Christopher Walken was perfect casting for the Emperor in Dune because he has the Harmless Old Man aura, but when he glowers you fully believe he would throw a baby into an active volcano if it would give him an ounce of leverage.
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My issue isn't even with the acting per se. It's just that he's one of those actors with such a strong face and personality that as soon as he comes on screen I'm just like Hey check out Chris Walken in this crazy Dune outfit. It breaks my suspension of disbelief. Not even his fault. Goldblum too
Yeah that's true as well, I do think that if he didn't seem so old it could have worked. I'm trying to think of films he's done where he isn't playing Christopher Walken and I can't lol.
Jack Nicholson has definitely done films where you go along with it even though it's Jack...
“How much you got Joe?!!..Total..??
You put down 80,000 like it didn’t matter, that’s a lot of money for someone like you and him . I think it matters.. it’s you.. that’s sweating this.. the both of yuz. People in poolrooms don’t come across this kind of take but once in a lifetime.. but now…”
Was just watching yesterday and thought this. “You’ll be a formidable empress” was great line, too. There’s a tragic respect between him and Irulan. You can tell he’s really harmed her somehow, but they love each other.
There are awesome actors out there that seem friendly when they smile, look like they’d just as soon rip your heart out through your mouth with just one glare.
Christopher Walken
Samuel L Jackson
Liam Neeson - same look conveys both 😂😂
I remember seeing him in Annie Hall. The expression on Woody Allen’s (Alfie) was priceless when Chris drove him home and started talking about killing himself. Very memorable small role!
Part of me wants to joke, "Haven't you seen him in Ripper?" But I realized how few if any would know what the fuck I am talking about without looking it up.
I have long appreciated Walken's craft, but felt in Dune he didn't project the Tiberian menace or power suggested by Herbert in his books. For that, I look to the director, not the actor. However, Baron Harkonnen was appropriately presented.
I agree his menace could have been stronger, but there was one look in the final scene, when he knows he has lost, just a setting of the jaw and a narrowing of the eyes, for a brief moment, that was wooonderful
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Part two was a cool movie. And he did a great job as emperor, but man, they messed up a whole bunch of stuff. Feud Rautha, the entire reason the emperor showed up, and chani's relationship to Paul.
Sorry I am a purist. There has never been a remake that has outshone the original. This one, though wrapped in fancy tech. sucked compared to the original Dune.
The old Dune was bloody awful, nothing like the books. Sting was hopelessly miscast, as was Kyle MacLachlan. Worse still, the technology wasn't up to it.
For me what that casting did was create an expectation that the character would do… something. And then he didn’t. All this potential, banked & withheld for the whole narrative.
When I say he did nothing I mean the emperor, not Walken. Walken WAS fine, he gave a solid performance; the fact that the script didn’t ask him to do anything in particular (no outstanding monologue, no fight scenes, no dance) was part of the tension for me.
Gotcha yeah, I was actually praying he didn’t chew scenery. Like you don’t want to have the audience rooting for him at that point because he does some cowbell reference or something
Right but he always COULD do something that would change the whole movie - just like the emperor HAS all this power but affects basically nothing in the story. ‘Why cast Walken?? He must be about to do something nuts’ I kept thinking, which kept the potential of the emperor in mind, as he did nothin
Kyle MacLachlan as the Emperor would’ve been incredible, but I suppose the “meta” nature of one Paul deposing another would’ve detracted from the scenes. And Dale Cooper’s aged pretty well, so he would have a harder time pulling off an “old” Emperor.
I also imagine Walken brought out something special in everyone else around him. I think that if you're serious about being an actor and you know that you're sharing a set with Walken tomorrow, you're going to exert every effort to have your performance locked in on the day of.
It's all 'you' issues, methinks. All of us having our own subjective takes on frame contents, no? I don't think there's a centralized metric out there.
For me it was the ever annoying Denis Villeneuve trick of showing you something cool for far too little screentime and then never speaking of it again. And yeah, your point too. I think I can relate as a super fan of Walken.
This 100%. Walken was a bad casting for that role, and I really enjoy him in most things. But every time he was on screen in Dune, I immediately lost immersion. My brain said, "Oh hey, there's Christopher Walken speaking like Christopher Walken while trying to act in this sci-fi film."
I was thinking about that and it's a good question.
It kind of feels that way honestly, but not entirely. I think he could play a serious character role in a drama if he's on the poster and it suits him.
But just sort of popping up four hours into a serious sci-fi epic was pretty jarring.
I even knew before-hand that he'd be in it because of trailers and film news, and it still kind of caught me off guard. Too serious a film, too deep into it. He did his best, but it was an odd casting in this film considering his pop-icon meme status.
I want to agree with you, but in my case, I'm not as familiar with the actor, if anything I learned more about him because of the movie (the meme dance) so I saw him as the character despite knowing that he's a Willem Dafoe type of celeb, I still saw him as the character but that's just me idk.
I JUST finished rewatching part two! Wholeheartedly agree. Also, his speaking wasn't too Walken-ie, thankfully, so his line readings never took me out of the movie.
He usually plays a character who’s broken somehow. I think the first real “ordinary guy” vibe I saw from him was Johnny Smith in The Dead Zone. The humble English teacher who’s given the power to change the future.
Before you shuffle off this mortal coil, you have to see Christopher Walken in Pennies from Heaven. Roger Ebert described it as dazzling and disappointing in equal measure, so you know you have to watch it at least once…
Couldn’t agree more. Gives off retired dad vibes, yet he will still dispassionately act within the very rules he has control over to to remove problems. Even those he loves.
His Dune would have been beautiful and incomprehensible. The visual design is still incredibly influential even though the film never got started, but while Jodo has many gifts, telling intricately precise plots isn't one of them. The symbolism would have been exquisite though!
The book purist in me says Oscar Isaac should have also played the Emperor. They were cousins & it was written that they looked similar, except the Emperor had red hair
Book Emperor was (kind of) right on the edge of the battlefield & in armor. He was in no way ready to give up on anything
Yes agreed…I love CW, but wrong for the part…He didn’t play a large enough role to matter so I’m good regardless. They sure improved on the 1984 version of the movie. The book was incredible…one of the first books I ever read multiple times.
I love how he played King Louie in the Jungle Book. You could hear the entire change of demeanor in his voice. He goes from a nice little showtune to sounding like a mob boss who can't strong arm a rival hard enough.
That’s such a spot on observation! Walken definitely nails that unsettling combination of charm and menace. He can be so disarming with that harmless vibe, but then you’re hit with that intensity that makes you think, "Yeah, he could totally do that." Perfect for the Emperor!
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This is a perfect take. I am incorporating it into how I see his acting abilities as a standard now.
Jack Nicholson has definitely done films where you go along with it even though it's Jack...
You put down 80,000 like it didn’t matter, that’s a lot of money for someone like you and him . I think it matters.. it’s you.. that’s sweating this.. the both of yuz. People in poolrooms don’t come across this kind of take but once in a lifetime.. but now…”
"I'll tell ya who he is. It's muther fucking PAUL A-tra-a-ties!!"
Christopher Walken
Samuel L Jackson
Liam Neeson - same look conveys both 😂😂
Also everyone forgets he's the King of New York. He can do very scary.
https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/QjESSSEX
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCDIYvFmgW8
My life and dreams have been destroyed by the war. I lost my home and source of income, and my family and I live under immense psychological pressure.
I ask for your support and solidarity to help us build a new life free from fear and suffering.🙏🏻
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Great actor
It's adorable!
Once actors are old enough, satirized enough, and meme-cultured enough, you only see the actor, not the character.
Plus, his voice is too idiosyncratically known. Imagine Pacion in the role, same thing.
This isn’t meant to be confrontational. It’s just a genuine curiosity.
It kind of feels that way honestly, but not entirely. I think he could play a serious character role in a drama if he's on the poster and it suits him.
But just sort of popping up four hours into a serious sci-fi epic was pretty jarring.
From this:
Book Emperor was (kind of) right on the edge of the battlefield & in armor. He was in no way ready to give up on anything