There comes a time in every knighted actor’s career when he descends from Oscar material to B-level creature feature. Ben Kingsley is the vampire king in Bloodrayne, yet another awful flick derived from a video game. After playing Fagin, he’s well into his monster oeuvre:
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I vant to suck |
German director Uwe Boll (“House of the Dead,” “Alone in the Dark”) is fast becoming known as one of the worst directors on the planet. Indeed, Boll’s films are archetypes of bad filmmaking… Yet he continues to license big-name videogame titles and turn them into movies with ever more impressive casts… Boll somehow lures an Oscar-nominated Knight of the British Order to play a character as ridiculous as the King of the Vampires. [Link]
If I wanted to watch a desi actor draining the life out of his victims, I’d go down to the local Bollyplex.
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The video game: sex, death and subtlety |
I think Ben has beaten Rex Harrison’s appearance in “Shalimar” as the worst career move for an Oscar award winning actor…Brando’s Dr. Moreau does bear honorable mention.
I am in Sundance right now…great desi films being played. Also, Ben Kingsley was supposed to be the George Rush role in Munich, but schedule did not permit it…guess Sir Ben had to do the horror flick!
Ben Kingsley is desi? Really? I thought he was just a white actor who played Gandhi.
Yeah he’s half desi huh.
You know I love the Mutiny, but when you post about Ben Kingsley, I think it’s a bit weird. He’s the most un-Indian half-Indian I know. If he hadn’t played Gandhi, barely anyone would know about his heritage. Well no – you can post about whoever you like, but referring to him as a ‘desi actor’ just seems odd. He’s never categorically said he’s ashamed of his Indian roots, but he’s never talked about them at all, which is perhaps why I have a mental impression he’s not that proud of them. I could be wrong.
Hmm, Bong, not sure that’s fair. While I am sad about the turn Sir Ben’s career has taken (and appreciate this post for informing me of it :)), I don’t take issue with his characterization of his identity. I think it’s pretty honest, actually.
Gee this stinks for an Oscar winner and a damn good actor to do a film inspired by a video game.
BTW, a little something about the movie Gandhi. We are very fortunate the part went to someone who had some Indian heritage (on his father’s side). Otherwise it would have gone to a white actor like Alec Guiness. To think producers wanted to cast a non-Indian to play Gandhiji. And I don’t think Sir Ben needs to say much about his Indian heritage. His legacy and his identity is that one film. A damn good one for that matter.
Nice interview that Telugu love linked to:
The bloke’s real name is Krishna Bhanji, his dad was a Kenyan of Indian descent and his mother a jew. He has played the role of a vampire before too.
What is wrong with a film inspired by a video game? It is not that different from a film inspired by a novel. I am still waiting for a movie version of Grand Theft Auto.
Sorry, Nux2 linked to that interview 🙂
Nice article Nux2. I stand (somewhat) corrected 😉 Although, Telegu Love, I don’t recall anyone like Alec Guinness being in the picture. The other person in the running to play Gandhi was Naseeruddin Shah – but it was understandable that the British crew and Dicky Attenborough wanted a Brit for simplicity’s sake. Indians were quite irritated by the decision at first, but most were pacified when they saw what a fantastic performance Kingsley turned in. I think Naseeruddin Shah did end up playing Gandhi though – in Hey Ram. The lamest thing was when Christopher Lee was cast as Jinnah, years after Gandhi was made.
I think most Indians were happy about Ben Kingsley when they realised that he had Gujarati blood in his veins. That makes him kin to Gandhi in a way.
I think it is amazing when you watch his performance in Sexy Beast as the most scary and vicious psychopath of recent British cinema, then realise the range that he has an actor – really great actor.
even as a vampire, he’s rockin some nice zari brocade and silks in the above picture.
If Kingsley is so desperate for money, then he should star in some Bollywood flicks.
I unfortunately have seen both ‘Alone in the Dark’ and ‘Bloodrayne’. The are truly extremely bad movies. I really don’t know how they convince good actors to get in on; but once they do – it’s like they are turned into zombies. ‘Bloodrayne’ is just unbelievably awful…it still hurts to think about it..
Thats one gorgeous sentence. Great writing.
In the DVD commentary of ‘Alone in the Dark’, Boll explains how he funds his films:
“Maybe you know it but it’s not so easy to finance movies in total. And the reason I am able to do these kind of movies is I have a tax shelter fund in Germany and if you invest in a movie in Germany you get basically fifty percent back from the Government.”
( from Uwe Bolls Wikipedia Page )
DHAUM.50% of the money B A C K!!!! My heart goes out to the Ramsays .They never had it so good!
Boll has already completed a movie based on the hit Microsoft RPG title Dungeon Seige, titled..Gasp… In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale. And guess what . Bolls at it again.The starcast of this movie is as stellar as his earlier duds. Its got Ray Liotta , JASON STATHAM ,Ron ‘hellboy’ Perlman and Burt Reynolds!
Im just gonna pray and hope that the movie aint as half as awful as bloodrayne. And I thought that kisna was the worst movie of 2005.
There is only one way that directors manage to lure actors of Ben Kingsley’s callibre into such poor films, and that is money. Mr Kingsley should really work on the stage more, for many of his parts don’t use his great talent to its full potential. He, as any great actor, can give much greater performances on the stage than on film.