One of the great things about going on vacation is the craptastic cable movie that you may catch while lounging between touristing around your destination and the pool. I recently was sucked into "Swordfish" and realized this is the 3rd movie in about 6 months that I have viewed where Don Cheadle is a bad mofo. However, he is a quiet, bad mofo. Not the crazy-eyed screaming mofo-ness of Samuel L. Jackson (awesomeness) or the throw a few fists and a quippy line of Duane "The Rock" Johnson (hold on... I need a moment). Nope, he's the one you should really be scared of... he lowers his voice, threatens and then follows through. However this seems to be a thankless role as most people when you mention Cheadle's name say "Yeah, he was great in 'Boogie Nights'" or "He did a good job in Hotel Rawanda." Can't a mad, but quiet, mofo get some street cred, respect and love? I'm just sayin'...
Examples:
Swordfish (2001) :Plays the FBI investigator Agent J.T. Roberts who shot his suspect in the hand.
After the Sunset (2004): Plays the local thug - again with a more vicious quiet-ness.
Traitor (2008): Plays a superundercover agent attempting to infiltrate a terrorist network.
There's little question that Samuel L. Jackson embodies the bad mofo of our generation, but you're right: Don Cheadle is the one you really want to watch out for. Would you have been really surprised if he'd decided to off the other Ocean's Ten and taken the money for himself?
ReplyDeleteI get the impression, though, that Don is a tiny man, and his lack of physically imposingness (yes, we make these words domestically) robs his cred. If he packed on a few, he'd be giving Ving Rhames a run for his money.
Bonus: after I cut my head shaving my scalp, I a Band-Aid on the cut. That's going to be my Hallowe'en costume: a mini Ving Rhames.