Friday, December 5, 2014

In Character: Tom Sizemore

Tom Sizemore owned the ‘90s with his penchant for playing menacing tough guys. Much of the fun of his work is that you can never tell how far his characters are going to go. Whether he’s a cop or criminal, soldier or bank robber, there’s a persistent danger to his work that is immensely appealing. By this point, Sizemore may be equally well known for his troubles with substance abuse. For a while there, it looked like his demons were going to get the better of him. Thankfully, he’s still going, and while his work now may not be as strong as it was then, there is never a bad time to go back and revisit his best roles. 

Five Essential Roles
True Romance (1993)
Cody Nicholson
As an ambitious cop in True Romance, Sizemore has a blast blurring the line between good cop and bad, officer and thug, logical and lunatic. From his first scene in the film – in which he and his partner (Chris Penn) play bad cop/bad cop on a shifty actor – Sizemore demonstrates that he’s fully adept at Tarantino-speak. He nails the rapid pace, the obscure pop culture references, and the balance of humor and fury. It’s a small role, but, like most of the performances in True Romance, Sizemore’s Nicholson is proof that length of screen time doesn’t necessarily take away from strength of performance.

Natural Born Killers (1994)
Jack Scagnetti
I chose to cover Tom Sizemore because I was reminded of his frenzied performance in Natural Born Killers while writing about Juliette Lewis a few weeks back. Jack Scagnetti is a guy with quite a few problems, to put it lightly. But his obsession with Mickey and Mallory Knox is his biggest vice. Mallory, in particular, is the person who most dominates Scagnetti’s affection. Sizemore’s scenes with Lewis in this film represent some of the best acting they’ve ever done. There’s a danger to their chemistry, a profoundly odd eroticism that is as menacing as it is captivating. When I heard Sizemore on Bret Easton Ellis’ podcast a few months ago, Sizemore admitted that in order to “Get there” as Scagnetti, he did copious amounts of cocaine between takes. Because we now know what utter hell that drug caused for Sizemore, that anecdote is a hard one to hear. But one that’s not very hard to believe. Whatever his methodology, Sizemore is at the peak of his animal prime in Natural Born Killers. Like Lewis, he is unhinged here in all the best ways.

Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
DeWitt Albright
There’s a moment in Devil in a Blue Dress where Tom Sizemore holds a very large knife up to Denzel Washington’s eye. Sizemore wants information, and if Washington doesn’t give it up, out his eye will go. Now, of course Denzel Washington isn’t going to get his eye plucked out. Devil in a Blue Dress is, after all, a Denzel Washington movie, and this scene only takes place midway through the film. But for a second, you actually think Sizemore is going to do it. Why? Because he’s Tom fucking Sizemore. He’s able to conjure up so much fear that, for a moment, we’re convinced he’s going to permanently disfigure one of the most famous movie stars of all time. That’s power.

Heat (1995)
Michael Cheritto
You see that look captured in the screenshot above? Yeah, it’s all about that look. That look is not only who Michael Cheritto is, it’s who you have to be as a criminal. You have to be hard, unshakable, brooding. Sizemore gives that look in Heat while he and his criminal partners (including Robert De Niro) are roughing up a guy in a diner. They get loud, which causes a man from another table to start staring. Noticing the man, Sizemore sticks his head out and gives that look. That look that says everything – “Mind your own fucking business, or else” – perhaps most significantly. In Michael Mann’s commentary for the film, he mentions this scene and talks proudly of how well Sizemore nailed the tone of his character. And he did it with just one goddamn stare.

Black Hawk Down (2001)
Col. Danny McKnight
The in-battle fearlessness, the lasting intensity, the inherent respect from his men; there’s a lot of Robert Duvall’s Lt. Col. Kilgore from Apocalypse Now in Sizemore’s Col. McKnight, but it always plays as genuine homage rather than blatant rip off. Black Hawk Down boasts an impressive ensemble, and the fact that Sizemore is able to stick out speaks to the strength of his acting. In the film, McKnight is the commander who, upon receiving routinely poor instructions from his superior officers, is forced to circle Mogadishu in a Humvee as his men get picked off one by one. Black Hawk Down is a war film that captures the clusterfuck insanity of war. No clear direction, no escape plan – sheer chaos. What Sizemore accomplishes so well is the frustration of such chaos. It’s a commanding performance of a truly enraged yet helpless man.

The Best of the Best
Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Sgt. Mike Horvath
Choosing Sizemore’s best work came down to two very different characters: the maniacal Jack Scagnetti, and the loyal Mike Horvath. It could change on any given day, but today, I suppose I’m most drawn to Sizemore’s restrained and earnest performance in Saving Private Ryan. Sgt. Horvath is a soldier’s soldier – a guy unafraid to be first to the fight, a man unshaken by anarchy. This makes him a great counterpoint to Tom Hanks’ more sensitive and reserved Captain Miller. In fact, many of Saving Private Ryan’s best non-battle moments are of Hanks and Sizemore simply talking. They may be fondly reminiscing about men they’ve lost, arguing over the worthiness of a potential battle, or silently reflecting over the hell of war; whatever their topic of conversation, the two actors complement each other’s respective talents very well.

Two things I want to mention about Mike Horvath. One is that in this film, Tom Sizemore has the difficult task of saying the title of the movie, in a monologue, no less. This isn’t an easy thing to pull off. If done poorly (as it often is), it plays as self-reflexive or, worse, cute. But Sizemore knows just how long to hold his delivery, and I’ve always been moved by it. Second is Horvath’s confrontation with Reiben (Edward Burns). Their hellacious argument ends with Horvath pulling a gun on Reiben and, similar to that scene I mentioned in Devil in a Blue Dress, for a second you really think Tom Sizemore is going to kill one of his own guys. And that’s just the thing: Tom Sizemore is at his best when he’s completely unpredictable. I love not knowing where he’s going to go.

Other Notable Roles
in Bringing Out the Dead
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
Guilty by Suspicion (1991)
Point Break (1991)
Where Sleeping Dogs Lie (1991)
Passenger 57 (1992)
Striking Distance (1993)
Hearts and Souls (1993)
Wyatt Earp (1994)
Strange Days (1995)
The Relic (1997)
Enemy of the State (1998)
Play It to the Bone (1999)
Bringing out the Dead (1999)
Witness Protection (1999)
Red Planet (2000)
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Robbery Homicide Division (2002-2003)
Dreamcatcher (2003)
Paparazzi (2004)
American Son (2008)
Red (2008)
Crash (2008-2009)
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2010)
Hawaii Five-O (2011-2012)

22 comments:

  1. Great list. I love his role in Heat. He doesn't get to do that much, but he has several moments that sell that character like you mention. I never saw his lead role in the TV series Robbery Homicide Division (which had similarities to Heat), but I heard good things. Sizemore always brings it, and I'm glad to hear that he's still hanging in there.

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    1. Thanks Dan. I'm really glad he's still hanging in there too. I haven't seen RHD either, but I've always been curious to check it out.

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    2. Yeah, the "not now, slick" while in the truck is the other line in the movie that just sells his character for me.

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    3. Because it feels exactly like something that character would say. Fuckin' love that guy.

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  2. I love Sizemore or, as I affectionately call him, "that nut." Just as you say, his best is when he's teetering on the edge of sanity, which is most of the time. I'm partial to his work in Natural Born Killers as his best. Great post.

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    1. Ha, he is indeed "that nut." Few guys can break bad as easily as Sizemore. Thanks for the comment!

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  3. After your post on Juliette Lewis, I went back and re-watched Natural Born Killers, and I really loved what Sizemore accomplished in that role. It's a shame he had to take so much cocaine to achieve what he did, but I'm happy that he is doing better now. Sadly, I have not watched a lot of his movies after the 90s, but I'll try to.

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    1. Honestly, I haven't seen that many of his post-90s films either, because most of the ones I've seen aren't really that good. But still, dude killed it in the '90s. So glad to hear that you're a fan of NBK. Love that flick.

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  4. Looove him, especially in Saving Private Ryan. Great list, as usual.

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    1. Thanks! I really appreciate that. Also love to hear your praise for his SPR performance.

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  5. Oh, those 6 performances of his in those films are my pick for the best that he did. He's one of those guys I loved to watch. I hope he makes a comeback soon. I also liked him in Red Planet. Terrible film but the scenes he had with Val Kilmer were excellent.

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    1. Nice man, really glad you dig the list. I fully agree with what you said about Red Planet. Bad movie, but he's scenes with Kilmer were great.

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  6. Attention to detail in the performances is the outstanding element in this feature. The screenshot from Heat is a perfect example. I really appreciate the focus you bring to the characters that make movies sing.

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    1. Wow, Richard, thanks so much for this comment. I really appreciate it. Detail, man. That's what it's all about for me. I'm just thankful so many actors gives us a reason to pay attention to detail.

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  7. I absolutely love his performance in Saving Private Ryan. It is seriously my favorite thing about the movie. The supporting cast in that movie as a whole is incredible. Glad to see Bringing Out the Dead got a mention. I love that flick!

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    1. Nice man, love the praise for his SPR work. I was really close to including his work in Bringing Out the Dead as one of his six best roles. He's so crazed there.

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  8. Fine choices man. I'd also name Saving Private Ryan as his best work, but his performances in True Romance and Natural Born Killers would be right up there as well. He's so on point in all of these. (I haven't seen Devil in a Blue Dress, though.)

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    1. Thanks buddy. Devil in a Blue Dress is a pretty solid film, I think you'd like it. Don Cheadle is unhinged in all the best ways in it.

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  9. I really need to see Saving Private Ryan. I made two attempts and fell asleep midway, not because of the movie but because I was so damn tired. I didn't even remember Sizemore was in it before reading this post.

    It's interesting to read that he had drug problems of this extent - I always thought his performance in NBK was a controlled portrayal of uncontrollable madness, guess I was wrong on the control part.

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    1. Sizemore has had a very long and troubled history with substance abuse. When his addictions were at their worst (most of the 2000s), his work suffered greatly. But yeah, he had a rough time on NBK, which is really too bad. Still, that performance... holy shit.

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  10. I loved loved him in Natural Born Killers, Heat, Saving Private Ryan (need to re-watch True Romance, I've seen it a long time ago). Holy shit, I agree with his method on Natural Born Killers, "push it as far as you can", my motto. If an actor does something like that I respect him for taking such a risk. The look on his face in Heat is just amazing, no joke. I agree with putting his role in Saving Private Ryan as his best role. It's a big difference between the two roles, one is 'there' and the other is so 'in', and he nailed it both times. I also thought he was overlooked in Strange Days. So subtle.

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    1. Still a tough call here - NBK or SPR. Still, he's flawless in both of them, but for very different reasons. Glad you're a fan.

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