Tough Guy Actors

[hatefuldisplay]

I found myself in a discussion with a co-worker today and he brought up an interesting statement: "There are no good tough guy actors in movies anymore."

I had to agree. Charles Bronson is dead. Sylvester Stallone, Clint Eastwood, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, and Mel Gibson are all a bit too old or getting to old to play it off anymore. Bruce Willis is still managing to pull them off, but for how long?

Dolph Lundgren can't act. The Rock isn't going to cut it. Steven Seagul and Jean Claude Van Damme are out of their prime and really need a blockbuster to get back into it.

Will Smith? Whatever.

Keanu Reeves? Please.

Tom Cruise? Don't make me piss myself laughing.

Man, the seventies, eighties, and nineties had it made. As we pass farther into this new millenium, who will take the part of the old tough guy actors?

[Darkness]

"What about Jason Statham? He did an excellent job in 'The Transporter I & I', 'Ghosts of Mars', 'In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale', Mean Machine and Call of Duty. (to name a few.) He has good form and good talent."

[nirvroxx]

"What about Jason Statham? He did an excellent job in 'The Transporter I & I', 'Ghosts of Mars', 'In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale', Mean Machine and Call of Duty. (to name a few.) He has good form and good talent."

yeah, good call. I agree.

tommy lee jones anyone? a bit old though.

[Darkness]

"A bit older, yes, but Tommy IS aging quite well. IMHO." :)

[zombiekilling101]

to add to the not tough guy list. vin diesel.......

Christain bale anyone? Id like to see him in a solid shoot em up role.

[Darkness]

"Yes, Christian Bale is indeed good. I loved the job he did in Reign of Fire."

"Also Sean Pertwee from Dog Soldiers, Hugh Jackman from Van Helsing and X-Men. As well as Brian Thompson from Epoch, and Shane Brolly from Underworld and Deadly Swarm."

"I also think Jeff Goldblum could pull off this type of role, if given the chance. And I would love to see Tony Todd from Candyman in a more active action role, sometime soon."

[nirvroxx]

"Yes, Christian Bale is indeed good. I loved the job he did in Reign of Fire."

"Also Sean Pertwee from Dog Soldiers, Hugh Jackman from Van Helsing and X-Men. As well as Brian Thompson from Epoch, and Shane Brolly from Underworld and Deadly Swarm."

"I also think Jeff Goldblum could pull off this type of role, if given the chance. And I would love to see Tony Todd from Candyman in a more active action role, sometime soon."

hugh jackman is a good one..he fits the role of badass wolverine quite well.
come to think of it...tom seiszmore could play the role of badass quite well too. remember saving private ryan or blackhawk down?

[zombiekilling101]

theres something about jackman that I dont like.

meanwhile I like them bringing back the oldies

[Chaosculture]

As much as I'm not a fan, Matt Damon has made something of an action star out of himself with the Bourne movies. Same Deal with Russel Crowe. I'd like to see Gerard Butler (Leonitas in 300 and Beowulf in Beowulf & Grendel) in some more action-y type roles. Clive Owen also pulls off the actioner role suprisingly well... very suprisingly... I'm suprised is what i'm trying to say.

[Darkness]

"Good call on Gerard Butler, I agree with you there."

[Cybopath]

Hmmm and the No.1 is Govening a state.

I think it's more to do with our super PC times. Also they way the studios segment that markets is getting beyond a joke, I'm not saying that the 80s action movies weren't out just to get money but at least they had balls.

So there could be plenty of hard ass actors out there they just don't get any decent films, Look at Vin and The Rock did they get films like Rambo, Predator, Terminator etc, no they got watered down tongue in cheek fell good crap.


Statham and Jane are promising if only they get some more good movies.

[Corpse Grinder]

Michael Madsen can pull off the tough guy roles easily.

[Raimi Rules!]

Ed Norton "when he gets going" anyone?

[Victor Clark]

How about Wesley Snipes (sp)? That guy was good in the Blade films, and I think that he could pull off another Blockbuster film if he could.

Adrien Brody proved with King Kong that he can be a good action star (although that nose is distracting)

And George Clooney! That guy is fantastic, and a shoot em up film would be a great change from the Ocean series.

[ZombiesAteMyDog]

How about Wesley Snipes (sp)? That guy was good in the Blade films, and I think that he could pull off another Blockbuster film if he could.

Adrien Brody proved with King Kong that he can be a good action star (although that nose is distracting)

And George Clooney! That guy is fantastic, and a shoot em up film would be a great change from the Ocean series.

I got to agree with clooney, He is probaly one of my favorite actors atm with him being all 3 oceans movies which i loved and O brother where art thou in which he was fantastic, and he definatly proved he has the chops to pull off the hard ass tough guy role in from dusk til dawn which again I thought he was top notch in.

[nirvroxx]

clooney and brody are both great actors, but tough guy actors? no way.

[Chaosculture]

For some reason I really want to hate George Clooney, but can't seem to pull it off. He's just so nice and intelligent. He's concerned about the environment, crooked politics, and starving babies. Hell, he probablly shits kittens and stardust. And when he looks at you... for a moment you understand what heaven must be like... *cough* I mean, he seems like the kind of guy you'd want to get a beer with. Anyway, I think that's why I couldn't take the guy seriously as an action star. He's just too likeable. A good action star has to be a little rough around the edges. You have to not trust him completely. He has to come off as not all there... a little crazy. Not Gary Busey crazy, but maybe Christopher Walken crazy.

[hatefuldisplay]

Damon and Clooney can pull it off from time to time, but both have had too many non-action roles to fit the bill I think.

As for Snipes, I suppose it's possible. His films don't seem to come at a decent pace and most of them lack a premise that makes me want to see them.

Madsen, I think is best left in the badguy roles, but he might actually make a good bruiser too.

As for Crowe, I believe his chance to fill the role came and went.

[Corpse Grinder]

John Turturro could be a believable tough guy. His earlier works were more serious and had a few tough guy roles but they leaned in the bad guy areas. His John Shooter from "Secret Window" was tough and menacing and even though is role in "The Transformers" was for comic relief, it shows that he can be a tough guy that be humorous when the situation calls for it. After all, all tough guys need funny one-liners.

Another versatile actor is John Leguizamo. You all know him as Cholo from "Land of the Dead" and perhaps as the Clown from "Spawn", but he has done a lot of good serious work and can pull off the tough guy role, too.

The guys that we associate as tough guys didn't usually start out that way, they had many roles and eventually fell into that icon.

And since we're on the subject of Tough Guys, who's your favorite Tough Guy, old and/or new?

My all time Fav is the late, great Lee Marvin. He looks tough even when he's sleeping! His ultimate Tough Guy role as Walker in "Point Blank" (1967) should be the blue print for all tough guys-too bad Mel Gibson couldn't have channelled that in the remake of "Ransom"!

But since this if for Current Tough Guys, I'll pick Bruce Willis. He's my favorite living actor anyways and he is still tough and funny as John McClane in the fourth "Die Hard" film.

[ZombiesAteMyDog]

And since we're on the subject of Tough Guys, who's your favorite Tough Guy, old and/or new?

lee marvin is a great one !

its tough for me to peg it down to 1, I can name 3 however ,

clint eastwood, man with no name ( blondie ) and dirty harry, need i say more?

lee van cleef, almost everything hes done , but esp his work in for a few dollars more and the good the bad and the ugly.

call me cliche but the 3rd ( and probaly my favorite of the 3 ) Steve McQueen. the great escape, gone in 60 seconds, bullitt, the sand pebbles, the magnificant 7, Papillon, the towering inferno.

[Barbara]

For tough guys, my picks go to :

Matt Damon

Clive Owen

Thomas Jane.



I think the whole stereotypical idea of the "tough guy" is being changed these days. You dont have to be overly bulk and bald to be tough these days.

Oh, and John Cena does something for me. I know "The Marine" was a kinda a crap movie, but he does something I like...I just dont know what it is.

[Victor Clark]

My 3 all time favorites are:
Jason Stratham
Michael Madsen
and of course, Jack Nicholson (it's strange no one mentioned him yet)

[nirvroxx]

My 3 all time favorites are:
Jason Stratham
Michael Madsen
and of course, Jack Nicholson (it's strange no one mentioned him yet)

jack is one of my favorite actors of all time...but I wouldnt consider him a "tough guy" either....deniro can definetly pull off the tough guy though, hes one of my favorites as well. goodfellas anyone?

[Chaosculture]

Favorite Tough Guys:

Mickey Rourke

Vinnie Jones

Daniel Craig

I know, kind of Guy Richie movie heavy with the last two, but hey, it's my list.

[Boozbie]

Lee Marvin! He wasn't some pretty boy who spent hours in the gym he spent that time in a bar drinking double whiskey on the rocks! If you made him mad there was no kung fu action involved when he kicked you ass! He'd just kick you in the balls and break a bottle of Jim Beam across your noggin.....maybe karate chop you i the neck you never know


Charles Bronson the man had a death wish, and he wasn't good looking in the least so no point in caring if he got his face punched in. Has anyone seen "Hard Times" that was a documentary!!!

Toshiro Mifune.... last but not least in every movie he kills at least 40 guys, at once!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObuvfQKPCsA

Sword of Doom, Sanjuro, Yojimbo, the seven samurai if your looking to get cut in half look no further.

[Darkness]

"What about Jet Li? I think he does a good tough guy job." :)