On this week’s edition of ‘The Best Acting I’ve Ever Seen‘ – let’s talk about James Gunn’s SUPER, starring Rainn Wilson as a mentally disturbed crime fighting vigilante.
The Actor: Rainn Wilson
The Film: Super (2010)
Director: James Gunn
The Scene: Rainn Wilson’s Crimson Bolt has invaded Kevin Bacon’s criminal compound and killed almost everyone except the final boss in a showdown that features one of the most deranged and beautiful superhero speeches ever put to film. (Skip to 1:30 for what I’m talking about). NSFW!!!!
My thoughts: Some people may have overlooked SUPER, which came out around the time KICK-ASS was getting rave reviews and also featured a ‘normal dude dressing up like a superhero’ gimmick, but James Gunn’s film is NOTHING like that movie. Rainn Wilson’s performance here as The Crimson Bolt is masterful. SUPER is hands down one of the most tragic and uplifting indie films ever made and features what I feel is the actor’s best work. Wilson is typically known for leaning comedic, but what he showcases here as a man losing his mind and lashing out at what he feels are bad people, is some of the most scary and satisfying superhero genre work in the game. Whether he’s smashing someone’s head in for cutting in line, or stabbing a drug dealer to death – The Crimson Bolt is a frightening realization of a mentally disturbed individual lashing out at society in violent fashion. You may have noticed that Joaquin Phoenix just won an Oscar for playing the same type of individual in JOKER, so it’s a universal theme we can all relate to in some way. Wilson’s speech to Bacon is filled with so much rage and frustration that you can literally feel the droplets of spit flying from his mouth and onto your blown out eyeballs. He’s so goddamn impressive here that you can even see Bacon looking like he’s legit terrified of this masked lunatic. I love this scene so much and if you haven’t seen SUPER, then you owe it to yourself to seek out this hidden gem because it may be my favorite James Gunn movie. “You don’t butt in line! You don’t sell drugs! You don’t molest little children!” Rainn Wilson – that was some of the best acting I’ve ever seen in my whole life.