MICHAEL MADSEN
"That woman deserves her revenge, and we deserve to die."
While trying come up with my BAMF of the week, I was doing some good ol' fashioned blog surfing, and came across Being Norma Jeane's QT Week. A whole week? Devoted to Quentin Tarantino? Count me in. After reading over her lists of awesome, I felt like I had to do something Tarantino this week. It didn't help that Free Willy (1993) was on TV and I ended up watching the whole thing just to see if Madsen would finally slap the kid. Michael Madsen has always been a bit of a favorite of mine, and I consider him one of the most underrated actors. It's as though for every excellent film he makes, he has to do ten crap films in between until someone remembers he exists. That aside, the reasons why Madsen is excellent have to be boiled down to this: his sadism, and his puppy dog eyes. Because really, psychotic roles come and go, and actors pick them up like candy. They're fun to play, and they always look cool doing them. But Madsen has a leg up. While he can be as sadistic as he wants, with that husky growl and his you-gonna-die chuckle, he has these fantastic puppy dog eyes. Which somehow simultaneously gives his character a soul and makes him that much more unpredictable. Madsen, my hat is off to you.
Best films: The dancing manic in Reservoir Dogs (1992), the volatile romantic from Thelma & Louise (1991), and the shit cleaning merciless brother in Kill Bill Vol. 2 (2004), and the gangster with the lion taming smile from Donnie Brasco (1997).
Worst films: The made-for-tv lifetime movie, Christmas Crash (2009)? Really? Is everyone so afraid he'll cut into them if they try to film with him? The last remotely badass role of his was voicing the wolf Maugrim in Chronicles Of Narnia (2005). C'mon, people. Give this man a role!
Best moments: It's impossible to compare anything to his classic dance of death to the tunes of Stuck In The Middle With You.
Best quotes:
Mr. Blonde: Was that as good for you as it was for me?
Mr. Blonde: I might break you in, Nice Guy, but I'd make you my dog's bitch.
Mr. Blonde: Are you gonna bark all day, little doggie, or are you gonna bite?
Budd: You gotta hand it to the old girl. I never saw nobody buffalo Bill the way she buffaloed Bill. Bill used to think she was so damn smart. I tried to tell him..."Bill, she's just smart for a blonde."
Louise: Remember when we first met?
Jimmy: Yeah.
Louise: What happened? Tell me what you said.
Jimmy: I said you had a nice pair of eyes.
Louise: And what did I say? You remember?
Jimmy: Yeah, you shut 'em. Asked me if I knew what color they were?
Louise: And what's you say?
Jimmy: I didn't know.
Louise: [She covers his eyes] Jimmy, what color are my eyes?
Jimmy: They're brown.
