Like everyone else, I first saw him on Miami Vice, where he had been hired as a consultant, being a former Chicago cop. He took to acting very well. Loved everything he did, especially Crime Story, Snatch, and of course, Get Shorty.
Jimmy Serrano: "You and that other dummy better start getting more personally involved in your work, or I'm gonna stab you through the heart with a fuckin' pencil. Do you understand me?"
Farina is the star of The Last Rites of Joe May, a depressing film featuring the kind of character Clint Eastwood might play these days, only this one has a much bleaker story than the usual Eastwood fare. It's not great by any means, and the script suffers from a boatload of cliches IMO, but Farina is surprisingly good in it, sinking his teeth into a character of some depth for a change. It doesn't hurt that the setting and cinematography is pure Mean Chicago, another reason he's perfect for it. You can stream it on Netflix, and it's not at all uplifting, but it demonstrates his genuine talent, and the real loss of his passing so young.
Thank you for running that clip, Roy. Those three odd minutes show why, even as Travolta was in his post-Pulp hot streak, Get Shorty belongs to Farina. A great, great Chicago actor.
Wonder what he's been up to, anyway? Kind of weird that he packed it in as soon as Blue ended, since you'd figure there'd be some good movie roles waiting for him.
I really liked him from the first time I saw him in Crime Story. What a character, and what a Chicago accident. The last couple of times I saw him, he really looked like he had aged, and I guess we know why now. Too bad- he was a great actor, one of the few that could have followed Jerry Orbach and held his own.
I made the same joke yesterday, but about Ray Liotta (who really really has to stop playing gangsters and corrupt cops, even though that would probably mean retirement).
Shit, that is sad. Crime Story was one of the first, if not THE first crime show, that didn't wrap up everything nice and neat at the end of an episode, but actually had good writing and followthrough on longterm stories. I'm still mad it ended after only 2 seasons and on a cliffhanger from hell. Then again the cliffhanger they had at the end of season 1 was the best one ever, too. That show set the stage for other shows, like my childhood favourite Wiseguy, (Jonathan Banks as Frank McPike was my childhood hero. Yes, a balding bureaucrat was my childhood hero. I was a weird kid) and was the seed for the evolution in crime drama that led to, be still my heart, Homicide: Life on the Street, my always, always go to example for great characters, and through to The Wire. And I think the reason Farina carried such authority as an actor was because he once wielded it in real life as an actual cop. My own experiences with police have been a mixed bag at least, but I'm no reflexive cop-hater and I can recognize talent when I see it. And Farina was damn good.
I didn't realize that Farina worked as a cop for 18 years, but if you've seen his performances then it makes perfect sense. No adornment to what he did. It was all substance. Oh, and then there's this:
'Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed Mr. Farina as a heavily bandaged mob boss in the gangster caper “Get Shorty” (1995), regarded him as a master of the expletive.
“No one can say the F-word like Dennis,” Sonnenfeld once told USA Today.'
Man, Midnight Run was a fun movie. And even following DeNiro, Grodin and Kotto chewing scenery like crazy, Farina was just great. The scene making the drop at McCarron was truly satisfying.
I loved Crime Story as a kid. I think it was my first exposure to a show or a movie that made a different era really feel different. Nothing else seemed like it: Farina seemed to me like he'd walked out of a time machine.
For some reason I always thought Farina was a Chicago cop only briefly. It wasn't until I read coverage of his death that I learned he was on the force 18 years. No wonder he was so good at playing a cop.
Oh no! One of my all-time faves. Even when he played "serious", it was with malevolent glee.
ReplyDeleteLike everyone else, I first saw him on Miami Vice, where he had been hired as a consultant, being a former Chicago cop. He took to acting very well. Loved everything he did, especially Crime Story, Snatch, and of course, Get Shorty.
ReplyDeleteJimmy Serrano: "You and that other dummy better start getting more personally involved in your work, or I'm gonna stab you through the heart with a fuckin' pencil. Do you understand me?"
ReplyDeleteI'm gonna miss that guy.
I used to work for people like that.
ReplyDelete~
Farina is the star of The Last Rites of Joe May, a depressing film featuring the kind of character Clint Eastwood might play these days, only this one has a much bleaker story than the usual Eastwood fare. It's not great by any means, and the script suffers from a boatload of cliches IMO, but Farina is surprisingly good in it, sinking his teeth into a character of some depth for a change. It doesn't hurt that the setting and cinematography is pure Mean Chicago, another reason he's perfect for it. You can stream it on Netflix, and it's not at all uplifting, but it demonstrates his genuine talent, and the real loss of his passing so young.
ReplyDeleteMan. Not a good year for tough-guy TV actors. If I were Dennis Franz I'd watch my step.
ReplyDeleteDamn. That accent ("dese, dem and dose") took me right back home.
ReplyDeleteRIP and sport peppers on the other side, Dennis.
Thank you for running that clip, Roy. Those three odd minutes show why, even as Travolta was in his post-Pulp hot streak, Get Shorty belongs to Farina. A great, great Chicago actor.
ReplyDeleteWonder what he's been up to, anyway? Kind of weird that he packed it in as soon as Blue ended, since you'd figure there'd be some good movie roles waiting for him.
ReplyDeleteManhunter. Probably Michael Mann's best film. Jack Crawford's dick FBI boss.
ReplyDeleteI thought Farina was quite good in it. It wasn't a heavyweight film, but he still had to carry it pretty much by himself.
ReplyDeleteI really liked him from the first time I saw him in Crime Story. What a character, and what a Chicago accident. The last couple of times I saw him, he really looked like he had aged, and I guess we know why now. Too bad- he was a great actor, one of the few that could have followed Jerry Orbach and held his own.
ReplyDeleteShucks. I love good character actors (and all excellent-but-largely-unsung artists).
ReplyDeleteHe was one of the best of them, instantly recognizable, even in the smallest parts.
ReplyDeleteI made the same joke yesterday, but about Ray Liotta (who really really has to stop playing gangsters and corrupt cops, even though that would probably mean retirement).
ReplyDeleteShit, that is sad. Crime Story was one of the first, if not THE first crime show, that didn't wrap up everything nice and neat at the end of an episode, but actually had good writing and followthrough on longterm stories. I'm still mad it ended after only 2 seasons and on a cliffhanger from hell. Then again the cliffhanger they had at the end of season 1 was the best one ever, too. That show set the stage for other shows, like my childhood favourite Wiseguy, (Jonathan Banks as Frank McPike was my childhood hero. Yes, a balding bureaucrat was my childhood hero. I was a weird kid) and was the seed for the evolution in crime drama that led to, be still my heart, Homicide: Life on the Street, my always, always go to example for great characters, and through to The Wire. And I think the reason Farina carried such authority as an actor was because he once wielded it in real life as an actual cop. My own experiences with police have been a mixed bag at least, but I'm no reflexive cop-hater and I can recognize talent when I see it. And Farina was damn good.
ReplyDeleteThat is indeed... AGoodQuestion. *dons sunglasses* "YEAAAHHHHH!"
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize that Farina worked as a cop for 18 years, but if you've seen his performances then it makes perfect sense. No adornment to what he did. It was all substance. Oh, and then there's this:
ReplyDelete'Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed Mr. Farina as a heavily bandaged mob boss in the gangster caper “Get Shorty” (1995), regarded him as a master of the expletive.
“No one can say the F-word like Dennis,” Sonnenfeld once told USA Today.'
I stand corrected. I just learned that he had a small part in Mann's "Thief", which I saw long ago and don't remember him in it.
ReplyDeleteMan, Midnight Run was a fun movie. And even following DeNiro, Grodin and Kotto chewing scenery like crazy, Farina was just great. The scene making the drop at McCarron was truly satisfying.
ReplyDeleteHave a cream soda. Do some fucking thing.
I liked your post. That is truly a good saying! Have a good day!
ReplyDelete-----------------------
François
http://www.rendaincrivel.com.br
He was Leo's guard--the one with the shotgun with the rotary magazine. Good deal thinner then (well, it was 32 years ago).
ReplyDeleteI loved Crime Story as a kid. I think it was my first exposure to a show or a movie that made a different era really feel different. Nothing else seemed like it: Farina seemed to me like he'd walked out of a time machine.
ReplyDeleteHe didn't so much "act in character" as he just acted human and fallible. He was great.
ReplyDeleteHe is star and a great actor. I like his acting in criminal stories.
ReplyDelete___________________________________
Excel
Experts
love this. because I love Keitel and Farina as actors. Wish the best for them as people (whom I can never know or have known).
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I always thought Farina was a Chicago cop only briefly. It wasn't until I read coverage of his death that I learned he was on the force 18 years. No wonder he was so good at playing a cop.
ReplyDelete