Intense Guys

Christopher Plummer

On Broadway, he is royalty—his Tony award tally stands at seven noms and two wins. On the big screen, he is impervious to the rules of age, continuing to thrive well into his 70's for big guys like Michael Mann, Terrence Malick, and Spike Lee. He is Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer, Companion of the Order of Canada, and his career is the paragon for serious thesps everywhere. Here, at 76, he electrifies Syriana, further emphasizing—to the delight of the audience and the dismay of the impudent Saudi prince—that the rich, forceful Plummer voice is always the most powerful thing in the room.

A Better Tomorrow (1986)

This memorable scene is signature John Woo. Along with star Chow Yun-Fat, director Woo helped create the so-called “Heroic Bloodshed” genre in Hong-Kong, and this is where it all began. The signatures are there—Hong-Kong pop, Peckinpah-esque slow motion, handguns with infinite ammo—and they all come together to create a cool, romanticized take on violence never seen before.

Across 110th Street (1972)

SPOILER ALERT

It was released the same year as Slaughter and Super Fly and is a frequent first entry on alphabetically ordered checklists of Blaxploitation films. But this story of Harlem cops Anthony Quinn and Yaphet Kotto’s mad scramble for stolen mob money has more in common with despairing early 70s police procedurals like The French Connection or Badge 373 than the go-get-em heroics of Jim Brown or Ron O’Neal. In fact these final minutes—following a grueling rooftop chase and ending with the deaths of both a good bad-guy and a bad good-guy—are as blunt, unsparing and abrupt as urban crime movies got. At least until Scorsese came calling.

“Winston”Broken Flowers (2005)

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Broken Flowers brought together writer/director Jim Jarmusch and comedy cool guy Bill Murray, a cinematic one-two punch that threatened to take deadpan to truly dangerous levels. It turns out there was nothing to worry about, as calm, detached Don (Murray) gets a phenomenal foil who lives next door. He's Winston, by way of the superb Jeffrey Wright—advisor and friend, conscience and comrade. He's the genuine enthusiasm in a sea of apathy, the family man amongst the bachelors and divorcees, the buddha-smokin' buddy who plans your road trip AND burns you a mix CD to take along.

The Hunt For Red October (1990)

THEME WEEK: SUBMARINE MOVIES

What's Bald at both ends and wet all over? On most sites you'd get a bad punchline to a crude joke, but on Intense Guys it's a wild and windy sequence from celebrated sub flick The Hunt For Red October. Jack Ryan's big screen debut was the final chapter in John McTiernan's formidable trio of late 80's mayhem, and as with chapters 1 (Predator) and 2 (Die Hard), October is a shining example of how the right actors make all the difference when it's time to unleash the heavy verbal artillery. And with all due respect to the stuntmen involved, it's the aforementioned action dialogue which takes this scene from good to great. The steely Scott Glenn keeps things crackling while the chopper circles, and everyone's favorite Baldwin gets to start it off serious and end it with a smile.

Fantastic Voyage (1966)

THEME WEEK: SUBMARINE MOVIES

No, the miniature submarine Proteus is not trapped in a lava lamp. It’s sailing through a dying scientist’s heart—conveniently stopped by doctors under the command of Edmond O’Brien and Arthur O’Connell—en route to the brain and some emergency microsurgery. It’s a retro-fest here: O’Brien with a stop-watch in one hand and cigar in the other, the crew (including Raquel Welch) sporting uni-sex, painter-smock uniforms, and the crazily conceived, pop-art inspired journey through the human body which won an effects Oscar for former Disney animator Art Cruickshank. Hardly “realistic” of course, but imaginative, charming and almost as magical as Méliès.

The Abyss (1989)

THEME WEEK: SUBMARINE MOVIES

The Abyss is notorious around these parts for having one of the worst endings in movie history, and the Director's Cut does nothing to improve upon the catastrophic final act of this very long film. What James Cameron's extended version does do right, however, is add this sweet scene to the mix. The tune is Linda Ronstadt's version of Little Feat's "Willin'", and one can't help but grin along with Ed Harris as the crew joins in: first Kimberley Scott, then Todd Graff, then Harris himself. Of course, all good things must come to an end, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio's arrival is Kryptonite to these Super Singers.

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)

THEME WEEK: SUBMARINE MOVIES

SPOILER ALERT

A monstrous, mythical Jaguar shark. An ethereal post-rock soundtrack from Sigur Rós, sung in Icelandic. And a yellow submarine packed with famous faces—not Lennon & McCartney, but rather Murray & Blanchett, Huston & Dafoe, and Gambon & Goldblum. It's a very eclectic combo, and a very Wes Anderson moment: deadpan and touching all at once, a perfect climax to an imperfect movie.

Das Boot (1981)

THEME WEEK: SUBMARINE MOVIES

Run Silent Run Deep. The Enemy Below. Torpedo Run. We Dive at Dawn. Submarine movies have always had great titles, but it took this bluntly named German U-Boat saga shot by cinematographer Jost Vacano and directed by Wolfgang Petersen to re-energize an increasingly talky and cliched war-movie genre. Vacano’s small, gyro-stabilized Arriflex pushes and probes; is confined, claustrophobic and occasionally clumsy. And in this scene—since nothing can beat a closeup—it settles in on the faces of Jürgen Prochnow, Klaus Wennemann, Herbert Grönemeyer and the U-96 crew after hurtling frantically down the sub’s narrow corridor.

Colin Farrell

Curious about the latest Joel Schumacher movie, but scared it might be another Batman & Robin or The Number 23? Do yourself a favor and check if Colin Farrell's in it. Schumacher's record with the Irish Eyebrows has been strong—both Tigerland and Phone Booth rank among the best movies either individual has worked on. What's not as commonly known is that the Dublin-born actor also brought his four-leaf clover effect to the thoroughly admirable Veronica Guerin. In 78 seconds, Farrell shows why he's at his best in his natural brogue, holding his own in a fab, flirty exchange with super-heavyweight Cate Blanchett.