This 2009 Johnnie Walker ad (“The Man Who Walked Around The World”) is one of the greatest single-take pieces of cinema ever captured, hands down. Carlyle’s perfect easygoing delivery (and especially the timing), the various props appearing at exactly the right moment, the muted palette, the bagpipes. Directed by Jamie Rafn. I’m mentioning this now because the 56 year-old Carlyle looks a bit bloated in T2 Trainspotting (TriStar, 3.31), and because the film probably won’t cause much of a stir, and because this is the best time since August 2009 to salute Carlyle’s most stirring turn, his BAFTA-award performance in The Full Monty (’97) notwithstanding.
