There’s no denying that William Fichtner is a character actor, it’s what he’s good at and what he does since he’s not quite the guy you want for a lead role but he’s perfect for someone that needs to be there and is appreciated when he is. Over the years he’s played a few great roles and a lot of good ones that have really established him as the kind of person that’s reliable, dependable, and able to pull off a wide variety of roles. From one character to another he takes on the kind of attitude and even accent that’s needed to make that character shine and support those around him to make sure that the movie goes off without a hitch. He’s been in plenty of movies that haven’t gone anywhere but he still gives everything and he’s still one of the most memorable parts of any film he’s ever been in.
That takes some skill to be honest. Here are five of the best movies he’s been in.
5. The Dark Knight
He’s the bank manager, no more and no less. That’s his role for this entire movie, the entire few minutes that he’s even in it, and yet he plays one of the best roles out of all the bad guys since he knows very well who keeps their money in his bank. You could call him a mob banker but that would be kind of silly and simplistic since obviously he’s ready throw down when the need arises considering that he has a shotgun loaded and ready to go in his desk. Of course when you go up against the Joker you’d better keep firing and have extra ammunition just in case, since he’s likely to throw one henchman after another at you to absorb the bullets.
4. Drive Angry
He actually won an award for this role if you can believe it, from Fangoria of all sources but still, it’s an award for something that he’s done that impressed someone. That being said, his role as the Accountant should have made this an even more ridiculous movie but somehow it didn’t since it was ridiculous from the start but turned out to be kind of interesting the further you go. This supernatural being is insanely strong, not given to being all that mean-spirited and is simply chasing down the escapee that is played by Nicolas Cage. Of course after a while he finally allows Cage’s character to get his vengeance before taking him back to hell, so there’s some sense of justice in his actions.
3. Armageddon
He starts off as a grade-A jerk in this movie and it doesn’t get much better as at one point he ends calling Harry and his crew the worst mistake in the history of NASA. Of course when he and one of his fellow pilots try to blow the nuke they brought to split the asteroid that’s about to destroy the earth, Harry and his crew take offense to this and force them to change their minds. By the end of the movie you can’t help but think that he’s seen the error of his thinking and has finally come around to realize that Harry and his crew were in the right place at the right time. But oh yeah, initially he’s a jerk.
2. Go
He’s kind of hard to read in this one since he’s not really a bad guy but he’s not the best person in the world either since he’s trying to trap one of the main characters in a drug deal and trying to get a bit of community service out of the two gay men that he used for the trap. In essence he’s kind of a scuzz for trying such an underhanded tactic but at the same time he’s just a guy trying to do his job and unfortunately he and the other two guys bungled it badly. That being said he’s kind of a nut in this movie as well since it seems that he might be bisexual but he comes on so strong to Jay Mohr’s character that anyone, be they gay or straight, would probably react the same way.
1. The Perfect Storm
Sully is that kind of guy that’s not such a bad person once you get to know him, but is also the kind of guy you might not invite over the Sunday dinner with your folks since he is kind of scummy and not all that pleasant at times. But on a swordfish boat in the middle of the ocean he’s another set of hands to help with the gear, even if he has an attitude. Thankfully once he helps to save Murph’s life things quiet down and he’s finally welcomed as a part of the group.
He’s a great actor, even if he’s more of a supporting character.
Follow Us
