The Downey Syndrome

Robert Downey Jr. Before the age of sex tapes, his name was synonymous with off-screen drama. I don’t care. I never did, and this article is purely about his body of work as one of the best actors of his generation. I’ve been a film fan as long as I can remember, and since day one of my obsession, Downey has been a force to be reckoned with. With the release of ‘Iron Man 2,’ I was reminded that blockbuster superstars don’t always have to be weirdo douche-bags like Tom Cruise; great actors can be superstars too. Here are some of my favourite Downey roles in the last 20 years.

Air America (1990) – For all of his weirdness, Mel Gibson has never been as charismatic as in this quintessential buddy action. Downey exhibits some of his best tongue-in-cheek delivery here that definitely laid some of the groundwork for his later performance as Tony Stark. This movie certainly wasn’t going to win any awards, but it was the absolute definition of fun, with two superstars at their shiniest and best. Watching these two made me seriously think that some films are probably nothing but fun to work on.

Natural Born Killers (1994) – Not quite as fun as ‘Air America,’ this controversial Oliver Stone movie was still on everyone’s radar. In the midst of all of the gore, violence, and adrenaline, Downey stole every scene he could, with such amazing lines like “Batonga, batonga, batonga. In Batongaville!” To this day, I don’t know what the hell it means, but I crack up every time I hear it. His not so subtle impersonation of Geraldo Rivera goes down as one of the most memorable performances in an extremely memorable film.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) – I saw this film on a lark one night when I had nothing better to do. Turns out, that there isn’t much better to do than to watch this movie. Every single second of RDJ’s screen time is perfect. It is only enhanced by Kilmer in one of his most off-beat, hilarious roles to date. Part 1940s detective film-noir, part action, part mismatched buddy comedy, this movie is enthralling from the first second. Never before has peeing on a corpse been so funny, suspenseful, and action-packed.

Zodiac (2007) – Ok, to be honest, I’m simply a hard-core Fincher fan. Mix Fincher, Downey, and a story based on an unsolved serial-killer mystery very geographically close to where I grew up, and I couldn’t resist. There aren’t many people out there who can tell stories quite like Mr. Fincher. If you don’t see this one for Downey, just see it for the whole.

Charlie Bartlett (2007) – Another in the endless series of quirky tales about misunderstood teens, Downey’s principal/father of the love interest, is everything you could possibly want from the role. My only issue with his performance is that he wasn’t in it enough. It flew under the radar, but if you manage to find a copy somewhere, watch it. It is surprisingly unique, and everyone in it does a great job.

Tropic Thunder (2008) – If you are reading this, you’ve seen ‘Tropic Thunder.’ For maximum Downey experience, watch the DVD/Blu-Ray with the commentary on. That’s right – Downey does the whole commentary in character! Probably one of the best performances in recent years, enhanced by one of the best special features ever. If you don’t love this movie, don’t even bother talking to me. It doesn’t get better than this.

Iron Man (2008) – Comic book movies aren’t new anymore. With the modern age of special effects, it’s pretty hard to go wrong as comics are pretty much storyboards. (The embarrassment that is the ‘Wolverine‘ movie, is a rare exception). Just film it and watch it rack up the cash. Sometimes (like in the case of Nolan’s Batman movies), these comic book events can reach a new level of art. The true make or break factor for me that sets the rest apart, is the actor/actress playing the secret identity. With CGI, anyone could have been Iron Man.  Only one man, however, could ever play Tony Stark. There has never been an actor better suited for a role, than that of Robert Downey Jr. and Tony Stark. This singular performance is what makes ‘Iron Man.’ He is the main reason that this movie did so well, and it deserved it. I don’t know what else to say. See it. Love it. Love Downey.

Sherlock Holmes (2009) – To keep the superstar ball rolling, Downey teamed up with Jude Law to bring to life the iconic characters Holmes and Watson. To be fair, a lot of this movie’s charm comes from Ritchie finally getting his head out of Madonna’s ass and getting back to making cool films (the fight scenes in this are some of the best I’ve ever seen). Regardless of who filmed it, it is Downey and Law that keep it going. Their Holmes and Watson are quite different from the literary versions, but these new versions are amazingly entertaining and exude incredible chemistry. It’s hard not to see a little Stark in Downey’s Holmes, but who cares. It makes for one hell of an entertaining ride.

Iron Man 2 (2010) – Here it is. Two years later, Downey returns to don the Iron mask and woo the world with his gazillionare ways. If you loved the first one, you’ll love this one too. Terrence Howard is replaced by Don Cheadle, and while I don’t normally like it when an actor is switched out in a role, Cheadle is great and probably would have been better in the role all along. Johansson joins the cast in what is primarily just further set up for the impending ‘Avengers‘ movie, but she is surprisingly a great fit for an action movie. Paltrow also returns in what is one of the better female leads in a comic book movie. This time around the villains are played by Mickey Rourke and Sam Rockwell. I can only hope that Rockwell sticks around, as he is pure gold in everything he touches. Rourke is great as the Russian Whiplash, but as with many comic book movies, the set up for the big fight is bigger than the fight itself. With all of these great character actors around (including Jon Favreau, Sam Jackson, Garry Shandling and Paul Bettany in minor roles), Robert Downey Jr. still manages to capture your attention in every single scene (one of the best also has DJ AM in his last appearance before his death). While it may not be as impactful as the first time that Tony Stark/Iron Man flew on screen, Downey and director Favreau make sure that this is everything that you wanted in a sequel. It’s not going to win any Oscars, but it will keep you entertained from start to finish.

For every movie mentioned above, there are at least two more that I just didn’t have the space to write about. NIne times out of 10, if Robert Downey Jr. is listed in the credits, you’re assured to be watching something that no one else could quite pull off. After over 20 years of hitting it out of the park, you can bet that I’ll watch anything with his name on it (and you should too).

– Pig