When it comes to his career, Michael Fassbender is crazy like a fox.
You’re watching Beyond The Trailer’s review of Slow West...
It seems like Michael Fassbender has been around forever, but he actually only came
on the scene in 2008 with Hunger. But apparently the Irish-German actor is a quick study, quickly
learning what it takes to be a successful actor in Hollywood these days. He was one
of the first “prestige” actors of his generation to fully embrace the blockbuster
- Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen made the savvy move back in 2000. While Jonah Hex didn’t
work out, playing the younger version of Magneto has been a tremendous boon for Fassbender,
a role which he will play for the third time in X-Men Apocalypse in 2016. Now, for decades
actors were usually in one camp or the other - prestige films, or popcorn films. But with
a blending of the two camps, there’s been an unexpected development. Fanboy audiences
have not only become more aware of prestige talent - in front of and behind the camera
- but they also take an interest in that talent’s non-mainstream work. That brings attention
to a lot of projects which would normally never register on the pop-culture radar. AND
it’s a two-way street, with indie fans checking out mainstream work featuring their favorite
talent. This melding has perhaps best been depicted by Birdman, where Alejandro Inarritu
teamed up with Michael Keaton to enchant ALL audiences - some of you told me Birdman was
the first independent film you ever saw in theaters - and went all the way to the Oscars
where it won Best Picture. Now back to Fassbender, who is not only making both blockbusters like
the X-Men movies and prestige films like 12 Years a Slave, but something in-between - like
Frank, and Slow West. Frank didn’t quite work out, either critically or at the box
office, but the odds for Slow West seem favorable. It’s not just a western but a genre western,
from its Wes Anderson style visual flair to its Coen Brothers’ comedic wit to its fanboy
friendly casting. In addition to Fassbender you’ve got Rory McCann from Game of Thrones,
The Dark Knight Rises Ben Mendelsohn soon to be in Star Wars Rogue One, and Kodi Smit-McPhee
who will soon play Nightcrawler! Perhaps he got that role from working with Fassbender
here? And Fassbender is a producer on Slow West, just as he is on the upcoming Assassin’s
Creed where he reunites with his Macbeth co-star Marion Cotillard. From Shakespeare to a video
game adaptation?! Brilliant! This is how the Hollywood game is played these days, and Fassbender
is playing to win. His only setback is that when it comes to quality, he’s got a spotty
track record with duds like A Dangerous Method, The Counselor and Frank. So, will Slow West
be another example of Fassbender’s brilliance, or undermine the career he’s trying
to build?