James Caan: The Heartwarming Tough Guy

Each tribute to Caan will start with his purpose as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. You will listen to no adverse remarks from me about Caan’s general performance as Vito Corleone’s eldest son. Caan is a lightning rod during the movie, bringing the important chaotic, machismo electricity necessary to play the don-in-waiting around. Al Pacino’s functionality as Michael Corleone in The Godfather Aspect II is arguably the pinnacle of performing, but Caan’s effectiveness is greater than Pacino’s in the 1st film. When he sees Connie with the bruises on her confront, Sonny goes from enraged maniac to sympathetic brother in a matter of seconds, convincing the audience that he may well exhibit regret in the direction of Carlo, when in point, he beats the lifestyle out of him. Caan is so fully commited and believable as an more mature brother who would kill to safeguard his family members.

Caan’s other legendary roles in the 1970s that struck a chord with me are Brian’s Song and Rollerball. For the previous, Caan performed Brian Piccolo, a halfback for the Bears whose everyday living finished at 26 from cancer. Caan was not the tough person any longer. Caan played Piccolo with this kind of grace and vulnerability that it turned recognised as a “movie that will make every person cry.”

In Rollerball, Caan starred as Jonathan E., the superstar of the violent and lethal video game acknowledged as Rollerball. The film was simply just forward of its time, brutally foreshadowing a globe dominated by corporate greed and world-wide capitalism. Caan is the excellent actor to give the center finger to “the man” and symbolize individualism.

Skip ahead to 1981 when Caan ends up starring in Michael Mann’s directorial debut, Thief. For my revenue, Thief is on the Mount Rushmore of Caan performances. It’s the finest illustration of the heartwarming rough guy I employed in the title. Caan is an enigmatic thief, but he’s a prison with morals and a code of ethics that make him easy to root for. In one scene, he’s pistol-whipping a henchman. In another scene, he’s pouring his heart out at an adoption company, trying to influence the condition to grant him a child. Caan’s vulnerability is unmatched.

Regretably, Caan took a 5-yr hiatus in the 1980s to mentor his children’s sports teams to battle his depression around the demise of his sister and his cocaine use. Luckily for us, Caan returned to acting and starred in 1990’s Distress. Nearly each major title in Hollywood turned down the position of Paul Sheldon, who is brutally tortured and confined to a mattress through most of the movie. But not Caan, who turned the fantastic foil to Kathy Bates’s Annie Wilkes.

Skip to 1996 when Caan appeared in 4 movies:

• North Star, a motion picture I have never ever observed
• Bottle Rocket, Wes Anderson’s directorial debut
• Eraser, the place he plays the adversary to Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Bulletproof, exactly where he struck up a particular and experienced friendship with Adam Sandler

Which is a hell of a 12 months.

The previous iconic position of Caan arrived in 2003 when he played Walter Hobbs in Elf, the signify-spirited guide publisher, and father to Buddy (Will Ferrell). To believe there is an whole era of people today who know Caan strictly for Elf and not any of the roles outlined higher than is a testament to his influence in Hollywood.

There are lots of roles I did not mention, which speaks to Caan’s longevity and flexibility. At the stop of the working day, Caan is 1 of the most gifted performers of the previous 60 decades. It’s not hyperbole to say he is a single of a person. May he relaxation in peace.

What is your favorite James Caan performance? Go away your ideas in the comments under or tweet me, at @danny_giro.