THE ACTOR REVIEW
“A passion project that translates well to anyone who wants to go along for the ride.”
Over the decades since its release, the pervasive influence of Roman Polanski’s L.A. noir, Chinatown, has had on filmmakers has led to many other attempts, some better than others, to the point where the genre has gotten more than a little trope-ish. At first, The Actor might seem like the latest attempt at L.A. noir, but it’s a very different beast, and it follows the best advice any actor can get, which is that if they have trouble finding the perfect projects or roles for themselves, they should just write their own role.
With that in mind, Richard Blake wrote, directed and stars this crime-dramedy which has a few aspects of those films but also offers some distinctive aspects about the L.A. lifestyle. Blake plays L.A. actor Hunter Durbin, who has been struggling with his chosen career, but he gets into hot water when his neighbor is murdered after leaving him with a suitcase filled with money. Of course, the people who killed her to get that money come after Hunter and everyone around him, sending him on the run to escape.
Before watching The Actor, I wasn’t at all familiar with Blake’s work as an actor, though he seems to take on a lot of different roles, and he is a generally affable lead for his own film. I do watch a lot of movies written and directed by actors, putting themselves in the lead, but this is one of the better cases of an actor writing material that works well for his abilities. Blake’s character interacts with a lot of different Hollywood types–presumably cast with Blake’s fellow actor friends–and some of these characters work better than others, while some seem unnecessary to the plot. Major Dodge is one of the stronger actors other than Blake, playing the head of the goons after Hunter, and though the film’s bad guys are generally cliché-ridden, they are quite effective.
About halfway through the film, there is a much-needed shift in gears as Hunter travels to Texas and pretends to be a visiting pastor (with a pretty hokey British accent). That actually brings a fresh new dynamic to the film, as he’s taken in by a kindly family, who are not prepared for when the vicious goons eventually show up. I won’t say too much about where the film ends up going into its third act, but it’s surprising how well it works when these two very different plotlines come together.
Overall, the film has solid production values for an indie, as Blake avoids many of the more obvious noir tropes to just make a decent-looking movie that never tries to be too flashy, remaining focused on the story it’s trying to tell. The original score also works quite well, which is something that often gets lost in the shuffle in a smaller indie movie like this. Another thing that brings a tremendous amount of energy to Blake’s film is the fact that he somehow managed to convince the ‘90s band Collective Soul to contribute a number of songs. There probably is an interesting story to tell there, and I half expected the band to show up in a cameo.
The Actor might not be perfect, but it’s a generally enjoyable film, mostly due to Blake’s efforts. It probably could have been tightened up by about ten or fifteen minutes, as there are a lot of characters introduced who weren’t necessary, but it’s clearly a passion project that translates well to anyone who wants to go along for the ride.
Rating: 6.5/10
The Actor is available on digital platforms.