Academy Award Nominee Tom Berenger Reflects on the Revenge Genre and His Most Macho Roles to Date
From Platoon to Major League, Cheers and even Inception, Tom Berenger has spent the better part of four decades playing rugged yet memorable characters, and his role in Black Warrant is no different.
In his new film, Black Warrant, Tom Berenger, the Academy Award nominee plays Nick Falconi, an assassin pulled out of retirement for one last job. What he doesn’t know is that there’s a DEA agent (played by Cam Gigandet) also after his target. There’s action, there’s drama, and even some procedural politics. Despite some very familiar elements, in a recent interview with FilmSpeak, Berenger insists the film is a character-driven revenge thriller which can challenge the confines of the genre. In fact, he says that the one element that drew him to the film was his character and the way he doesn’t subscribe to any of the macho stereotypes he’s used to playing.
“I thought of [Nick] more as a civilian… not military, which I’ve played so much. I didn’t want to fall into that [again].” It’s not that he’s tired of playing those roles, but rather because the film’s elements of revenge really spoke to him. Interestingly enough, two of his favorite stories of all time happened to be in the revenge genre.
The actor then began to talk at length about Alexander Dumas’ classic “The Count of Monte Cristo” and the little-known Steve McQueen western Nevada Smith. While both were made and set in vastly different time periods, at each story's core is a man who has lost everything and must become the very thing he hates to attain justice. By the end, they challenge the audience to think about the cost of consequence.
Black Warrant is admittedly on a different spectrum than either of those stories, but its two main characters certainly challenge the audience similarly. Both have totally different personal reasons for chasing the film’s antagonist. But could killing him provide them with any real comfort or justice? Could their two wrongs really make something?
That’s not to say the film is without a satisfying resolution. Berenger is actually very proud of the film and calls it “an entertaining crowd pleaser.” He says there are deeper familial themes that resonate with viewers too. He teases that, at the film’s core, there is a father-son tragedy which “[creates] a lot more pain and depth - something other than just action.”
Whether the audience enjoys the action or the story’s satisfaction, Berenger admitted that he was more than happy to just deliver another solid performance. When asked if he would continue to play in this particular genre or with the rugged stereotype he’s arguably helped create, he took some time to reflect on his other roles and expressed profound gratitude.
“I always liked the military stuff, and I got to do a lot of it,” he said. “I’ve played enlisted officers, I’ve played real people. I've done a navy comedy. I’ve [been a sniper]. I did Gettysburg and the Civil War. I did Colonel Teddy Roosevelt in the Rough Riders of the Spanish American War, and I did the Mexican War. And I've done Vietnam and I did World War II as well. It’s been quite a journey.” And if his turn in his latest film is any indication, his acting skills are still evolving and that journey is far from over.