In Character: Tom Berenger

Tom Berenger is a guy I’ve always rooted for. There’s just something about him. He has an old school swagger but a thinly masked sensitivity. He’s tough yet vulnerable, mean yet melancholic. His career has twisted and turned, but he’s been in the game for 40 years, and I enjoy watching him today as much as I did when I was young.

Five Essential Roles

Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977)

as Gary

Looking for Mr. Goodbar is about Theresa (Diane Keaton), a young woman experiencing a sexual awakening. The film was highly controversial at the time, but many of the performances hold up today. In the final scene of the film, a fresh-faced, extremely cut Tom Berenger shows up as one of Theresa’s random suitors. Berenger’s Gary is off from the moment we meet him, and as soon as he steps into Theresa’s apartment, we know this hookup won’t end well.

Gary is a brief but star making turn. Berenger’s sexual intensity, matched with his violent unpredictability, is instantly palpable. It was Berenger’s first film role; a serious announcement that a new player is in the game.

The Big Chill (1983)

as Sam Weber

I love every character in The Big Chill, including the charming, famous TV star, Sam Weber. The first time we meet Sam, a flight attendant is asking him to sign his People Magazine cover story. We might be fair in assuming that Sam will be some sort of tool, but there’s more to him than that. He’s quiet, respectful, a bit sad.

Two of Berenger’s scenes in particular stand out for me here. The first is, of course, Sam being coerced into jumping into a Porsche the way his fictional TV character, J.T. Lancer, does. And the second is Sam and Nick (William Hurt) arguing about the suicide of their friend, Alex, toward the end of the film. The way Sam and Nick engage one another is so believable. And their silent resolution to this argument (in the film’s final scene), remains one of my favorite movie moments.

Major League (1989)

as Jake Taylor

Because Tom Berenger is so damn good at playing tough guys, I often forget how effortlessly charming he can be. This is perhaps best realized in Major League. Jake Taylor is a nearly washed-up catcher with a bum knee and a full heart. And when he’s given a final shot to prove himself (as the catcher of the low-ranked Cleveland Indians), he seizes it. Major League is most alive when it focuses on and around the field, but it’s a testament to Berenger’s acting (and his amazing chemistry with Rene Russo) that the film endures off the field as well. Berenger and Russo’s entangled love subplot shows us how charming Berenger can be, while his antics on the field display his knack for comedic timing.

Inception (2010)

as Peter Browning

I avoid details about movies I want to see. No trailers, no reviews, no social media - nothing. So, I had no idea Tom Berenger was in Inception, but holy hell was I happy when he showed up. Berenger’s older now, he moves and talks a bit slower, but his swagger is still full tilt. Watching him finesse his way through the film remains one of Inception’s great pleasures. One thing Christopher Nolan doesn’t get enough credit for is the low-key humor in his writing. One of the best examples of this is when Saito (Ken Wantanabe) mistakes Browning as one of Eames’ (Tom Hardy) impersonations. Saito realizes his mistake, apologizes to Browning, and Berenger turns and says, “Good lookin’ fella, I’m sure.” A priceless moment from a pro who’s still got it.

Hatfields & McCoys (2012)

as Jim Vance

On paper, Hatfields & McCoys isn’t really my thing. A History Channel Civil War miniseries about a feud I’d never heard of. But because the show earned Berenger an Emmy for Supporting Actor, I knew I had to check it out. Hatfields & McCoys begins with a literal bang and holds its bluster for its six hour duration. It’s a fine miniseries, and everyone in the cast (including Emmy winner Kevin Costner, and the late Bill Paxton) is great. And then there’s Tom Berenger, who shows up early in episode one as the bearded, drunk, hostile Jim Vance. In his next scene, he shoots a Union soldier for the hell of it. And we’re off and running. There are several reasons to check out Hatfields & McCoys, and Berenger’s work is surely one of the most significant.

Wild Card

The Substitute (1996)

as Jonathan Shale

I’m a product of the ‘90s, and as such, I have an affection for lame ‘90s action flicks. My not-so hidden secret is that I genuinely love these movies. The Substitute is a great example (others include Point Break, Cliffhanger, Bad Boys, The Rock, I could go on). In the film, Berenger plays a badass mercenary who goes undercover at his girlfriend’s school in an attempt to disrupt gang activities. It’s a ridiculous concept, an R-rated Kindergarten Cop, but what the hell, I enjoy the movie and I love Berenger in it.

The Best of the Best

Platoon (1986)

as Sergeant Barnes

What’s interesting about Oliver Stone’s Platoon is that the person we’re most afraid of isn’t an anonymous South Vietnamese soldier, but rather an American commander named Sergeant Barnes. There is no humanity within Barnes; he’s a man lost in bloodlust and anger. And he is in charge. To watch Barnes is to watch a man unhinged, as is made clear during Platoon’s recreation of the Mỹ Lai Massacre, which begins with Barnes shooting an innocent woman in the head for no reason. That sequence is one of the most unflinching scenes ever realized in an American war film, and Berenger steals it with his intensity.

When I watch Platoon, I don’t see Tom Berenger. I don’t see Jake Taylor or Peter Browning or Sam Weber. I see the hard, scarred, mortally wounded Sergeant Barnes. Berenger received his only Oscar nomination for his work in Platoon. He had strong competition, including his costar, Willem Dafoe, who played Sergeant Elias, the emotional antithesis of Barnes, in Platoon. Both actors lost to Michael Caine in Hannah and Her Sisters. Caine’s performance is great, but my vote would’ve gone to Berenger. Berenger’s Barnes is full character immersion, and despite all the character’s misdeeds, I can never take my eyes off him.

Other Notable Roles

in Gettysburg

Butch and Sundance: The Early Days (1979)
The Dogs of War (1980)
Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)
Someone to Watch Over Me (1987)
Shoot to Kill (1988)
Born on the Fourth of July (1989)
The Field (1990)
Sniper (1993)
Gettysburg (1993)
An Occasional Hell (1996)
The Gingerbread Man (1998)
Training Day (2001)
Third Watch (2003)
October Road (2007-2008)
Major Crimes (2013-2015)