While I would love to see Philip Seymour Hoffman take the academy award for his surprisingly humorous role in
Charlie Wilson’s War, the choice will likely come down to Javier Bardem – who stills haunts my dreams – and Casey Affleck. Yes, Hoffman is awesome, but it is Bardem and Affleck going into the Awards show with a nice collection of professional support.
For those of you who have never seen Bardem before, his portrayal of Anton in
No Country for Old Men might convince you that the guy is naturally evil and far from debonair. Well, if you caught any recent photo shoots of the actor, you’d realize that he is more the latter. He also hoped to counter the dark image he created with
Country by also starring as Florentino in
Love in the Time of Cholera. The only problem there is that not too many people caught Cholera, leaving the impression of Anton ever stagnant.
Bardem helped create one of the most terrifying hitmen we have ever seen on the bigscreen. And, what’s worse, the character did follow plenty of principles. His creepy voice? I don’t even like to think about it.
Casey Affleck also picked up a creepy role as Robert Ford in
The Assassination of Jesse James. Though shrouded with an impressive cast that included names such as Brad Pitt, Sam Rockwell, Sam Shepard, Jeremy Renner and Garret Dillahunt, Casey Affleck couldn’t help but stand out. He plays his character so well that one must only watch the film’s to get a taste of Affleck’s strong performance.
So – who will take home the Oscar? With all the hype behind
No Country for Old Men, I’m going to have to go with Bardem. But, then again, I have been wrong before.
