Rami Malek

In this chapter of ‘the filmmaker’s guide’ we’re going to be thinking and rethinking about actors that I have personally called ‘awful’ in the past and seeing why I was wrong, and actors whom I called ‘great’ in the past and seeing why I was wrong. Hopefully, this helps you to identify how your opinion can change as a human being and how, through research and observation, you can make a more informed conclusion even if your previous one was the entire opposite. Film and literature is all about changing our opinions and if our opinions remain static throughout our study then we probably haven’t had the full experience of the subject at hand. We need to be open to change in our thought processes and really, that’s what criticism and theory is about. If we start by opening our opinions up to change on particular base level types, then we can slowly build these up to see how we could possibly change our opinions on a grand scale. I will start by rethinking actors and actresses I have either previously thought as not very good at their job or very good at their job and will be arguing the opposite; demonstrating my change of opinion. So, if you see the ‘rethinking…’ line in my title, you can bet it is a part of this series.

Rami Malek

Previously, Rami Malek had been an okay actor to me, then after "Bohemian Rhapsody", he fell off my radar entirely. I was not very impressed at all and thought that he had really given himself up to big corporations instead of working on his craft. I was convinced that he'd given himself up to big blockbusters rather than the "Buster's Mal Heart" stuff he used to do. I didn't think that Rami Malek could work well in a big-time movie because of his lack of experience mixed with the fact that most everything about "Bohemian Rhapsody" was all wrong.

Then I realised that maybe the stuff that was wrong with "Bohemian Rhapsody" wasn't his own fault but instead the fault of shoddy and terrible writers and directors who really made the movie one big ol' slice of cheese. Therefore, I could conclude that Rami Malek did the best with what he had. But my god, I was really proven wrong about Rami Malek not being able to do a big budget blockbuster movie.

In the James Bond movie "No Time to Die", Rami Malek portrays the villain and really, just from watching the trailer you can really tell that it is something really, really good. I am very impressed by his performance in this film and it really made me rethink my viewpoints on the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018). I think that Rami Malek did in fact, deserve the Oscar for Best Actor and yet, I think the writers should have had someone talk to them about the way the film was being put forth as a biopic because it sure as hell was not one.

When it comes to "No Time to Die", the film presents Rami Malek as the villain without going for the typical Arab-villain thing that he did in "24" and other TV Shows and Films. I think that this is a great opportunity for Rami Malek to establish himself as an actor of many different characters. For example: when it comes to acting, Rami Malek has played characters in "Busters Mal Heart", "Larry Crowne", "Papillon" and many more. This filmography looks good, but is pretty much incomplete without one big blockbuster. "Bohemian Rhapsody" was just a corporate shell of a biopic that the remaining members of Queen needed to get out because they wanted to make some more money off their dead lead man. "No Time to Die" was a perfect way to showcase skill and ability whilst also making his way on to the bigger screens and franchises that will recognise his more complex talents.

So, all in all, Rami Malek is coming along nicely after "Mr Robot" which I thought was pretty great because of Christian Slater. But Rami Malek is now becoming his own actor, developing his own method and knowing what he's really good at. Hopefully, in the coming years, we will see Rami Malek develop even more into his own acting talents and I will be very happy to see what he has to offer in complex and multi-layered roles that require a certain amount of intensity, that he is very good at. I would personally love to see Rami Malek portray either a Shakespearean villain or play Yuri in a remake of "Dr. Zhivago" (1965) in which Lucy Boynton could play Lara, previously portrayed by Julie Christie.

Join me next time when we will be "Rethinking Nicole Kidman"