REAL STARS OF HOLLYWOOD CHAPTER 2: 4/29/2020 LANCE HENRIKSEN

REAL STARS OF HOLLYWOOD CHAPTER 2: 4/29/2020

LANCE HENRIKSEN

by VHS Generation

The master of intensity. The master of the thousand yard stare. Lance is by far my favorite actor. No doubt. He can be on screen for 30 seconds, give a look, and steal the movie.

For those who are just tuning in, this isn’t about his entire filmography in chronological order. It’s about the movies I grew up watching, can’t get enough of, and play a major role in my well rounded collection.

The first film I saw him in was “Dog Day Afternoon.” The movie by itself was a masterpiece. Lance’s subtle, low key, less is more performance made the inevitable ending incredibly tense. Driving the get away van, he constantly reminds Sal to keep his gun pointed up. Once he reaches the airport, he puts the van in park, spins around, and puts one right between Sal’s eyes. Lance’s actions and Al’s reaction brings the movie to a breath taking ending.

Now…Is bringing up “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” and “Damian: The Omen 2” necessary since they’re small roles? Yes. These movies are great examples that even though the roles didn’t look intriguing on paper, Lance brings life to them and makes them memorable.

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As a child of the 80’s of course I was a huge fan of “The Terminator.” Lance plays one of the cops that in a way brings comic relief without being so obvious or cheesy. Paul Winfields right hand man and biggest pain in his ass. He also gets double tapped by Arnold. You know…a quick spray from the machine gun, and 2 pops from the shotgun. Personally I think he should’ve played Kyle Reese. Not that Michael Biehn didn’t kill it, but the first half of the film, Kyle seemed just as suspicious as Arnold, and Lance could’ve done a lot with that.

Now we’re getting into 86. Yes, I’m gonna talk about “Aliens.” Lance brought so much to this role, I don’t think I can even put it all into this entry. Completely aware of the audiences attitude about cyborgs (excuse me…artificial person), based off the first film and what Ian Holm brought, Lance completely torments the audience. He is so subtle in keeping the audience guessing. Is he good? Is he gonna turn on Ripley, and try to bring the alien back for testing? He maintains loyalty to the crew, while being completely mezmerized by the specimen he’s dissecting. I felt so bad for his character when Ripley smacks the cornbread out of his hands. Combination of “what the hell is her problem?” to a heartbeat away from crying. I’m sure it was this peformance that beefed up his future roles. Not a fan of Alien 3, so I won’t even get into it. Not his fault. He was great. Just not into it.

Ok now…Let’s talk about the movie that made me a Lance fan. “Near Dark.” Without a doubt the best vampire in cinema history. I was terrified of him and wanted to be him. Great example of why Lance is really good at “less is more.” Doesn’t say nearly as much as his wild side kick, played to perfection by Bill Paxton (you are missed buddy). But then again, he doesn’t have to. The leader of a vampire gang, that’s never off the clock. The only actor I can imagine walking into a biker bar, locking the door, and saying “just a few moments of your time, about the same duration as the rest of your life.” Fucking brilliant. You kind of see a slight reenactment in “The Bronx Tale,” but doesn’t quite have the same impact. My favorite vampire film, and my favorite role he plays. I still can’t believe this is still a relatively unknown film.

I saw “Pumpkinhead” in the theaters mainly cause Lance starred in it. He brought so much humanity into this role. I mean…it’s a simple monster movie. Just like Dee Wallace in “Cujo” Lance really deserved an award for his performance as Ed. As a fan I completely felt for him when he lost his son. In such a short time, all he did was wash his kids hands and share his grandmother story (which I believe was true). Like Linda Blairs performance in “The Exorcist” you get to know Lance’s character really well in a short period of time before the shit hits the fan. Takes an amazing actor to win the audience in 20 minutes. The most heart breaking scene is when he’s sitting in his truck, and his dead son sits up and says “What did you do daddy?” he completely falls apart. Amazing. And…let’s not forget the bone chilling thousand yard stare he gives one of the teenagers clinging onto his son. But watch his transition from pure hatred to unbearable sadness and pain.

Now…it kind of seemed for awhile after that, he was playing heavies in movies that would’ve been God awful without him. I’ll bring up two.

“Hard Target.” Probably on the record as being Van Dammes best film (I would go with Cyborg). But only cause Lance was in it. The protagonist is only as good as his antagonist. Lance really brings the thunder, and reigns hell all over Van Damme.

Not a huge fan of “Stone Cold.” Brian Bosworth can’t act for shit, and the undercover cop concept has definitely worn out it’s welcome. However, Lance playing the heavy with his right hand man played by William Forsythe (we’ll talk about him in the future), really saves this movie from being a bomb. Lance owns the screen. He can special guest on fucking “Sesame Street” and take it over without saying a word. When someone wants to talk about all the great actors in “Sons of Anarchy” I always bring this up. That ain’t shit. Watch Lance in “Stone Cold.”

Just like I said about Dee in the 90’s I was pretty preoccupied. Caught a few episodes of “Millenium.” Thought it was a great show, and Lance was great in it. Just had a lot going on that decade.

My favorite recent performance I saw him in (maybe not that recent), was “Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer.” He plays a man with a great story that he shares with a journalist (brilliantly played by Danielle Harris). He’s basically the narrater of a story about a simple man turned serial killer. He plays it so close to the chest, that you can’t help but think that he must be the killer. If you haven’t seen this, pick it up. It’s a good watch.

Lance is definitely a real star of Hollywood. This guy should have a cabinet full of Academy Awards. Which is why I truly believe that the Academy Awards is not the ulimate pat on the back. It’s the body of work you leave behind, and the lives you touch through the art you create. Lance is a great example of that. If you get a chance, I highly recommend watching the interviews he gives in “Aliens, Near Dark, and Pumpkinhead.” He keeps your attention and tells great stories.

Thank you Lance for keeping me entertained for so many years and giving me movies I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life.

– G.R.E.E.N.B.A.N.K.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000448/

Lance Henriksen profile on IMBD