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Javier Bardem- a pleasant surprise

GuillaumeGuillaume
edited December 2012 in Skyfall Posts: 25
When I first saw the movie trailer for Skyfall, I must admit I was a bit alarmed to learn that the Spanish actor Javier Bardem would give life to Raoul Silva, the villain in Skyfall. Don't get me wrong I believe he is an amazing actor but I just could not imagine him doing the part.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/2012/9/1c153ddd-cb00-42a9-92d6-6d9800ad81e2HiRes.JPG

It would not have been my first choice for the role, that's for sure. :-L

When I finally saw the film, I was pleasantly surprised as Bardem's performance was excellent, he gives madness, evil and narcissism to the role that no one else could have played so beautifully.

“The moments that elevate Skyfall from the efficient to the inspired can be attributed to one man: Javier Bardem, the hulking, 43-year-old Spanish actor whose delicious performance as Raoul Silva, sniggering cyber-terrorist, makes him a convincing contender for best Bond villain of all time,” Ryan Gilbey wrote Sunday in The Observer.
http://glueimg.s3.amazonaws.com/stickers/huge/sony_pictures/skyfall_raoul_silva.png

What do you think about his performance?
Who, in your mind, would you have preferred for the role of Silva?

P.d I'm a bit new to the community so be gentle if I made any mistakes. :-h

Mod edit: please use links to MGM / UA / Sony copyright images only. Also, this isn't news. Moved to Skyfall.

Comments

  • SirHenryLeeChaChingSirHenryLeeChaChing
    Posts: 3,494
    Bardem was the best villain since the Trevalyan/Onatopp duo, no question.

    The only person I can think of who could have topped his performance would be Tim Curry. There is no role that man cannot do to utter perfection.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,330
    Silva was great. Bardem once again, played a terrifying villain. I'm glad he took the role of Silva. If they ever do a Bond movie with Silva's brother, hire Jeffery Dean Morgan. Him and Javier Bardem are practically twins. :p
  • GuillaumeGuillaume
    Posts: 25
    SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:
    Bardem was the best villain since the Trevalyan/Onatopp duo, no question.

    The only person I can think of who could have topped his performance would be Tim Curry. There is no role that man cannot do to utter perfection.

    Oh I miss Tim Curry! not much to see since his appearance in Criminal Minds
    :-/
  • JWESTBROOKJWESTBROOK
    Posts: 5,745
    I do not see how anyone could think an actor of Bardem's claibre would NOT make a great villain, or a great anything!


    Have you seen any of his other work?
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited November 2012 Posts: 2,629
    Guillaume wrote:
    SirHenryLeeChaChing wrote:
    Bardem was the best villain since the Trevalyan/Onatopp duo, no question.

    The only person I can think of who could have topped his performance would be Tim Curry. There is no role that man cannot do to utter perfection.

    Oh I miss Tim Curry! not much to see since his appearance in Criminal Minds
    :-/

    Bardem belongs in the discussion as one of the greatest Bond villians of all time.

    I could see Curry pulling off the Silva role.

    I remember that two parter with Tim Curry, which also had Robert Davi as a Fed. They did a a great job with making Curry look deformed.
  • GuillaumeGuillaume
    Posts: 25
    JWESTBROOK wrote:
    I do not see how anyone could think an actor of Bardem's claibre would NOT make a great villain, or a great anything!


    Have you seen any of his other work?

    Maybe i was misunderstood, I love Bardem's work, Im spanish so I should know what I'm talking about but. My favourite movie oh his is "El amor en los tempos del cólera" (Love in the Time of Cholera) followed by "Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona".
  • GuillaumeGuillaume
    Posts: 25
    Maybe I was misunderstood, I love Bardem's work, I'm spanish so I should know what I'm talking about. My favourite movie of his is "El amor en los tiempos del cólera" (Love in the Time of Cholera) followed by "Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona".

    *sorry for the spelling mistakes
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 5,949
    Bardem is a great actor. He can do anything he sets his mind to, c'mon!
  • GuillaumeGuillaume
    Posts: 25
    echo wrote:
    Bardem is a great actor. He can do anything he sets his mind to, c'mon!

    I never ment to say that Bardem's not an excellent actor, I just couldn't imagine him doing the part. I was wrong :)
  • oorogersoorogers
    Posts: 122
    Bardem as had some good rolls I would not say hes one of the best but he does make a grate villain I mean no country for old men for example evil all the way. But as Silva as to be one of his best rolls yet Silva was pure evil and only as one goal which he succeeds where other villains fail bring Mi6 to its knees kill m. Bond may stop him in his track but m ends up dead success! plus its the first time bonds base gets blown to bits and Silva brings London to a stand still wrecking the underground in the process easily one of the best villains and for that we have to thank Bardem for bringing him to life

  • Major_BoothroydMajor_Boothroyd Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 2,721
    Bardem really helps the middle third of the film, often a weak spot for Bond films, because his first scene with Craig is excellent and exciting - without any action - something that was sorely missing in QOS. This also carries into the Hannibal Lecter style meeting with M when he's encased in the glass cell.
  • JimThompson45JimThompson45
    Posts: 803
    I was very pleased with his performance. I was thinking the other day if there was a Bond movie villain I enjoyed more, and I don't really think there has been.

    In terms of his performance, I believe he should at least get a nomination for Best Supporting Actor, though I don't think that'll happen.
  • BrendogeBrendoge
    Posts: 70
    I think he did a brilliant job of it. All of his scenes feel quite memorable, as well as his personality and story; unique, chilling, and has all the elements of a classic villain. He's the best villain since... dare I say it? Max Zorin? Carver was intriguing and unique, Trevelyan was quite the adversary, albeit Silva seems a few step above them and up there with the top ten 007 villains.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    JimThompson45 wrote:
    I was very pleased with his performance. I was thinking the other day if there was a Bond movie villain I enjoyed more, and I don't really think there has been.

    That's possibly very true. DN, Red Grant and GF are all superb and Scaramanga and Zorin aren't far behind but I think Javiers performance is more enjoyable than any of the Blofelds and anyone from the TD and Brozza eras. And obviously goes without saying he's DCs best villain by some distance.

    Considering DN had even less screen time and Grant only really had the one proper scene to make his mark could it be that Silvas only got GF as competition? That seems quite a big statement so I need to think about it some more.
  • JimThompson45JimThompson45
    edited November 2012 Posts: 803
    Yeah, for me Grant and Julius No are the only two who sort of comes close. Silva is just a great villain, I think.

  • Major_BoothroydMajor_Boothroyd Republic of Isthmus
    Posts: 2,721
    I can't go past Goldfinger as the best villain. I love his sparring with Bond especially the scene when bond apologizes to Auric and says 'my apologies Goldfinger, it's an inspired plan'. Playing to his egotism so sincerely is great and almost never repeated by another Bond. But Bardem is great.
    Feeling up Bond was so surprising
    and being genuinely surprised in a Bond film is rare these days (probably something that made me love Skyfall so much - because it happens so often in that film.)
  • JimThompson45JimThompson45
    Posts: 803
    Major_Boothroyd wrote:
    I can't go past Goldfinger as the best villain. I love his sparring with Bond especially the scene when bond apologizes to Auric and says 'my apologies Goldfinger, it's an inspired plan'. Playing to his egotism so sincerely is great and almost never repeated by another Bond. But Bardem is great.
    Feeling up Bond was so surprising
    and being genuinely surprised in a Bond film is rare these days (probably something that made me love Skyfall so much - because it happens so often in that film.)
    I can certainly see why someone would feel that way. And Goldfinger is, for me, one of the more interesting Bond film villains (though not, to me, as interesting as the literary version of the character). He just didn't catch my interest as much as Silva did.

    Individual tastes vary.

  • GuillaumeGuillaume
    Posts: 25
    Major_Boothroyd wrote:
    Bardem really helps the middle third of the film, often a weak spot for Bond films, because his first scene with Craig is excellent and exciting - without any action - something that was sorely missing in QOS. This also carries into the Hannibal Lecter style meeting with M when he's encased in the glass cell.

    Excelllent reference to Hannibal... I could not agree more.

  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,506
    Have to say i could not see anyone else in the role? Think it was a stroke of genius that they landed him for the part! :-bd
  • Goldeneye95Goldeneye95
    Posts: 546
    Javier Bardem gave a great performance as the Bond villian Silva. Silva was a scary villian, but cool at the same time. I hope Javier Bardem wins an Oscar for his performance in Skyfall.
  • thelionthelion
    edited November 2012 Posts: 72
    Silva is, for me, the best villian, only second to Zorin. Silva was the best thing in Skyfall, in my opinion. Javier Bardem gave a great performance, and I hope that at least he gets considered to the Oscar. ( We all know that the Academy hates Bond...)
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    Was the bleached hair a direct reference to Chris Walken from a View to a Kill ?

    What I know is, Silva was (much) better than Zorin as a villain between the actors though. You could essentially sit here for hours and discuss Bardem/Silva as I found him such a surreal character, and once again, I didn't think much of the lousy 'knife in the back' ending. What a poor ending for such a highlighted villain. And Bardem won't win an Oscar for his part, it's safe to say, although the way things have occured in recent years with some movie release, stranger things have occured..

    Not the best villain we ever saw in the series, but they gave us something different this year, and I think it worked..
  • TuuliaTuulia
    Posts: 2,081
    JWESTBROOK wrote:
    I do not see how anyone could think an actor of Bardem's claibre would NOT make a great villain, or a great anything!


    Have you seen any of his other work?

    Exactly. When I heard the news I was practically drooling already.
    And he didn't disappoint. Does he ever?

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