Bent
Clive Owen is one of the best British actors who has enjoyed success here in American as well as on the stage in recent years. On 13th September Bent is released on DVD and to celabrate we are taking a look back over Owen's varied career.
Close My Eyes: In 1991, Clive won himself critical acclaim for his performance in his first film, following success in television and on the stage. Playing opposite Alan Rickman’s Sinclair, Clive took on the role of Richard: estranged brother of Sinclair’s new wife, Natalie.
The two’s first passionate night together as they begin their incestuous affair, will be well remembered thanks to the raw passion expressed through those piercing eyes, though this role is perhaps most famous among Clive’s fans for the full frontal nudity which features during Richard’s promiscuous days, thus gaining him attention for his well-honed physique.
His acting abilities are also beautifully on display as Richard ranges from successful lothario to suicidal and obsessed with his own sister, all of which Clive handles deftly in his stride.
Bent: Adapted from the hugely controversial play of the same name by Martin Sherman, Bent sees Clive tackling the demanding role of Max, previously played by the likes of Sir Ian McKellen and Richard Gere on the stage.
Max is a promiscuous young gay man in 1930s Berlin, who is forced to flee the city with his partner, Rudy, after SS troops discover the Sturmabteilung leader, Ernst Röhm in their apartment following a night of Max’s usual debauchery.
Clive offers a memorable and moving performance as he battles with inner conflict over admitting his homosexuality to his Gestapo captors, helps murder Rudy to escape being further harmed himself, and struggles to come to terms with his new found love at Dachau in the form of fellow prisoner Horst.
The moving climax of the film comes after Horst’s death, as Max, forced to bury his new friend, lover and confidant swaps his jacket with the deceased’s: finally wearing the infamous pink triangle with pride before taking his own life.
Croupier: A year later and Clive found himself international fame thanks to his title role in this 1998 neo-noir. Forced to make ends meet to fund his writing career, Jack Manfred takes a job as a croupier and begins to find his world slowly consumed more and more by the casino.
He begins to see gambler Jani (Alex Kingston) outside of working hours: breaking a cardinal rule in his world. Jani soon proves the casino’s fear over out of hours relations with the punters, as she asks Jack to be the inside man for a planned heist at the casino.
Meanwhile, Jack has begun using his experiences at the casino to write his novel ‘I, Croupier’ in which he forms his alter-ego Jake. The two personalities slowly begin to get more and more confused, with Jack allowing this new side of him to do more and more which he himself would not under normal circumstances. This conflict of personalities again allowed Clive to flex his acting muscle.
I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead: Returning to work with director, Mike Hodges, the man behind Croupier, Clive adopts the role of Will, an ex-London gangster back to avenge the death of his brother, Davey (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers).
As Clive uncovers the truth behind his brother’s rape and suicide, Will is driven to take his first drink in three years, and despite his promises to crime boss Frank Turner of having no intention to return to his old life of crime, kills his brother’s attacker and thanks to his cohorts’ prank at Turner’s house has a hitman sent after him by Turner.
The film ends ambiguously, with Will’s ex-girlfriend Helen (Charlotte Rampling) seen to be held hostage by the hitman and waiting for Will to arrive who had previously instructed her to pack a bag.
The audience is never told whether he ever comes to her rescue, with the film simply ending as it began, with Will hitting golf balls into the ocean. The film received decidedly mixed reviews upon release, but Clive’s enigmatic performance has since been recognised for driving Hodges’ mystery forward despite its slow pace.
King Arthur: One year passes and we find Clive in his first truly mainstream role, playing Arthur in the 2004 demystified take on the traditional King Arthur tale. The producers of the film claimed their film to be historically accurate, based on new archaeological findings, though this accuracy is subject to some debate.
The film was unusual in its representation of Arthur as a Roman soldier rather than a medieval knight, and Clive took to this grittier depiction of the hero of English folklore like a duck to water.
Starring alongside the likes of Ioan Gruffudd, Keira Knightley, and Ray Winstone, this film was also a chance for Clive to prove his worth among the upper echelons of British actors.
The role demanded a performance which exuded leadership and confidence in order for the association of this Roman soldier with the legendary king to remain credible: attributes which Clive has proven himself to be far from lacking.
Closer: Following his performance as Dan (Jude Law’s role in the film) in the 1997 stage production of Closer, Clive took up the role of dermatologist Larry for the 2004 adaptation of the play. He meets Anna (Julia Roberts) after being duped into coming to the aquarium by a bitter Dan, only to start a relationship with her.
Initially seeming the victim in the tangle of the various characters’ love lives, Clive does incredible justice to the demanding and almost sinister role by the end of the film, this time using his rugged good looks and charisma to manipulate those around him.
His performance was so strong, he stole every scene from the rest of the stellar cast, and this did not go unnoticed: earning himself a Golden Globe and BAFTA award, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Sin City: Clive then joined another all-star cast for Robert Rodriguez’s adaptation of Frank Miller’s much celebrated series of comic strips. In this role as Dwight, an ex-news photographer turned protector of the girls of Old Town, Clive’s gritty and violent acting background stood him in good stead.
Again, Clive managed to shine out from the stellar crowd around him, including the likes of Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Benicio Del Toro and Michael Madsen quite a bunch to beat in a crime thriller! Clive can even boast being directed by Quentin Tarantino in this project, as it was the car sequence featuring Clive and Benicio Del Toro which the king of pop-culture turned his directing hand to.
Children Of Men:In this adaptation of P.D. James’ novel set in a chaotic 2027 where men are impotent, senior citizens are encouraged to commit suicide and immigrants are enslaved, Clive plays Theo Faron, a beaurocrat who is sucked back into the world of activism and is enlisted to help his estranged wife, Julian (Julianne Moore) to escort miraculously pregnant immigrant, Kee out of the country.
Prior to the start of filming, Clive collaborated with writers Cuarón and Sexton for several weeks about the role, impressing them so much they brought him on board as a writer. Clive therefore contributed not only through his sterling performance as the 'everyman' turned hero, but also through his creative insights.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age: His first return to a period piece since King Arthur, Clive plays Walter Raleigh in this 2007 sequel to the 1998 Elizabeth, depicting the latter half of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign. The role sees a return to Clive’s roguish lothario ways, impressing the Queen when he is presented to her in court, but beginning an affair with her first lady-in-waiting Bess Throckmorton who Elizabeth has instructed to observe him.
Clive can again draw upon his acting experience to use his charismatic, manipulative ways to curry favour in court while still maintaining his illegal relationship.
Once again appearing alongside some of Britain’s mightiest talent, including Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush, Clive had clearly proven he could pack a proverbial punch as well as the best Britain has to offer.
Duplicity: Drawing this time from his experience from films such as The Bourne Identity, and The International, 2009 saw Clive tackling a romantic comedy come spy-thriller alongside Julia Roberts.
Here we see Clive play MI6 agent, Ray, who is apparently seduced by Roberts’ Claire who unbeknownst to him is in fact a CIA agent. She in fact drugs him in order to steal important documents only for the two to meet again 5 years later in New York as the two are both now corporate spies.
The two work together to steal important secrets to sell to the highest bidder though neither trusts one another and so ensues the comedy as the twists in their duplicitous relationship develop. In a role requiring a suave, cheeky and slick performance, it’s no wonder Clive was chosen for the character given his repertoire.
To catch up on Clive in one of his best performances in Bent which is released on dual-format DVD & Blu-Ray on September 13th 2010.
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