Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar turn Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel about a Vietnamese double agent into a limited series also starring Hoa Xuande and Sandra Oh.
It will be the latest coronation in a year of coronations for a star who is undisputedly one of our finest, and it will be difficult to begrudge; what Downey does inHoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Phanxine, Vy Le, Ky Duyen, Kieu Chinh, Duy Nguyen, Alan Trong, Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr.can be saluted as a dexterous feat of actorly gymnastics.
It’s a story of dualities. The Captain is torn between sides of a biracial identity that have guaranteed his status as “other” no matter where he is — a “bastard” or “half-breed” in Vietnam and an enigmatic “Oriental” in the States. He’s a devoted Communist with a passionate appetite for American popular culture. He has two best friends — Man , his Northern handler in counterespionage, and Bon , motivated by personal tragedies to be a fierce soldier for the South.
He is, by design, one of the most frustrating heroes you’ll ever encounter, and the series’ directors — Park, Fernando Meirelles and Marc Munden — capture the self-aware qualities of his storytelling with bits of meta cinematic grammar.
Conceptually, it’s a stunt, achieved through comically inclined hair and makeup that scream, “Look, it’s Robert Downey Jr. AGAIN!” It’s also borderline brilliant insofar as it makes this parade of figures into a figment of Captain’s perspective, a knowing upending of “They all look alike to me” stereotyping. But the stunt becomes the story, and the satirical bent shifts from.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Robert Downey Jr., Robert Downey Jr., and Robert Downey Jr. get funky in new Sympathizer trailerSpycraft is a little more than Groucho glasses, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some grouchy glasses in the trailer
Read more »
‘The Sympathizer’ Review: Robert Downey Jr. Falls Flat in HBO’s Vietnam DramaHBO’s head-spinning Vietnam War-era drama, based on the Pulitzer-winning novel, chokes on its many ambitions.
Read more »
'The Sympathizer' Review — Robert Downey Jr.'s HBO Series Is TV at Its BestNate Richard is a Resource Editor for Collider, a film and television critic, and a part-time amateur filmmaker. He graduated from Ball State University in December 2020 with a Bachelor&039;s degree in Telecommunications.
Read more »
Robert Downey Jr. Has Date Night with Wife Susan at The Sympathizer PremiereThe 'Iron Man' actor previously let the couple's kids shave his head for HBO's 'The Sympathizer'
Read more »
'The Sympathizer' Trailer — Learn to be a Spy With Robert Downey Jr.Diego Peralta is a News Writer and a Features Writer for Collider. He has also written for several other outlets, including BuzzFeed News, Geeks of Color and Film Inquiry. When he&039;s not watching The Last Jedi again, he&039;s looking for the best burger in town and the next movie that will become a fixation for him.
Read more »
The Sympathizer Trailer Previews HBO Spy Series Starring Robert Downey Jr.HBO has released a new The Sympathizer trailer, teasing the upcoming spy thriller series from legendary director Park Chan-wook.
Read more »