It’s easy to caricature Christopher Walken. One of the most iconic character actors of his generation, he’s also got one of the most imitated voices around (everyone has a Walken impression, even if it’s as bad as this writer’s…), and has become an indelible part of pop culture, thanks to everything from memorably hosting “Saturday Night Live,” to popping up in Spike Jonze‘s Fatboy Slim video, to taking unlikely roles like the broad villain in “The Country Bears.”
But it shouldn’t be forgotten that Walken is a terrific actor, first and foremost. Sure, he’s crept into self-parody at times, but from his breakthrough Oscar-winning turn over thirty years ago in “The Deer Hunter” to a scene-stealing performance in this week’s “Seven Psychopaths,” he’s consistently given surprising, off-beat and impressive turns on screen. To mark the release of Martin McDonagh‘s film this Friday, we’ve picked out five of our favorite Walken performances from across his career. Let us know your own favorites in the comments section below.
“The Deer Hunter” (1978)
Prior to 1978, Walken was far from an unknown. He’d been appearing on TV and stage since the 1950s (with roles including the original production of “The Lion In Winter” on Broadway), and had cropped up in films like “The Anderson Tapes” and, perhaps most memorably, “Annie Hall.” But it was Michael Cimino‘s Vietnam-era drama “The Deer Hunter,” and Walken’s Oscar-nominated performance (which might still stand as his very finest) that really was the making of the man. He plays Nick, one of a trio of blue-collar steel workers who ship out to Vietnam together, only to end up in a POW camp. No one in the film has a great time, but Nick perhaps suffers most of all: a quiet, introverted type never happier than when he’s hunting at home, he’s broken by games of Russian Roulette in captivity, and by survivor’s guilt, and ends up a haunted, amnesiac junkie playing his lethal game again in Saigon. It’s tough to stand out in a cast that includes De Niro, John Cazale and Meryl Streep, but Walken manages it. It’s simply a great and grounded performance, the shell of a man that Nick has become by the end not so much breaking your heart as shattering it. One can only hope he gets another role as great as this one soon.
My two Walken performances would have to be King of New York and
You gotta love Suicide Kings. For kitch i thought he was really entertaining in the Prophecy.
You have to admire that he never seems to just play it safe
Doing the same character over and over. He's awesome, i think we all fell in
Love from the Deer Hunter on.
My favorite is the Hessian. Grrrr….aaargh!
My personal favorite is his turn as the exterminator in the silly Nathan Lane comedy "The Mousehunt".
"But it was Michael Cimino's Vietnam-era drama "The Deer Hunter," and Walken's Oscar-nominated performance (which might still stand as his very finest) that really was the making of the man."
Umm, I'm pretty sure that Walken WON that Oscar too. :
The lack of love for King of New York, or more importantly for Ferrara oeuvre , is disheartening to say the least.
also, you can't forget true romance, batman returns, last man standing and one of my favorites, totally bizarre bond villain max zorin in a view to a kill
You're forgetting the fourth Ferrara collaboration: New Rose Hotel, one of Ferrara's most abstract — and exceptional — films
Christopher Walken is a master of deadpan comedy. The list is clearly focused on his overlooked dramatic capabilities, but it comes at the cost of his range.
Anyone remember The Anderson Tapes? That is the first time I saw him and I found him very memorable.
Not that he's doing anything brilliant mind you, but his turn as the exterminator in Mouse Hunt always cracks me up.
COMMUNION
Allow me to add his performance in Seven Psychopaths, which I'd argue ranks among his very best. It's a terrific mix of 'shtick' and compelling dramatic acting, and Walken gives the film its heart-and-soul and makes the rather brilliant genre deconstruction more than just an exercise in post-modern satire. It won't happen, but I would love to see Walken get an Oscar nod for this one.
Two huge omissions: In Paul Mazursky's great NEXT STOP GREENWICH VILLAGE and Jonathan Demme's WHO AM I THIS TIME?