In Character: Powers Boothe

We’ve lost another great one. Powers Boothe was a big man, a Texas man, an intimidating and charismatic man. His voice thundered and his fury raged. I say this a lot in these posts, but I genuinely liked Boothe in everything I saw him in. The performances below highlight his best work in rather fine films, but the man was no stranger to appearing in films that were not well received. Yet, he’s great in all of them. Red Dawn, Sudden Death, U Turn, MacCruber – line them up and I’ll watch them all, because Powers Boothe was the man. A sad loss indeed, but such a worthy career to revisit.

Five Essential Roles

Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones (1980)

as Jim Jones

Many character actors have given excellent performances in decades-old made-for-TV movies. The not-so hidden secret about my In Character posts is that I often don’t include them among the performer’s best work. For one, such movies can be very hard to find, and secondly, most of them aren’t very well made. Guyana Tragedy is true of all three points. It is hard to track down (though grainy versions are available on YouTube), it isn’t very well made, and Boothe is incredible in it. Without Boothe’s performance as crazed cult leader/mass murderer, Jim Jones, Guyana Tragedy would fall flat. But Boothe keeps the film compelling. From Jones’ idealistic start to his devilish end, you can’t take your eyes of Boothe. This performance won Boothe his only major award (the Emmy for Best Lead Actor in a Limited Series or a Special), and if you’re a fan of Boothe’s, it is essential viewing.

Southern Comfort (1981)

as Hardin

If you read most any write-up of Boothe’s career, it will likely mention how well Boothe embodied hard men. He played a lot of evil guys – and he played them very well. Yet his first major film role, as Corporal Hardin in Walter Hill’s Southern Comfort, captures a noble Powers Boothe. To be clear: Hardin is tough as hell – he’s smart, calculated, and afraid of little – but unlike most of the other men in his Louisiana National Guard squad, Hardin is an honorable man. He spends the entire film advocating for the proper, honest choice. When he’s forced into a corner, he certainly fights back, but being put into such a tense situation was not his choice. Hardin is a unique Boothe performance – calm yet decisive, earnest yet tough.

Tombstone (1993)

as Curly Bill Brocius

Curly Bill is arguably the most out-and-out villainous performance Boothe ever gave. There’s no redeeming quality within Curly Bill. He’s a vicious monster, a man who rapes, robs, and kills for the hell of it. You can tell Boothe loved the challenge of playing Curly Bill, capturing the man’s flamboyance and deranged mind with utter glee. Hell, Boothe manages to steal damn near every scene he’s in, which makes his moments with Val Kilmer (who has never been better than his work as Doc Holiday here), a real joy.

Nixon (1995)

as Alexander Haig

Boothe isn’t in Nixon very much early on, yet you’re aware that he’s constantly there. All the extended, deceptive Oval Office meetings, in which Nixon’s shifty Yes Men conjure up ways to preserve Nixon’s legacy, Boothe's Haig is standing in the back, dressed in full military regalia, witnessing the deception. You can tell Haig doesn’t agree with what is being discussed, yet he’s too disciplined to talk out of order. In the film’s final act (once Haig is made Nixon’s Chief of Staff), Boothe assumes a more prominent role, ultimately convincing Nixon that it would be best to resign. Boothe’s performance in Nixon is pure gravitas. It proves that the actor could do as much with silence as he could with pronounced monologues.

Frailty (2001)

as Wesley Doyle

There are more prominent Powers Boothe roles to occupy this spot, but I’m choosing his restrained work in Frailty as a way of highlighting Boothe’s everyman quality. Boothe could play it big, no question, but he could also play it muted, which is no easy feat. Powers Boothe spends most of Frailty listening to Matthew McConaughey tell a fantastical story about death at God’s hand. In doing this, Boothe’s character, FBI Agent Wesley Doyle, becomes the audience. He voices our suspicions and asks our questions. In rewatching the film for this post, I couldn’t stop looking at Boothe’s eyes. I kept wondering if Doyle assumed his own fate in talking with McConaughey’s character. It’s something I never saw coming, but it’s a joy to watch Boothe try and piece it all together.

The Best of the Best

Deadwood (2004-2006)

as Cy Tolliver

I recently spent a few days rewatching every episode of Deadwood in embarrassingly rapid succession. The series was perfect, one of HBO’s best. The first time I watched Deadwood, my attention was mostly stuck on Ian McShane’s fury (because, how could it not be?). But with this most recent viewing, I was able to focus more on other characters, namely Boothe’s haunting portrayal of Cy Tolliver.

For Deadwood’s first few episodes, Cy is the new man in town. He’s big, debonair, honest. He’s here to run his brothel/casino, Bella Union, and has no interest in stepping on anyone’s toes. But as the series progresses, we get to know the real Cy, the hard, violent, maniacal Cy. The way Cy’s devilish nature is slowly revealed to us (and then fully exposed), makes for one of Deadwood’s most compelling character arcs. Deadwood was a rare show that was constantly alive, no matter who was on screen. Having spent the past few days watching my favorite Cy Tolliver moments, I have to admit that Boothe’s work in the show now has a heightened intensity. Since the series ended a decade ago, there has been constant chatter of a film follow-up. McShane hinted recently that it’s happening. I hope it does, but it damn sure won’t be the same without Powers Boothe. Damn sure.

Other Notable Roles

in Sin City

Philip Marlowe, Private Eye (1983-1986)
Red Dawn (1984)
Extreme Prejudice (1987)
Rapid Fire (1992)
Blue Sky (1994)
Sudden Death (1995)
U Turn (1997)
Men of Honor (2000)
Justice League (2002-2003)
Sin City (2005)
The Final Season (2007)
24 (2007)
MacGruber (2010)
The Avengers (2010)
Hatfields & McCoys (2012)
Nashville (2012-2014)
Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2015-2016)