Article Category: Movies

Nearly every young actor in Hollywood wanted the role of Frodo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring. Viggo Mortensen is looking every bit the bohemian, barefoot and sipping a special Argentine tea, as he talks about his role in The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of three Lord of the Rings films. Actually, […]

"Viggo Mortensen had less than a day to decide whether he wanted to spend 18 months in New Zealand battling orcs and protecting hobbits as part of the unprecedented adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy."

Interview with Viggo Mortensen about his preparation and investment in the role of Aragorn for The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers. He talks about the difference between the director's vision and Tolkien's: "The more I explored Tolkien, the more I felt I had two bosses: Tolkien and Peter Jackson. I tried my best to be loyal to both of them."

Detailed review of The Fellowship focuses on the differences between the books and the films and the reasons for the changes. In spite of some reservations, he is impressed. "The filmmakers have shown great respect for their source material. I was moved by Peter Jackson’s passionate, caring, and human portrayals of these characters and dramas.... I’ve imagined these scenes my whole life, and to see them portrayed as vividly, or more vividly than I have imagined, really shook me. I felt like I was meeting in person someone with whom I had only corresponded long distance for decades."

With The Lord of the Rings‘ forthcoming release on the big screen, Viggo Mortensen shares his excitement with Ian Spelling on portraying the role of Aragorn in the trilogy. Viggo Mortensen, to hear his co-stars, director and producer tell it, took his Lord of the Rings role as Aragorn/Strider about as seriously as he possibly […]

This in-depth film review of The Indian Runner is an ode to Sean Penn's skills as a director. The author describes the interplay between the two brothers, played by Viggo Mortensen and David Morse, as "the two leads oppose each other stylistically: Mortenson an extroverted ticking assembly of sly grins and virile explosions contrasts Morse's introspective gentle giant."

Reviewer Dennis Schwartz summarizes the film as "an off-beat, haunting, overwrought fairy tale for adults," and discusses its biblical metaphors. "This visually pleasing allegory ends on an apocalyptic note. It takes a stab at being an intelligent slasher movie for those who like their gore laced with some sensible dialogue to go along with its good and evil characterizations." He gives the film a grade of 'C.'

Reviewer suggests improvements in 28 Days but concludes that it "exceeds expectations at nearly every turn" and that Viggo Mortensen is "used well, for once."

The Grinch gives The Reflecting Skin a 5-star rating while warning that it is "definitely not for the squeamish."

Film critic Robert "VX" Lee compares and contrasts the 1971 and 1997 versions of Vanishing Point. The good news is that "If the only thing you liked about the first movie was the car, you'll love this one -- same car, and it's pretty much the star of the movie." But then he delves into the philosophy and deeper meaning of the original and how it was lost in the remake, concluding that "What was a really simple, strange, and even subtle (for what is, in essence, the dumbest car chase movie ever) exploration of the heart of man, of individuality, and of life in general has been co-opted and twisted into a stupid, mean and (I would argue) ultimately racist piece of crap that doesn't even have the attraction of being fun to watch."

Damian Cannon begins his review: "A twisted, haunting fantasy-tale, The Passion of Darkly Noon weaves the fate of strangers together and plunges them headlong into destruction." After discussing the film's plot, characters and metaphors, Cannon concludes that "as in most fairy-tales, the storyline is slight and only a small element of the final picture. Instead the interaction between characters, symbols, sound and light provide the engine which drives Darkly on his inexorable path towards chaos. It is these factors which make [the film] such a compelling and absorbing experience, encompassing viewers willing to experiment with a little logical relaxation. While unlikely to appeal to all, The Passion of Darkly Noon is worth a visit by those looking for something off the beaten track." He rates it 4/5 stars.

In this interview prior to his trip to Italy, Viggo discusses the difficulty of staying in character while filming two very different roles simultaneously (Portrait of a Lady and Daylight). He also shares thoughts about Crimson Tide and other prior movies, and about the challenges of balancing films with his private life. Great photos by Bruce Weber.

Of The Passion of Darkly Noon, film festival reviewer TR observes that "The brutality and contradiction of human nature is revealed without any romanticizing, by using dream-like images which are open to interpretation." He concludes that "The Passion of Darkly Noon secures Philip Ridley's position as one of the most interesting young British filmmakers of today."

Viggo discusses his role in The Prophecy and his reasons for taking the part.

Patricia Arquette, who was Viggo Mortensen's co-star in Indian Runner, leads Viggo through a free-form interview on gardening, acting, life goals, and liposuction. About Crimson Tide, Viggo says, "It was nice to play a guy with a job and a family, rather than a guy with a big ax to grind. And scary too, because in a role like that you have to fit in, whereas you don't if you play a sociopath. In this role, I couldn't hide behind violence or fake teeth."

Extensive article focuses on Sean Penn, his vision for The Indian Runner, and the process of making it, including an anecdote about how Penn helped Viggo Mortensen get past a block.

Brief review of The Reflecting Skin focuses on Viggo Mortensen's role. "Mortensen doesn't appear until an hour has passed—but when he does he immediately marks himself as one of those actors who doesn't need fancy lighting to be incandescent."