posted by Dan Revill at June 26, 2007 6:10 PM

comment #25

Jay T. says ...

Yeah, I thought he was pretty hilarious in Girl Next Door... definitely made the movie watchable other than the fact that it had Elisha Cuthbert.

Posted by Jay T. at June 26, 2007 6:54 PM

comment #26

Hallick says ...

"One of the problems with the Die Hard movies is that every villain has to try to live up to Alan Rickman in the first one, and that's damn near impossible to do."

Taking a crack at actually writing a great villain (as opposed to casting a great actor and hoping for the best, e.g., Jeremy Irons in the third one) would get them most of the way there. I haven't seen much effort on this front in the sequels or most other action movies. When Kevin Smith has more impact in the trailers than your villain, you are fucked.

The last really interesting baddie I saw was in "B13" (the same actor who apparently got cast in a minor henchman role in Live Free or Die Hard).

Posted by Hallick at June 26, 2007 7:56 PM

comment #27

Dave Polands Gut says ...

The Girl Next Door is hack work. How can any story involving a young porn star and horny high school kids not have rampant nudity? How does the porn star not show her goodies? Terrible job

Posted by Dave Polands Gut at June 28, 2007 7:52 AM

comment #28

juanma says ...

Posted by juanma at November 12, 2007 12:42 AM

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