It’s a big ole’ Mickey Rourke love fest around here lately, what with my coverage of the actor’s Santa Barbara tribute yesterday and John’s appreciation earlier this afternoon. But last night they showed this clip of Rourke’s cameo in Sean Penn’s “The Pledge,” and it struck me as a particularly poignant clip, given the horse race the two are locked in for the lead actor Oscar. I also think, however brief, it might be one of the most powerfully performed scenes of Rourke’s career.
Here he is, Mickey Rourke, as directed by his 2008 Oscar rival Sean Penn in 2001’s “The Pledge”:
Comments
7 responses to “Rourke, as directed by Penn”
must be better in context
Have you never seen the film? It IS, like, eight years old by now.
I have never seen that film, but a great scene. I need to check that out. Thanks Kris, but I hope you didn’t spoil the whole movie with that.
Not at all. A plot description would have told you as much, anyway.
Never seen it but it’s now a priority.
Since “The Wrestler” came out I’ve come to realise just how few Mickey Rourke films I’ve seen. A quick glance at IMDB tells me I’ve only seen “The Rainmaker”, “Get Carter”, “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” and “The Wrestler”. I feel awful.
Also never seen a film directed by Sean Penn (no, never got around to seeing “Into the Wild”). Shame on me.
Wow, Nigel, you’ve got some (fun) catching up to do. Start with “Diner” and “Angel Heart,” both essential for a lot more than just Rourke.
I loved “The Pledge.” Glad to see it being remembered.
This is Penn’s best film so far, and as much as it’s absurd to say a man who’s been nominated 13 times was ever denied, Nicholson should have been in the running for Best Actor. As I recall, it was just a bad release date, early in the year?