Week in Review
Matt Dillon recently got his first Oscar nod for the Paul Haggis film Crash. While not unusual for my taste, that was one of my least favorite Dillon roles. Before Crash, Dillon made a comeback of sorts in There’s Something About Mary, where he stole the show, and in the Noir As Teen Flick Wild Things. Currently, he’s playing the Charles Bukowski alter ego Hank Chinaski in Bent Hamer’s Factotum. Most people remember him for Singles or Drugstore Cowboy.
Dillon, in my opinion, made good choices right out of the gate from his first roles on. There were a few bad movies in there as there will be with any actor, but with his longevity, he’s really shown that he has a smart mind for the business. Here, in no particular order, are some Matt Dillon movies that I would recommend as must see movies, that most people I talk to have missed.
Over the Edge
If my math is right, Dillon was 14 when he made this story about a bunch of kids living a life of boredom in a planned community. They take over the school and lock all the parents inside. Teen anarchy at its best. Makes a nice double feature with Dazed and Confused, as Linklater borrowed blocking and scenes from Dillon’s debut film.
Rumble Fish
I don’t know too many people who’ve seen this one. It’s based on the SE Hinton novel of the same name. Dillon also starred in Tex and The Outsiders, the two other Hinton novels. Francis Ford Coppola did a wonderful job putting this film together with such great talent as Nicolas Cage, Mickey Rourke, and Dennis Hopper.
To Die For
Gus Van Sant, who directed Drugstore Cowboy, also directed this one. With early roles from Casey Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix, Dillon plays opposite a ruthless Nicole Kidman in, along with Dogville, one of her best roles. When she’s turned loose she can really deliver, but normally suffers from bad scripts. Dillon plays her husband who gets in the way of her career… a very bad move.