Mickey Rourke

What do you all think of Mickey? He's had quite an array of roles, and in one man's opinion has played them all well. I think part of the reason that I like to watch him is that he sends out a vibe of uneasiness.... like someone that you meet that you instantly feel you can't trust... do you know what I mean? I think that quality is really part of him and not something he puts on for a role. Coincidentally (or not) he usually plays parts where this is showcased...

Toose's favorite flicks with the Mickey factor:
Year of the Dragon
9 1/2 weeks
Angel Heart
Wild Orchid
The Rainmaker

I do enjoy the guy and I'd have to say the I love him in and it is my favorite of his workYear of the Dragon

Here's a couple more that you didn't mention that I really enjoy as well.
Fall Time (1995)
Johnny Handsome (1989)
White Sands (1992)
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CALIFORNIA DISPENSARIES

I saw Johnny Handsome and almost included it... funny, I didn't because Lance Henriksen came off as a cheeseball in his role and it somewhat tainted the experience for me... no fault of MR though...

Also, Forrest Whittaker did a fine job in that film...

That was my first sexy movie.

Mickey Rourke pissed his own career away with a lethal combination of bad choices in scripts and a wantonly bizarre and distractingly descructive personal life.

But I liked the guy. I think his performance in Angel Heart is his best most complete work, with Barfly a very close second (I think Rourke and Faye Dunaway deserved Oscar nominations for their work in that movie). Diner and Body Heat are stand-outs in his earliest supporting apperances, and The Pope of Greenwich Village and Year of the Dragon are quite strong.

But everything after Johnny Handsome (a decent Noir from Walter Hill, helped by a strong cast, especially Forest Whitaker & Morgan Freeman), starting with and especially Francesco, where Rourke was impossibly miscast as St. Francis of Assissi (no, really), was all either unworthy compared to his best work or quickly moved into being downright embarassing. The toll of the boxing and lawsuits was so obviously devestating so damn fast. He's passable these days in cameo type roles in good films (on the rare occasions he gets them), such as The Rainmaker and Buffalo '66, but mainly the guy is just a sad shell of what was once a promising career and talent, sleepwalking through junky & forgettable movies.

He's a perfect example of a What-Could-Have-Been.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

wow, never sought i'd see a thread on this guy.

i've not seen most of the older films you're mentioning, the ones where you say he actually displayed talent. i see entirely what you mean about a "shell" ... a man who picks to do the sequel to 9 1/2 Weeks is sorely in need of common sense.

but i'll admit, i have a soft spot for him. more for the "what was" than "what is now" ... for, though 9 1/2 Weeks was not my first sexy film it was certainly my first taste ... i mean, my first experience of him. and the only one, to date, where i had enjoyed any of him ... i mean, his acting, at all. i never bothered to watch any film he's made lately ... well, except for 9 1/2 Weeks Part Deux but that's cuz I was so curious ...

anyway, i might look into those films you mention, especially Barfly/Angel Heart ...

yeah, there's just something about a cute, quiet, mild, unassuming guy in an 80's suite spanking the black linoleum floor with his belt and quietly commanding a girl ... and kim basinger, at that ... to come hither ... *shivers*

Yeah and the scene in Angel Heart with Lisa Bonet... ouch...

Chalk me up as a Rourke fan. Year Of The Dragon, Angel Heart, Barfly, White Sands, Diner, Johnny Handsome etc are all fine examples of the man's talent. More recently I loved him as the Transvestite in Steve Buscemi's "Animal Factory"- also enjoyed his out of type cameo in "The Pledge" and "Buffalo 66".

I only hope his latest efforts are the shape of things to come and he can forget his straight to video performances in films like the one he did with Van Damme.

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******"The Majority Is Always Wrong" Steve Mcqueen in Enemy Of The People******

I never cared for Mickey Rourke, but I did enjoy Joe Queenan's "Mickey Rourke for a Day" article from Movieline (also available in his book "If You're Talking To Me, Your Career Must Be In Trouble" or whatever that book was called).