Great Bastards In Film; 'Drexl' in 'True Romance'

Awwww, man...I love this movie. It is one of maybe three instances in which I don't spontaneously hurl upon sight of Christian Slater. Patricia Arquette is adorable and fierce. There are many supporting characters in this movie that warrant mention. There's an exchange between Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper that is so tense, so worth-watching; it's two great actors going toe-to-toe. Brad Pitt has mad quotables in his half cameo appearance as 'Floyd'. Michael Rappaport is great. However there is one charcter that introduces himself early in the precedings that takes the cakes. A total bastard.

DREXL - "They got everything from a diddled-eye joe to a damned if I know!"



Gary Oldman plays 'Drexl', a dreadlocked thug with a scar running the length of his face. He's Alabama's pimp and he wants restitution for her absence or his girl back. He is ruthless and violent. He has no problem betraying anyone to get what he wants...and his voice is CLASSIC especially coming from Gary Oldman. Gary Oldman can play the shit outta a creep. See 'The Professional' if you don't believe me. Watch this clip if you doubt me...yeah, yeah.

(DEFINITELY DEFINITELY DEFINITELY NSFW)



I don't wanna talk too much about how he gets his come-uppance (boy, it makes me hurt just to think of it). Oldman's appearance in this film is woefully short, but his two-three scenes and the exchange between Walken and Hopper can get me to stop on this flick any time. It's that good ol' Tarantino shit (he wrote this joint) all around and Oldman gets a lotta killer lines. He's a total bastard, but you wish he was in the flick a little more.

'Drexl' - a Great Bastard In Film.

Great Bastards In Film; 'Alonzo' in 'Training Day'

Alonzo (as played by Denzel Washington): Whatta total bastard. Not one redeeming quality, not a one. A bully. A crooked cop. A manipulator. A scumbag. A total bastard.

...and he be screaming that typical weak shit to the ladies...

What? Could you say, "Well, he loved his son."? Yeah? He used the kid as a shield! You might propose that he did SOME good at some point in his life, but we don't really get to see any of it. Does this count?

He's a dick, a ruthless dick at that. Absolutely revolting and totally charismatic; despicable, yet you can't stop watching. It's a great flick (actually, more of a great performance), but it will make you feel dirty. 

He is as filthy as any cop has ever been portrayed to be in a film (other than MAYBE Harvey Keitel in 'Bad Lt.'). I was actually far more disturbed by Alonzo than I was the Bad Lt. because I felt like 'Bad Lt.' was as much about the downward spiral into drug-addiction as it was the corruption that is inherent in so many 'do-gooders'. Alonzo in 'Training Day' is far more hatable. He has no qualms about putting ANYBODY in harm's way to save his own ass AND he spends the whole film trying to corrupt (and use) the new guy, Jake (played by Ethan Hawke). Yet and still, you WANT him to be good. 'Goodness' is the furthest thing from his mind. You spend the whole film waiting for him to redeem himself. 

He doesn't. It just gets worse and worse; Alonzo is ALWAYS in the middle of it. To think that this film all takes place in one day is mind-blowing. This dude does so much rotten shit in one day, if the flick ended with him getting struck by lightning, I would've found it plausible.

Alonzo from 'Training Day'; a 'Great Bastard In Film'.