“Misery” (1990)
Caan described Paul Sheldon, the novelist held captive by Kathy Bates’ psycho superfan in the sweepingly successful Stephen King adaptation “Misery,” as a challenge because he’d never before played a “totally reactionary character.” No disrespect to the esteemed late Mr. Caan, but it seems he meant reactive, as in a presence mostly responding to the actions taken by a character with greater agency rather than taking those actions himself. He’d mastered men of purpose and drive and saw unconquered territory in a terrified victim so stripped of control that he spends a goodly chunk of his film shackled to a bed with broken ankles. As Paul, he withstands a gamut of torment, but the brilliance of his performance lies in the flickers of defiance and perseverance that glint through the unleaded fear. As he hatches his tiny schemes to get one over on his deluded jailer, we can see the determination in someone whose goal isn’t domination but simple survival. Caan showed himself to be newly vulnerable, and though Bates would command the lion’s share of awards attention for her chipper hysteria, he proved that he could do the last thing he hadn’t yet tried: weakness. -CB
“Dick Tracy” (1990)
In Warren Beatty’s hyper-stylized take on the ’30s funny-books institution “Dick Tracy,” Al Pacino may be the one who gets to jam his face into a feast of ham like a Scarfacian coke pile. But Caan more than held his own against a scene partner known to take up a lot of oxygen in the room, and he did it by doing less. We find the criminal underground convened at a long table, with Pacino’s “Big Boy” Caprice at one end and Caan’s “Spud” Spaldoni at the other, the colorful coterie of goons lined up between them. Big Boy wants to form a mobster union under his leadership, and Spud’s unmoved. While Pacino huffs and puffs, Caan plays it like an expert boxer, letting his opponent tire himself out. He sits in amused silence, more intimidating for what he doesn’t say in contrast to Big Boy’s sound and fury. He even strings the camera along, the wide shots gradually creeping in tighter and tighter as if drawn in by Spuds’ reserved intensity. Soon afterward, he’ll be offed by car bomb for his reluctance to play ball, in a way, the ultimate honor. He’s the only rival Big Boy takes seriously enough to dispose of. He’s too vengeful to let live, a cockeyed tribute to Caan’s wiseguy bona fides. -CB
“Bottle Rocket” (1996)
If you know James Caan in person, the man in interviews, anecdotes, and the likes, you know Caan suffered no fools, could be cut-to-the-chase abrasive but charming as all hell. He also did much more deadpan comedy than he was credited for, and he brought all of that to Wes Anderson’s deeply underrated debut film, “Bottle Rocket.” In a movie about innocent dreamers, Caan plays Mr. Henry, the uber-seductive and charming landscaping company owner who uses the company as a front to commit crimes using the same crew. Mr. Henry is Caan to a tee, so charismatic but no-nonsense and DGAF. Caan plays it all dead straight but is hilarious in the role too. Ultimately, he’s also a great slippery contrarian, a proud, caring man who defends the naive daydreamers of the film (Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson) and their ingenuous goals and also exploits their lack of experience and naivete for all is worth, and Caan shines and elevates every single moment. – RP
“The Yards” (2000)
Watching the “Yards” today, 22 years after its release, is fascinating. Initially, you see James Gray’s great dramatic crime story as a tale about a troubled young man (Mark Wahlberg), who wants to go straight, but then gets funneled back into the system of crime by the corrupting forces of his best friend; basically, a brother (Joaquin Phoenix), who is dating his cousin (Charlize Theron) and thus like a deep betrayal story, of a family that failed a young man with promise. Decades later, you understand just how vital James Caan’s supporting role is to the entire thing. Caan’s character is the husband of Wahlberg’s aunt (Faye Dunaway), who recently remarried after her husband passed on. Caan’s Frank Olcin owns one of the city’s most prominent New York subway repair companies and has power and influence over the big million-dollar contracts the mayor and city hand out each year. But like many of Gray’s pictures, “The Yards” is all about class. Caan’s Frank is a powerful but essentially profoundly insecure blue-collar guy who has managed to cross class lines and live the affluent life– the American Dream personified. “The Yards” is deeply heartbreaking on multiple levels for each of the characters, its ideas of corruption of the soul and the innocents this evil takes with it. But Caan is spectacular as the villain who’s not really a villain, just a king desperate to hold onto the castle he’s built and all the tragedy that comes with it. – RP
