Kurt Russell

Hey dudes. Last week Kurt Russell celebrated his 63rd birthday, so of course I celebrated with him by watching a few of his flicks. Specifically, Breakdown and Escape From New York. Obviously great movies, and ones that I had seen numerous times before. But something about this double feature really got me enamored with Russell and his ability to go from ultimate bad ass to ultimate everyman. So, let's take a few moments and remind ourselves just how fucking awesome Kurt Russell is.

To be clear though, I'd like to focus on Breakdown and Escape From New York. Neither one happened anywhere near the beginning or the end of his decades long career, and neither do they exemplify the full range of his ability. The man does it all. Comedy, drama, action, sci-fi, biography, disney. But there's something about these two roles that speak to me about all that is Kurt.

First, let's talk Escape From New York. Snake Plissken has a reputation that precedes him at every corner. To every criminal and authority figure he meets, it's acknowledged that this guy is something else. He has become so mythic, in fact, that almost everyone he meets thinks that he's already dead. It's interesting taking into account how much the film builds Snake's legend, giving hints into past missions. But fairly quickly, we learn that Snake isn't immortal or even particularly intimidating. Almost every threat he faces in the film go after him without intimidation. What we do find is that Snake is the ultimate self-preservationist. He is always able to escape a situation, but just barely. His entrance to New York is almost ruined by a shaky landing on top of the World Trade Center. He is somehow able to beat a gigantic warrior in a wrestling ring, despite having numerous injuries. And in the end, he is somehow able to get the President back safely just in time to stop war, as well as get the antidote to the virus he was given as motivation.

Snake is able to accomplish all of this not because he is superhuman, but because he is an asshole. As Kurt himself mused, Snake is an asshole, but not a dick. Snake's only concern is Snake. Snake simply doesn't give a shit. And it's that attitude that Kurt brings to the film that really elevates the character. I guess spoiler alert, but let's be real, you should have seen Escape From New York by now, but at the end of the film, Snake has the chance to do the right thing by his country. Instead, because the President was a dick towards him in a moment of vulnerability, Snake lets the President make a fool of himself in front of the entire world and potentially starts a new world war in the process.

It's so amazing that Kurt never plays him as heroic. Instead, he infuses an attitude that can only come across as bad ass.

And then somehow, he is able to do the exact opposite in Breakdown.

The plot and execution of Breakdown is so simple it hurts. During a cross country move a couple's new jeep breaks down. A seemingly nice trucker offers a ride to a pay phone ( it's 1997 after all) and the wife insists that she goes while the husband stays with the car suffering in the desert heat. Soon, the husband, played by Kurt, learns that his wife has been kidnapped and if he doesn't pay up a ransom she'll be dead.

The movie itself is unbelievably tense and feels a little too real. But the real joy is seeing Kurt play an everyman in a seemingly impossible situation. It's clear from the start that his character, Jeff, doesn't have a bad ass bone in his body. He is a normal guy, moving across country with his wife for a new job. As his situation becomes more dire, he reacts in a believable way, contacting the authorities at the first chance he gets and even retracing his steps to make sure he isn't overreacting.

It's an insane ride, and if you haven't seen Breakdown already, do so immediately as its on Netflix instant. Back to the point though, Jeff's motivation is more panic and desperation and love for his wife as opposed to Snake's simple self preserving ways, and Kurt brings both characters to life with great skill.

I only focused on these two roles simply because I just watched them, but they really don't begin to scratch the surface of how awesome Kurt Russell is. In terms of his bad ass characters, I feel like MacReady from The Thing is slightly more bad ass than Snake. But that's just me. Also, Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China is comedic bufoonery at its best. UGH, we haven't even mentioned Used Cars, Captain Ron, Tombstone, Overboard, Backdraft or Tango & Cash. TANGO & CASH! And yet there are still more not mentioned.

Look, the point of this post is that Kurt Russell is fucking awesome. I assume you already knew this, but on the slight chance you didn't, wake up and begin righting your wrong.