An Actor a Week

[Jaxxxson Mayhem]

Posted by: Twisted Intestine April 03, 2009 09:22 am
The idea behind this thread is that every week I will post a new actor, a bio (stolen from wikipedia.org), and a filmography. I'll give some of my personal thoughts on the actor and hopefully we can all discuss if we like him/her, what work of theirs we like best/least etc.

Sometimes it will be a popular actor, and sometimes a lesser known. This week I am going to go with an obvious choice, and the one who I consider my favourite...



Edward Norton


QUOTE
Norton moved to New York City and began his acting career in off-Broadway theater, breaking through with his 1993 involvement in Edward Albee's Fragments at the Signature Theatre Company. His first major film was 1996's Primal Fear. In the film, he took on the role of Aaron Stampler, an altar boy accused of a brutal murder, for which he won a Golden Globe and a nomination for Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 1998, his portrayal of a reformed neo-Nazi in American History X earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He was also critically acclaimed for his role as a card shark in 1998's Rounders. He packed on 30 pounds (15 kg) of muscle for his role in American History X but did not maintain the physique after production. One of his more widely known roles is his performance in the adaptation of the cult novel Fight Club by director David Fincher, which co-starred Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter, and has been credited as a factor in expanding Norton's fan base.

In 2002, he starred as FBI profiler Will Graham in Brett Ratner's Red Dragon and in Spike Lee's 25th Hour. While Red Dragon received mixed reviews, it was commercially successful. 25th Hour was praised by critics, particularly for its examination of a post-9/11 New York City, but failed to break even.

He played himself in a cameo role in the experimental comedy show Stella, and won critical acclaim for his role as Baldwin IV, the leper king of Jerusalem, in Kingdom of Heaven. In 2006, he starred in the independent movie The Illusionist, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and later became a sleeper hit when it went into general release. Norton has also done uncredited script work on some of the films he has appeared in, specifically Frida and The Score. In 2000, he made his debut as a director with Keeping the Faith. He will also direct the film adaptation of the novel Motherless Brooklyn. Norton portrayed Marvel comics superhero The Hulk in the second movie adaptation of The Incredible Hulk, released in 2008.


Filmography:

1996

Movie: Primal Fear
Character: Aaron Stampler

Movie: The People vs. Larry Flynt
Character: Alan Isaacman

Movie: Everyone Says I Love You
Character: Holden Spence

1998

Movie: Rounders
Character: Lester 'Worm' Murphy

Movie: American History X
Character: Derek Vinyard

1999

Movie: Fight Club
Character: The Narrator

2000

Movie: Keeping the Faith
Character: Father Brian Finn

2001

Movie: The Score
Character: Jack Teller

2002

Movie: Death to Smoochy
Character: Sheldon Mopes/Smoochy the Rhino

Movie: Frida
Character: Nelson Rockefeller

Movie: Red Dragon
Character: Will Graham

Movie: 25th Hour
Character: Monty Brogan

2003

Movie: The Italian Job
Character: Steve Frazelli

2004

Movie: National Geographic's Strange Days on Planet Earth
Character: Host

2005

Movie: Down in the Valley
Character: Harlan

Movie: Kingdom of Heaven
Character: Baldwin IV

2006

Movie: The Illusionist
Character: Eisenheim

Movie: The Painted Veil
Character: Walter Fane

2008

Movie: The Incredible Hulk
Character: Bruce Banner / The Hulk

Movie: Bustin Down The Door (documentary)
Character: Narrator

Movie: Pride and Glory
Character: Ray Tierney

My Thoughts:

He has also written/produced some of his movies, but I'm going to keep these focused on the acting.

Like I said, probably considered my favourite actor. I haven't seen alot of the movies listed (particularly the earlier work), but I want to make a point to. If I hear a movie has Norton in it, I don't hesitate to check it out. He's the only reason I watched Death to Smoochy, as I didn't even know he was in it until a couple of years after it came out and I put it on rush to see. I have yet to see a movie with him which I don't like.

The most recent movies I've seen are The Incredible Hulk, which was obviously above and beyond what the first movie was, I think largly in part to him. I've also seen Pride and Glory which I actually wasn't expecting much out of (Just your typical cop movie, I thought) but it was actually a pretty intense story and I enjoyed it alot. If you haven't seen it yet, I'd definately recommend it.

My favourite movies of his are Fight Club and American History X in that order. Though, he may have done a better acting job in the latter than the former, I haven't fully decided yet.

I will chip in more later, I want to see where the conversation goes, if there is any.

Posted by: OriginalOrangeGoblin April 03, 2009 09:51 am
I think his best movies are American History X, 25th Hour and Primal Fear. Either History or Fear features his best performance but it's hard to tell which because they're so different.

I like Norton. I find him a tad overrated but he is a great actor.

Posted by: HSJ April 03, 2009 10:46 am
I'm a huge fan of Rounders. Matt Damon is the shit.

Posted by: Jaxxxson Mayhem April 03, 2009 10:47 am
QUOTE (OriginalOrangeGoblin @ April 03, 2009 09:51 am)
I think his best movies are American History X, 25th Hour and Primal Fear. Either History or Fear features his best performance but it's hard to tell which because they're so different.

I like Norton. I find him a tad overrated but he is a great actor.

No Fight Club?

Posted by: HarleyQuinn April 03, 2009 10:49 am
I'm amazed at the way Norton is able to lose himself in his characters, especially when watching Primal Fear and American History X back to back. I think his performance in AHX was his best because he manages to make the viewer experience the exact same journey he's undergone (strong dislike of him as a Nazi skinhead, curiosity at his jail run, and finishing with sympathy for his character at the end).

I like Norton more when he's not taking on cop/friend roles (Rounders, Red Dragon, Pride & Glory) and challenging himself. I even enjoyed The Score where he somewhat picked up that "fake" split personality from Primal Fear and still did it so smoothly.

Posted by: Twisted Intestine April 03, 2009 11:28 am
Yeah, that's another thing about him. You don't really know you're watching the same guy from one movie to another like you do with some actors, because he plays more of the character and less of Ed Norton. Well you know, but you know.

Has anyone seen bustin down the door? I didn't know about it. A doc with him as the narrator seems interesting.

Posted by: Twisted Intestine April 03, 2009 11:31 am
I also didn't know he was in the Italian Job. I remember when the movie came out I thought it looked ghey and didn't want to see it and haven't thought about it since. But now that I know he's in it, I might check it out.

Posted by: devo April 03, 2009 11:32 am
I think he's a fine actor but he needs to be a little more selective in the roles he takes. For every American History X or The Illusionist there's a Death to Smoochy or Red Dragon there to even things out.

Posted by: HarleyQuinn April 03, 2009 11:37 am
I forgot about The Illusionist... very, very good in that role too. Rivaled Jackman/Bale in The Prestige IMO.

Posted by: OriginalOrangeGoblin April 03, 2009 11:46 am
QUOTE (Jaxxxson Mayhem @ April 03, 2009 10:47 am)
QUOTE (OriginalOrangeGoblin @ April 03, 2009 09:51 am)
I think his best movies are American History X, 25th Hour and Primal Fear. Either History or Fear features his best performance but it's hard to tell which because they're so different.

I like Norton. I find him a tad overrated but he is a great actor.

No Fight Club?

It's a solid movie but I find it to be overrated. Drags on at times and the ending frustrates me to no end.

Posted by: tonyjaymz April 03, 2009 12:00 pm
I may be in the minority but Keeping The Faith is an underrated movie IMO

Posted by: The Buzz April 03, 2009 01:25 pm
I enjoy Down In the Valley quite a bit, it's a quirky little movie that's entertaining enough to watch. I liked him a lot in The Illusionist, The Hulk, Pride & Glory, Fight Club, and a few others.

Posted by: Angle-plex April 03, 2009 02:00 pm
I've never gone so back and forth between like and hate for a movie as much as I have Fight Club.

Posted by: Twisted Intestine April 03, 2009 08:28 pm
Here's a question for you guys, are there any of his movies that you dislike, as in think are bad movies? I know death to smoochy may be one, but I didn't think it was a bad movie like people made it out to be. Like said, for me, he hasn't been in a single bad movie.

 

[Twisted Intestine]

Thanks for doing this. So yes, Ed Norton *****! I wonder why 2007 was the only year he didn't have a movie release since 1998.

 

[sivy]

american history x sill today is one of my fav movies and norton really made it something really good. how he played a murdering racist and a kind of born again person was believeable and very watchable. also i thought he was good in rounders in the role he played.

 

[Beast]

I enjoy him as an actor, but other than the Hulk I haven't been excited about any of his recent movies. Plus I would have saw the Hulk with or without him; he was just an extra bonus. When I hear that he's always working on the scripts of his movies, whether his input is wanted or not, it makes me hard not to see him as an overbearing pretentious ass, especially since the movies he's took control of haven't been great. He's definitely got a great output, but in these past years he's definitely underachieved when it comes to putting out movies that stand out as year's best. And as such a talented actor, I wish he'd come out with another one of those.

I've seen:
Primal Fear (One of the best debuts of all time)
American History X (Probably my favorite film he's in)
Fight Club (Own it)
Keeping The Faith (Forgettable, other than the fact he directed it)
Death To Smoochy (Couldn't finish it)
Red Dragon (Unnecessary remake, but good choice to replace William Petersen)
The Italian Job (Enjoyed it)
The Incredible Hulk (Didn't make it to Iron Man last year, but when I saw this in the theaters I was pleasantly surprised. Should have been Banner from the getgo. He fit the character much better than Bana who was way to athletic/big/jockish to be the "puny Banner".)

Also, his appearance on Stella was funny was the first in a long line awesome guest actors to show up.

Need to see the 25th Hour. I've always wanted to, so I'll probably add it to my Netflix soon.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

Norton is one of my favorite actors all time. The fact that his debut was in PRIMAL FEAR is amazing. There aren't many actors that could pull that part off, and to do it in their debut? Wow. AMERICAN HISTORY X is an awesome movie that should be seen by everyone. DEATH TO SMOOCHIE is a guilty pleasure of mine since it was torn apart by reviewers. It's a fun dark comedy. FIGHT CLUB is one of my all time favorite films. I've seen it at least 20 times, and read the book about 12-14 times. He's a great talent, and it's a shame he didn't win an Oscar for either AHX or PRIMAL FEAR.