Mike Newell Re: Love In The Time Of Cholera

You know...I thought I had never seen Javier Bardem in a movie, but I have. He was Felix, the killer/showrunner in 'Collateral'. Very good stuff. Honestly, his performance is my favorite thing in 'Collateral'. Well, there's Daniel, played by Barry Shabaka Henley -- I really liked that guy, too. I bet you're wondering who I'm talking about.

This is Henley as the jazz club owner with Tom Cruise as Vincent the killer, and Jamie Foxx as Max the hapless taxi driver:

This scene springs a great reversal on you when it turns out that Vincent not only knows Daniel, he's been sent to kill him. Poor Max, the audience surrogate, flips out. Here we all are thinking this is about listening to some cool jazz and talking about Miles Davis and turns out this is about killing someone who's been telling you about Miles Davis. Damn, man, that's harsh.

Once Vincent has redefined the clubbing experience the suspense pegs the meter as Max and Daniel (and the audience) wait to see what will happen next. This scene is more satisfying than the straight action sequences in 'Collateral'.

And here's Bardem playing a man used to getting his way trying to cope with losing control:

Those are nice stills -- thank you Michael Mann. Bardem is just so real here. I have to admit I forgot I was watching a movie (and I very rarely do that). So, anyway -- I didn't even know I had seen Bardem in a movie. I mean, he's pretty hard to recognize in this scene, yes?

Here's how I'll think of him for a long time to come. You know what picture I'm going to post. The Picture. The one you've seen so many times:

That's right. Here's Bardem as the single-minded guy out to get his stolen money back in 'No Country for Old Men'. Nice still -- thank you Ethan and Joel Coen.

This guy is so good...he should be in just about everything. I just wish I could recognize him. I guess that's my problem.

What was I talking about? Oh, yes. Mike Newell directed Bardem in 'Love in the Time of Cholera' (see still at top in which Bardem is unrecognizable as the sensitive in-love guy, Florentino Ariza. Nice still -- thank you Mike Newell). Newell talks about the movie and takes a couple intelligent caller questions at Talk of the Nation. He calls the novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 'sacred text' -- not your average fluff interview.