2014 SQUID Actor of the Year

Quite a few thespians decided to be busy this past year in both film and television. While it proved to be a close race for both sexes, the triumphant recipients are truly the stand out King and Queen of the screen for 2014. Below, we shall break down the race for the SQUID Actor of the Year 2014. 

Among the men, some, like Willem Defoe (John Wick, The Grand Budapest Hotel) and Bill Paxton (The Edge of Tomorrow, Agents of SHIELD, and Nightcrawler) made strong comebacks of sorts. The veteran actors made firm cases for AOTY but they were never center stage. 

Other actors in the running this year include two genre stalwarts. One, the reigning champ, the other, his Hobbit and Sherlock costars. Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game) and Martin Freeman (Fargo) proved that they have indeed arrived and are going nowhere. Cumberbatch wasn't one to easily relinquishing his throne. While Freeman would have run away with it if this were solely a television award. 

There were dark horses including relative unknowns who excelled at supporting roles like Boyd Holbrook (A Walk Among the Tombstones, Gone Girl, The Skeleton Twins), and James Cordon (Into the Woods, Begin Again). Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher, Begin Again) and Channing Tatum (Foxcatcher, 22 Jump Street) were also quite visible throughout the year.

The year marked the arrival of another Brit, Dan Stevens (The Guest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb) who, now free of the Abbey, sets his eyes on conquering Hollywood. He'll throw his hat in the ring for the next couple of years, no doubt, as he was recently announced to star opposite Emma Watson in the live action Beauty and the Beast.

It would be a crime to ignore the tour de force performances on both mediums from Matthew McConaughey (Interstellar, True Detective), but there were talents who proved far more present. We arrive now at the hyper-massive-mammoth-cosmic explosion of Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, Parks and Recreation, The Lego Movie, and, while only a trailer, we can't ignore the raptor master of Jurassic World). Pratt truly came close to taking the title but his ascension to the A-List was trumped by one man. 

All those men and all those roles yet none of them are the pyramid's tip. No, the tentacled crown for SQUID Actor of the Year of 2014 belongs to the resilient, prolific Irish Terminator that is Liam Neeson. IMDb lists him in ten roles during the twelve months including exceptional films like The Lego Movie and A Walk Among the Tombstones, along side decently entertaining fare like Non-Stop, A Million Ways to Die, and Taken 3. He was front and center, he was supporting in both villainy and comedy, he was everywhere! Say what you will about the generic actioners he churns out, they still pack a stylish and visceral punch. He has the tendency to go full Nic Cage but he still manages to be a resonant actor. Now venturing into comedic roles, he crossed a line into unknown territory so who knows what his future holds. The year, however, belonged to Liam Neeson. 



SQUID Actor of the Year recipients:

2014 winner - Liam Neeson
The Lego Movie, A Walk Among the Tombstones, A Million Ways to Die in the West, Non-Stop, Taken 3, Various other voice acting roles on TV. 

2013 winner - Benedict Cumberbatch 
12 Years A Slave, Star Trek into Darkness, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, August: Osage County, The Fifth Estate, The Simpsons

2012 winner - Joseph Gordon Levitt
Premium Rush, Looper, Lincoln, The Dark Knight Rises

2011 winner - Michael Fassbender 
Jane Eyre, X-Men: First Class, Shame, Haywire, A Dangerous Method

A Walk Among the Tombstones (2014)

Written and Directed by Scott Frank (The Lookout)
Novel by Lawrence Block
Starring:
Liam Neeson (The Lego Movie)
Dan Stevens (The Guest)
Brian Bradley aka Astro (The Redband Society)
Sebastian Roche (Supernatural)
Boyd Holbrook (The Skeleton Twins)
David Harbour (Quantum of Solace)
Adam David Thompson (Martha Marcy May Marlene)

The title screamed Western but, it turns out, director Scott Frank has made the best neo-noir film this side of Brick. Packaged in Wes Anderson-like symmetry and framing, and drenched in the dark, grizzly atmosphere of True Detective, Frank's beautifully grim direction manages to carve a stylish mystery out of the somewhat familiar mixture of drugs, murder, and redemption. It even had a hint of Rian Johnson's auteurial flair with smooth pans across landscapes.

To make the obvious comparison, Walk is Taken but with better acting and more patience. We all know by now that when you shove a phone at Liam Neeson and give him outstanding dialogue to pour into the speaker, he absolutely nails it. The outstanding dialogue is optional. I'm having a hard time believing that this wasn't intentional. There's a fair bit of humor peppered in throughout the movie to make me think they played to certain desires. That terrible hair and beard in the flashback looks pretty deliberate.

"Gimmie the upside down Bob Ross Goatee"

Neeson's memorable ex-detective, Matt Scudder, is surrounded by well-rounded side characters who all play into the grand gravy. Dan Stevens and Astro were magnificent in bringing a desperation and innocence to their roles, respectively, expanding the emotional range of the story. Holbrook and the ever reliable Sebastian Roche each brought their characters to life with deeply entrenched performances. To top it off, we are also given a juicy antagonist duo. David Harbour and Adam Thompson were brilliant in unleashing a menacing rampage. No character felt wasted. There were some arcs that were mistreated towards the end, but the whole ordeal was ultimately a satisfying surprise.

Another pleasant plus this movie did with the characters was setting them up like pieces in a puzzle to cross the path of our protagonist. They are slowly maneuvered so that every piece eventually aligns and fills the screen simultaneously. That perfect scene where all the characters are now face to face. It's a common occurrence, but only as exciting when done with this precise pacing.

Bottom Line: Neeson refuses to let up in this brutal, stylish and, at times, contemplative film about a gruesome crime spree. It stands out from typical crime stories by using slick camera work and spectacular casting. Once again, not a Western.

9 out of 10.