It’s been quite a while since we last heard from Oscar-winning actor Robert Pattinson. Now that he’s back with a brand-new movie, we’re all wondering: is Pattinson’s silence just a ruse to further his acting career, or is he actually stepping back from the spotlight? As it turns out, we have our answer—at least for now. The actor has unveiled a cunning trick that he has been using to hide in plain sight while filming his latest movie, and it seems no one has spotted it but us.
The scene in question finds Pattinson as a hitman who arrives at the home of a wealthy businessman (played by Hollywood legend Kurt Russell) to kill him. As the two men size each other up in a tense stare-down, it becomes apparent that Russell, who has a history of playing heavies, doesn’t actually want to die—at least not yet. This is where things get interesting. With nowhere else to go, the frightened old man huddles over the dinner table for protection.
In a brilliant stroke of filmmaking, director Danny Boyle turns the tables around and places the old man—played by the esteemed actor Walter Matthau—in the driving seat. The twist? Instead of being the muscle-bound, gun-toting Russell as we expect, we’re now supposed to believe that it’s Matthau who is the threatening figure, and he’s got a loaded weapon pointed directly at the heart of the scene.
The scene is among the most memorable in the new film, and it’s easy to see why. After all, who wouldn’t be terrified of an octogenarian billionaire who sports a bushy mustache and resembles a cross between George Clooney and Herman Munster?
Well, for starters, we must admit that we’re rather scared of Walter Matthau. The fact that he’s playing a grumpy old man with a loaded gun doesn’t frighten us nearly as much as the idea of going up against an actor as legendary as Kurt Russell. Plus, we’ve always had a soft spot for Matthau. He’s one of the very few actors who managed to transcend the clichés of his chosen profession and leave an impression on us mere mortals. So even though we’re scared, we can’t help but root for the older man.
That’s probably because we’re old-school cinema fans who grew up watching the actor play quirky, lovable characters in films like The Odd Couple and City Slickers. These days, we mostly see Walter Matthau playing menacing, cantankerous curmsonds, which to us is a role that could potentially go to anyone’s head.
That’s not to say that Russell isn’t also an excellent actor. After all, his career spans more than 70 years and boasts an impressive array of memorable characters. It’s just that in Life, Matthau, not Russell, steals the show. What’s more, it’s not just a one-off moment for Walter either. He plays a pivotal role throughout the entire film, and that makes him one of the most important supporting characters.
The Main Actor In All The Right Places
Even before the movie starts, we’re immediately drawn to Robert Pattinson’s intensely handsome features. The British actor’s piercing gaze and square jawline are enough reason for us to keep looking, but the way that he effortlessly straddles a motorcycle and a bus seems to confirm that Boyle has found the perfect match for his hitman. And, in fact, this is the second time that the actor has featured in a Danny Boyle film. In 2011’s Trainspotting, we also saw Pattinson as the rebellious but lovable Mark Renton, whose drug use and hedonistic lifestyle end up destroying his friendship with Englishman Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller).
It’s hard to remember a time when Robert Pattinson wasn’t the center of attention. The 25-year-old landed his first big break when he was cast in a supporting role in the Harry Potter film series as Quirrell, a magically infused teacher who assists Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore in his search for the Sorcerer’s Stone. While the role didn’t earn Pattinson any serious accolades, it didn’t hurt his acting career either. Since then, the actor has appeared in big-budget franchises like the Twilight Saga and Star Wars Episode VII—in which he plays the legendary Darth Vader—as well as smaller films like The Midnight Gang, The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, and The Lost City of Z.
Biker Badass
It’s been decades since we last saw an authentic, blue-collar biker, and it looks like Boyle has saved this last bastion of machismo for Kurt Russell. The actor plays an enigmatic and wealthy businessman who has a reputation for paying off his gambling debts with a blackmailing scheme. Russell’s character, Frank Beckers, is a living, breathing counterpoint to the glamorous individuals who populate Frank’s world. He’s a self-made billionaire who doesn’t fit in with the social set in the way that they do.
To begin with, he rides a Triumph Bonneville motorcycle, the same model that he sports in the film. And what’s more, he is never without a gun—which he treats like a member of his own family—in the way that he moves and the way that he talks. It’s rumoured that Russell even got the tattoo that adorns his biceps—a skull with the words “life is a bullet” inscribed on the forehead—after he was convinced that his character’s life was in danger. As it turns out, we were right.
The Man With A Plan
There are several twists and turns before Life finally reveals its amazing ending, and it’s not until halfway through the film that we begin to realize the significance of some of the events that transpire. While we’re on the subject of twists, let’s not forget about Robert Pattinson’s involvement in the story either. As we’ve established, the actor is playing a dual role in the film, and his character’s name is Mr. Wu, a legendary Asian hitman. Although he is mostly seen as the antagonist of the story, Mr. Wu actually has a plan and is working towards a certain objective: to protect an old man (Walter Matthau) from being killed by an insane, money-hungry sociopath (Kurt Russell).
The film’s tagline is “a roadtrip with friends turns into a hunt for money, drugs, and survival,” which accurately sums up the story’s thematic and cinematic appeal. Boyle, who has a history of making unconventional films, weaves a tale that is bound to entertain any film enthusiast. And, thanks to its stellar cast, unique story, and Oscar-worthy production values, we predict that Life will certainly earn the filmmaker many new fans.