But one suspects that they are loved less for their acting ability than for their roles as men who pound heads into tablesAmong the many inviolable rules of film criticism - that Nic Cage is a genius; that Terminator 2 was better than the first Terminator; that Kevin Costner will never,ever not be absurd – the most inviolable of all centres on Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, and the holy trinity that,whether you like their films or not, must be bowed to as towering luminaries.
There’s no question that we owe these guys a debt of gratitude, and not only for the mob movies of the final 40 years,but for the equally strong tradition of name-dropping Marty or Bob as a sign a young actor has made it. Old guys whose paths they once crossed nurse the anecdotes like gold. Cameras at awards ceremonies close in on their faces, which are often baffled in the manner of a monarch so grand he can’t accomplish sense of the mortals around him. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com