In Character: Kevin Bacon

Kevin Bacon gets a lot of crap. There’s the game and the blasé attitude and the rock band and the mediocre films. But beyond all that, I’ve always thought that Kevin Bacon was genuinely one hell of an actor. His range is never given enough credit, which is why, in highlighting my favorite Bacon roles, I’ve chosen performances that explore the many facets of his talent. From funny to sad, smartass to asshole, martyr to monster. Here, for my money, is Kevin Bacon at his best.

Five Essential Roles

Diner (1982)

Fenwick

Maybe you’ve known guys like Fenwick. Guys who have been out of high school long enough to get their lives together, but aren’t remotely close to doing so. Guys who didn’t go to college, can’t hold down a job; who sleep all day and drink all night. That’s Fen. In Diner, Fen is the screwball of his group of friends. He pulls dumb gags (the opening ketchup bit is hilarious), talks out of turn, parties too much, and so on. But as the film progresses, Fen quickly evolves from the playful drunk to the pitiful chump. Bacon had a few notable roles before Diner (hard to forget his turns in Animal House and Friday the 13^th), but Fen was his first deeply mature performance. Much of the brilliance of Diner is that, although it’s set in 1959, its themes still ring true today. That’s the sign of a good script, sure, but also of believable performances as well.

The Big Picture (1989)

Nick Chapman

The Big Picture is probably best remembered as Christopher Guest’s first directorial effort, and while it doesn’t have the dry, mockumentary sensibilities of his later films, it remains a hilarious send-up of the Hollywood system. After his short film wins a mildly prestigious prize, Nick Chapman gains the attention of the Hollywood elite. Hot starlets, fake friends and fancy agents fill his head with fame and fortune, and, as a result, Nick begins to alienate those closest to him.

Nick Chapman is Kevin Bacon at his most playfully naïve. In the beginning, we really believe he’s some young student who is so appreciative of his big break. But as Nick’s “career” takes off, so perfectly does Bacon adopt a Hollywood elitist attitude. If you haven’t seen The Big Picture, I highly recommend it. It’s an amusing Hollywood parody with Bacon at his youthful best.

Murder in the First (1995)

Henri Young

Murder in the First is a semi-true story about a petty thief named Henri Young who is sent to Alcatraz and driven mad by the prison’s conditions. Years of solitary confinement, brutal beatings, and ceaseless ridicule motivate Young to flip and kill a fellow prisoner. Young is subsequently put on trial for the murder, and in an interesting twist on the prison/courtroom movie narrative, Young’s lawyer (Christian Slater) argues that Alcatraz turned Young into a murder. The prison failed him, and he reacted violently.

The material has Oscar-bait written all over it, and Bacon falls into Young’s tortured and disturbed mind seamlessly. His erratic speech pattern, his shifty mannerisms, it all makes for one of Bacon’s best, and most tediously realized performances. Warner Bros. touted Murder in the First as one of its big 1994 Oscar films, specifically concerning acting nominations (Gary Oldman is equally good as Alcatraz’s sadistic associate warden). But, when a final cut was presented to the studio, they accepted the harsh truth that Murder in the First wasn’t very well made. The performances are universally solid, but the movie is a little too scattered to be considered great. Warner Bros. eventually released the film in January, where it all but disappeared. Noting this, I still stand by the conviction of Bacon’s performance. Ultimately, the film let him down, but regardless, the strength of his work is untouched.

Sleepers (1996)

Sean Nokes

The introduction of Sean Nokes is one of my favorite character introductions in film history. After four friends commit a prank that nearly kills a man, they’re sent to a juvenile detention facility to reform their troubled ways. Shortly after arriving at the Wilkinson Home for Boys, head guard Sean Nokes slowly approaches one of the boys’ rooms, and the audience breathes a sigh of relief. Nokes is played by Kevin Bacon, that reliable, kind and gracious actor who’s made a career out of making us chuckle with his boyish antics. It’s Kevin Bacon. Everything will be fine.

Minutes after meeting Nokes, we realize how profoundly we’ve been tricked. This is not a nice man. In fact, he’s a fucking monster void of any redemptive quality. Sean Nokes is an ingenious role reversal for Bacon, one that he embraces with sadistic glee and never looks back. Seldom have I enjoyed watching a film character get what’s coming to him more than Sean Nokes in Sleepers.

Taking Chance (2009)

Lt. Col. Michael Strobl

One might argue that there are other, showier Bacon roles that deserve to be highlighted here. That’s fair, but there’s something about the nuance of Taking Chance that I’ve always admired. Lt. Col. Michael Strobl is Kevin Bacon at his most controlled. There’s no heightened emotion, no grand monologues of remembrance; Taking Chance is a simple film about a simple man doing a selfless good deed. Watching the film, it’s easy to get the impression that, because Bacon is so subtle, he’s not really doing anything. When, in fact, he’s doing everything.

Taking Chance is a true story about a high-ranking military official (Strobl) who volunteers to escort the body of a recently deceased Private First Class across the country. And, really, that’s about it. This isn’t a film about an aging, lonely military man going cross country and rediscovering himself, nor is it a hoo-rah-rah proclamation of America the Beautiful. It’s a patient and good natured film, anchored by a beautifully understated lead performance.

Wild Card

Footloose (1984)

Ren McCormack

As far as classic screen acting goes, there’s nothing especially brilliant about Bacon’s work in Footloose. Despite this, Ren McCormack is still the most fun performance Bacon has ever given, and I absolutely love the hell out of it. Basically, it just didn’t feel right to discuss Bacon’s best performances and at least not give Footloose a shout out.

The Best of the Best

The Woodsman (2004)

Walter

Who is Walter and what has he done? A quiet man, Walter keeps to himself, moves slowly and cautiously, watches others, observes. We have an idea what’s troubling him; why his shoulders slouch with years of pent-up tension, why his voice barely cracks a whisper. Walter has just been released from prison after serving a 12 year bit for child molestation. His release was met with complete isolation. He has no friends, and his family refuses to speak to him, save his jovial brother-in-law, Carlos (Benjamin Bratt). Walter takes a job at a local mill, he meets people, some kind, others cruel. He’s routinely harassed by a cop (Mos Def), just cause. And on and on. This is the way life is for Walter now.

As Walter, Bacon was able to tap into the best of his qualities as an actor. Walter has the slow-brewing, emotive intensity Bacon often expresses so well, but also a distinct sorrow. The beauty of this performance is that Bacon makes us care for Walter. We feel bad for the guy, but never forget that he’s a man capable of horrible things. As the movie goes on, we get the sense that Walter has changed. You think he’s back on track – rehabilitated, improved. Then while he’s having a drink with Carlos one night, Walter quietly asks if Carlos ever has feelings for his own daughter, Carla. “What do you mean?” Carlos innocently asks. “You know… feelings,” Walter says.

And… we’re back. All the progress we thought Walter had made is erased with one question. All told, this is such a captivating and risqué performance. Walter is man we never have fully locked down. We know he’s capable of going too far, but will he dare, again?

Other Notable Roles

in JFK

Animal House (1978)

Friday the 13th (1980)

Guiding Light (1980-1981)

Quicksilver (1986)

She’s Having a Baby (1988)

Criminal Law (1988)

Flatliners (1990)

Tremors (1990)

JFK (1991)

He Said, She Said (1991)

A Few Good Men (1992)

The River Wild (1994)

The Air Up There (1994)

Apollo 13 (1995)

Picture Perfect (1997)

Wild Things (1998)

Stir of Echoes (1999)

My Dog Skip (2000)

Hollow Man (2000)

In the Cut (2003)

Mystic River (2003)

Loverboy (2005)

Where the Truth Lies (2005)

Death Sentence (2007)

Rails & Ties (2007)

Frost/Nixon (2008)

Super (2010)

Bored to Death (2010)

X-Men: First Class (2011)

Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)

Jayne Mansfield’s Car (2012)

The Following (2013-2014)