The Bottom Line: 'Illusionist' Norton Casts a New Spell
By Robert Sims, Special to Hollywood.com
| Monday, August 14, 2006
Edward Norton |
How much did Edward Norton want to take The Italian Job and shove it?
Enough to go off and do his own thing.
Paramount reportedly strong-armed Norton into the remake of the Michael Caine 1960s crime caper by requiring him to fulfill a contractual obligation; he wanted to wait for a more fulfilling task than that of menacing Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. But this was one brawl the Fight Clubber—known for his clashes with his American History X and The Score directors—was destined to lose.
Perhaps it was fate for the brooding Bostonian more comfortable doing such character studies as The People vs. Larry Flynt and The 25th Hour.
Norton formed Class 5 Films months after The Italian Job unexpectedly zoomed to blockbuster status in the summer of 2003. Then he disappeared from sight—save for his is-that-really-him-under-those-rags? cameo in Kingdom of Heaven—to dedicate himself to acting in and/or producing films that are close to his heart. Edward Norton’s Greatest Hits
- The Italian Job $106.1 million
- Red Dragon $93.1 million
- The Score $71.1 million
- Primal Fear $56.1 million
- Keeping the Faith $37 million
Now Norton’s back with three art-house offerings that clearly satiate his artistic cravings. But Down in the Valley, The Illusionist and The Painted Veil may prove a tough sell to those who prefer Norton play mind games with Hannibal Lecter.
Take Class 5 Films’ Down in the Valley. This slow but compelling modern-day western finally opened in May after Norton struggled to secure U.S. distribution. Perhaps all but THINKFilm found the illicit love affair between Norton’s somewhat unhinged drifter and Evan Rachel Wood’s rebellious teenager too unsettlingly. Audiences obviously felt that way, considering the $8 million drama grossed $568,695 since its May 5 debut.
The Illusionist (opening in limited release on Aug. 18) should fare better than Down in the Valley, if only because Yari Film Group Releasing plans a Sept. 1 wide release.
A gripping and original thriller set in 1900 Vienna, The Illusionist derives great pleasure from pitting Norton—a magician determined to make a conniving Austrian prince disappear for real—against police inspector Paul Giamatti. And much intrigue comes from trying to figure out how Norton pulls off his genuinely hair-raising tricks.
The Illusionist cost just $17 million, and that may be something of a hindrance. Edward Norton’s Greatest Misses*
- American History X $6.7 million
- Death to Smoochy $8.3 million
- Everyone Says I Love You $9.3 million
- The People vs. Larry Flynt $20.3 million
- Rounders $22.9 million
*Wide release only
While director Neil Burger works wonders with a tight budget, and executes Norton’s illusions with great skill and economy, Norton deserves a stage far bigger than the one he treads. This is a rare occasion when a more elaborate undertaking—and a less esoteric approach—would have been welcomed by all and duly rewarded at the box office.
Based on W. Somerset Maugham’s novel, The Painted Veil’s Dec. 15 opening certainly positions this China-set romance—costarring Naomi Watts—as a potential Oscar contender. Norton’s attempted to make The Painted Veil for years, and at a cost of $34 million, this had better be worth his time and expense.
At 37, Norton appears to have found the path he wants to take as an actor and filmmaker. And it’s one that could likely see him follow in the footsteps of an actor he’s often compared to, Sean Penn, who’s hardly a bankable commodity but has enough clout to act in and direct intimate and personal films of his choosing.
Norton clearly isn’t interested in making another Primal Fear or Red Dragon, which he subtly dismisses in Total Film as crowd-pleasers “that just don’t lodge.” Still, he’s canny enough not to rule out making any film with mainstream appeal—such as the upcoming cop opera Pride and Glory, costarring Colin Farrell—that provides him with the freedom to make such pet projects as his long-planned Motherless Brooklyn.
The Bottom Line
As he tells Fade In magazine, Norton’s philosophy is to “make four or five for me, and one for them.” And if that “one for them” Score big, Norton can afford to make more Down in the Valleys for years to come.
Photo(s) by Adriana M. Barraza- © 2005- Hollywood Media Corp.- All Rights Reserved