Word: scripting
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...script, which Harris and Robert Knott have fashioned from Robert B. Parker's novel, Virgil and his sidekick Everett Hitch (Viggo Mortensen) have come to Appaloosa to cleanse it of the violence, intimidation and corruption of Bragg and his men. That they will achieve their goal is virtually a given: How many times, in a standard western, has the bad guy won? (About as many times as the richest man in town has also been the most sympathetic.) What's at issue is not the speed of Virgil's hand but the intelligence of this cowboy's heart...
...powerful impact, they have left nothing to chance in the planning and execution of these joint appearances. Unlike the free-wheeling rallies and town meetings McCain used to hold (with random audience questions, off-the-cuff jokes and a meandering style), the Republicans now stick close to a set script, with a teleprompter, a rehearsed routine, a strict message and a certainty of purpose...
...original script, by Russell Gewirtz (Inside Man), actually has an idea that hasn't been truncheoned to death in a zillion other movies: What if a cop were a serial killer? A peace officer certainly has motive, means and opportunity to knock off a dozen or so malefactors who probably deserve to die but have escaped conviction. The cop could truly believe that killing them is nothing less than righteous. He might think of himself as De Niro's Travis Bickle did in Taxi Driver, using his gun to wash the New York streets clean of their wretched refuse...
...years ago. No one ever gets to act - and this is a cast rich in good actresses - if by acting you mean the expression of authentic emotions. They are caught up in a zip-zap frenzy of words - and it is interesting how many lines in this script can be traced back to the Boothe original, which would not have been all that difficult to improve upon...
...real cause for celebration is that he alchemizes the dross of the script into a character with a palpable physicality and inner life. Behind the bulk of his hulk, a man's dogged decency is on display, and so, briefly, is Rourke's fallen-angel smile. In the scene that could cinch his Oscar nomination, he gets a long closeup as Randy pours out his clumsy love for his daughter. The speech is boilerplate sentiment, which the actor elevates to a passion as sweet as it is forlorn. If Rourke had to punish himself to look the part...