In which Mark Strong is trying to KILL ME

[viceindustrious]

I do not think that are adequate words to describe my INTENSE JOY upon seeing this for the first time:

www.youtube.com/watch

This hits my weak spots so fucking perfectly it's unbelievable. I am out for the count here. That slap. Just. Goddamn. 

I've got RocknRolla sitting next to me right now all ready for consumption but I'm not sure if any other part of this film could possibly live up to those five seconds. 

UPDATED TRIP REPORT: THIS FILM IS FUCKING EPIC!

(also, it made me geek out to see that Uri Omovich was played by Karel Roden who was also in Bathory a terrible film with the sole saving grace of starring Hans Matheson and his bare arse.)

EXTRA UPDATE: Mark's on the commentary?! Sign me the fuuuuck up. "I've got to to apologize a little bit, I'm a little bit hoarse today." What. I just. Holy shit. Sending my Guardian Angel a fruit basket asap. :D

-

Comments

[igrab.livejournal.com]

NO

YES

I MEAN

YESNO

AUGH JUST WATCH IT. IT IS THE BEST MOVIE EVER, EVER, EVER OKAY?! IT'S INCREDIBLE AND YOU THINK IT CAN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT BUT IT DOES, IT DOES!

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

O.O

B-b-but I don't know if I can HANDLE those levels of incredible. If I never post again you will know how I died. Don't mourn me. It will have been a good death.

[linndechir.livejournal.com]

OHMYGODYES THE ARCHY SLAP!!!

Watch the movie. Right now. Because all of it is beyond awesome, and Mark has more amazing scenes like that.
And the best thing is probably that Mark also slaps people in so many other movies ... that shouldn't be so hot. ;)

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

This thing is totally going on in T minus 5 minutes.

(And next on the list is the Long Firm, I am really, really happy about the way Mark is type cast like whoa.)

I know! Right after I posted this I clicked over to fandomsecrets and saw that Kick Ass one and saw your comment too and it made me snigger like an idiot. :D

[linndechir.livejournal.com]

So, seen it? ^^

I love The Long Firm. It was actually pretty much Mark's first villain role, and he had to fight to get it at all - the producers thought he was too nice and not intimidating enough to play Harry Starks. Well, turned out Mark's Harry is absolutely terrifying. I still hesitate to call Harry Starks a villain, he's just ten times more complex than even great villains. Probably because he's the main character. Whatever, I'm rambling, just watch it and enjoy. :D

Haha, I was so happy about that fandomsecret. Because I had exactly the same reaction in the cinema: "OHMYGOD it's Mark beating an 11-year-old girl to a bloody pulp, this shouldn't be so hot and make me want to ship them!"

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

Too nice?! Ha, I think I remember an interview with Mark where he spoke about how fun it was to play villains after...ummm, not playing villains but he's certainly found his niche!

I can sort of see why they'd think that though. In interviews he's just so lovely and charming and not at all scary and then BAM - he turns that shit round. Well, into lovely, charismatic evil/antihero-ness anyway.

Re: the secret, someone else said something about seeing his legs in action and yeah, they were right about that. Up to there they are. (Man, I'm mad jealous of Mark's height.) I would actually ship Frank with *coughChriscough* so ummm...yes.

[linndechir.livejournal.com]

Yep, he's lovely and charming, and before The Long Firm he played many rather nice characters as well. I'm so happy they cast him as Harry, after all, it's probably his best roll ever, and he really makes for an amazing villain. :D

Mhm, his legs ... in general. They're just endless. I think it was in Sharpe in which I did nothing but drool at his legs in those tight trousers and riding boots. Guh. Need to rewatch Kick-Ass.

Frank/Chris ... I was kinda disappointed. I went to see the movie expecting awesome father/son-slash after an interview with Mark I had seen (because I'm all over father/son-slash). But I find Chris almost sickeningly unattractive. I still ship them, because I love Frank and am interested in his relationship with his son, but I was really disappointed by Chris - both character- and look-wise. :(

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

...and a penchant for choking people to death with his whip! Let's not forget the truly attractive qualities of the man here! :P

You know, I can see where you're coming from with Chris. I don't find him attractive or unattractive though, he just...is. I have no complaints with the character though because he has major daddy issues which always = fun times.

[linndechir.livejournal.com]

I tried not to think of that ... I wanted to do something else with my evening than sit here and think, "GUUUUUUUH Mark choking people to death with his whip!" Then again, there are worse ways to spend your evening. ^^

Yeah, well, I really loved his daddy issues, and the father/son-dynamics were fun and I really want to ship them, but Chris just turns me off so much. Still, I'd love to read some great fanfic about them, because then I could just imagine Chris looking different. But there's hardly anything at all, afaik.

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

That's the only episode of Sharpe I've ever seen. I know Sharpe is practically an institution and it's on all the time but it's just too protagonist heavy for me. I need a good antagonist to get into most things.

I loved how bloody nonchalant Brand was. Just this constant air of 'well I don't really give a fuck'. Right up until the whole:

"And by God I'm going to make you beg, Sharpe."

Which was toe curling and delicious and so all the more upsetting when Sharpe pushing him into the damn well. >:(

Mmmm, whips and boots and begging, yeah you're right, bye bye evening...

When you say hardly anything, you mean NOTHING at all right, because you'd link it if there was something, ya? :P

[linndechir.livejournal.com]

I watched all of Sharpe because I love Sean Bean. The show itself is not really the kind of thing I usually enjoy - the whole hero/adventure-stuff, no thanks - but Sean Bean really made up for it. But while I wouldn't rewatch the entire thing again (at least not all episodes in three days, like the first time I watched it), I could indefinitely rewatch the episode with Mark AND Bean. )

Oh yes, that scene. And his VOICE when he said that. I was rather sad that Brand was killed off in such an, I don't even know, unheroic way? ;)

Bye bye evening, and here I wanted to read books and stuff. That'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Well, there are one or two fics, I think, one on the kink meme, one on ff.net, but they're both pretty much about Frank going like, "bwahahaa, stupid son, I'm gonna raaaaaaaape you!" - which is just not very interesting, and also completely OOC for Frank. I want something really fucked-up, twisted, about him actually loving his son in a weird way, but also wanting Chris to show that he's devoted to him ... and Chris actually wanting it too, in an equally twisted way, because there's NOTHING he wants more than to please his father. Damn, I have thought way too much about this. ;)

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

"bwahahaa, stupid son, I'm gonna raaaaaaaape you!"

Ahahahahaha*deep breath*ahahahaahahaha!

Oh jesus. No. What? Noooooo.

Yeah I'm pretty sure Chris wanting it, or thinking he does anyway, would be part of it. You're right, it's really about wanting to please his dad. Plus, Chris' isolation and abnormal relationship with his peers + the fact that he doesn't live up to his father's expectations + the fact that he admires his dad so much + the lack of positive attention he gets from him. This is what is interesting not rape out of fucking nowhere whooooo.

[linndechir.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I wanted some good characterisation, focusing on Chris' twisted daddy issues on the one hand, and Frank's conflicted feelings of loving Chris but also thinking that the boy is a complete failure and not what his son should be like. Frank never gives Chris a chance to prove himself (probably because he wants to protect him), but then he is disappointed that Chris is really just a spoilt brat instead of a worthy successor. I don't know what exactly I wanted, and my dislike for Chris is keeping me from writing something myself, but I know that I wanted something deeper than evil Frank raping his son as punishment or some shit like that. :( Incest fic is usually slightly cracky and unrealistic, but still.

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

Hmmm...I'm trying to think how I would write it if I was going to and it's actually pretty hard. Harder to keep it IC for Frank imo anyway.

Heh, haven't had much experience with incest in any of my fandoms *ponders* but I guess it's hard for it to come across as realistic with the majority of characters because how many characters would realistically do that? It's a pretty big taboo. I'm of the mind that if you write it well then almost anything can be done convincingly but it'd be a task and a half in a lot of cases!

[linndechir.livejournal.com]

I've written a lot of incest fics, but that was in a fantasy fandom with a people who think that murdering, torturing, raping, or seducing family members is the most normal thing in the world, so I didn't have to deal with an awful lot of moral issues there.

In more realistic fandoms it is a lot more difficult. Incest between siblings might not be too difficult to pull off, but parent/child-incest in a way that is not just plainly abusive is pretty much impossible. Completely IC, I don't think Frank would EVER do that. Beat Chris, maybe, but nothing sexual. But I am convinced that there is a way of doing it that is as far IC as possible once you decide that he might just be twisted enough to sleep with his son. ;) I just want fic that's halfway in character, even if it's not entirely realistic.

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

All this talk is making me seriously wish Kick Ass was out on dvd already.

[linndechir.livejournal.com]

Yeah, me too. Then again, I could probably rewatch it in the cinema, but I'm not sure I want to see the entire thing again, including the silly "happy" ending. :/

[inamac.livejournal.com]

I was rather sad that Brand was killed off in such an, I don't even know, unheroic way? ;)

One day I am going to have Brand climb, wet and dripping, out of that well - and whip Major Sharpe's arse...

(I have yet to decide what happens after that...)

[linndechir.livejournal.com]

Whipping and the hate sex we all wanted to see during the entire episode ... I think I'm going to worsihp you if you write that. ;D

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

Bwhaha, you say something like that and don't expect to have people jumping on you and cheering you on? Feed the bunny carrots I say. :D

[weetiger3.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, the "Famous Archy Slap"...and the "Famous Archy Smile"...
So did you like it? The movie I mean. One of my favorites. The whole thing was good but would have been diminished w/out the presence of Mark Strong. *sigh*

I envy you the ability to get The Long Firm. I may have to get the Region 2 and watch on the puter-although I hate doing that. It and To End All Wars are the only things I haven't seen yet.

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

It exceeded all expectations! Just crazy levels of awesome all round.

Idris Elba! I love that guy!
Unstoppable Russians (and accompanying Russian rock)!
Badass character who just happens to be gay!
Guy Ritchie being completely on form with his dialogue!

Bloody Mark Strong though - made it. Oh The Long Firm looks so good...I'm sorry for you!

I don't think I've actually seen Mark in anything where he's not being at least a little bit menacing. I don't know if it would be the same. (Okay, I've seen his bits in Fever Pitch and it was still good, but it's not quite the same.)

[weetiger3.livejournal.com]

If it's menacing you want, I cannot recommend highly enough the 2003 tv version of Henry VIII with the great Ray Winstone as Henry and Mark as the Duke of Norfolk. (Definitely a precursor to Godfrey)

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

Oh lord yes, linndechir's picspam of that made me very, very interested indeed. Definitely on the list. I love that kind of thing anyway. (Charles II: The Power & the Passion leaps to mind)

And don't even get me started on Godfrey. I could not have been happier with that film! His zeal for setting things on fire was adorable!

[weetiger3.livejournal.com]

I love that sort of thing too. Charles II: The Power & the Passion of Rufus Sewell...drool...but I digress.
If you fancy historical/costume dramas then I imagine you've seen Tristan + Isolde as well. More Mark menace!

I first discovered him in The Jury and now have watched everything else I could get my hands on. (I just bought Polanski's Oliver Twist so I can see Toby Crackit lol) I'm reading the book that The Long Firm was based on right now and am soooo picturing him in it. It's so funny that he almost didn't get the part because no one thought he could be that mean and dark! I must admit I like the other sides of him too. Ever seen Scenes of a Sexual Nature or Heartland?

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen it! I am thankful that Mark gets cast in so many costume dramas though, lots of pretty things to get my grubby mitts on. :D

I think everyone else is well ahead of me on the 'working through Mark's resume' side of things. I haven't seen any of those either! It's been a while since I've enjoyed an actor this much though, so I'm sure I'll get round to it. Got to prioritize!

[weetiger3.livejournal.com]

Yeah prioritize and then hunt them down. There are a few that are really scarce, which is a shame.

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

Pretty sure you'll be well aware once I do, because I'll be ranted and/or raving on here at length, ha! :D

[inamac.livejournal.com]

Lovely film - when I saw it in the cinema it had the oddest audience.

And Mark also does commentary on two episodes of The Long Firm...

C4 showed Stardust last night - which was inspiring...

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

I have Stardust sitting on my computer. I've watched it up until Mark's first appearance and that was nifty but something about it just...I guess it's not my cup of tea? The film that is. I might just fast forward through to all of Mark's bits - but you kind of lose something that way.

I don't know, is it worth watching?

[inamac.livejournal.com]

I saw Stardust because I love the original 'graphic novel' and there are too few good fantasy films around these days. It was the first time I registered Mark (though I already had a few of his performances on tape and DVD in the collection) - it was the first overhead shot of the Princes where Septimus is all black leather, black hair, and snark, and (like an astonishingly high number of Harry Potter fans) I went 'OMG, why did this guy not play Snape!!!'

The number of guys who reduce me to three exclamation marks can be counted on the knuckles of one finger...

But if you don't get wrapped up in the story (and some people do have problems with fantasy - you need to leave your logical facilities at home) then you probably wouldn't enjoy it. Fast-forwarding wouldn't make much sense.

[viceindustrious.livejournal.com]

Oh! I completely forgot it was based on that comic! Sheesh. Well I think I'll give it another go. (It's quite possible I was suffering from villain death fatigue and couldn't bear to watch Mark get killed again, a fate which seemed quite probable given what I'd see so far!)

[inamac.livejournal.com]

Being dead in that movie is not necessarily a bar to taking a major role in the plot ;)

ETA - My original review is here