The Film Yap Presents ”That Guy” celebrates those character actors who are instantly recognizable as the glue that holds countless films together, but because they are not huge movie stars, remain largely anonymous by the general moviegoing community. Say their name and you’ll get a confused look; say “you know, that guy from XXXX” and you’ll get a smile and nod of approval.
Starring in "Red," Brian Cox is your grunt of choice if you want a larger-than-life, bombastic, borderline overbearing personality.
The versatile Scotsman has been working in front of a camera since 1971, but worked mostly in television until 1986 when he landed the small role of Dr. Hannibal Lecktor in Michael Mann's "Manhunter," his adaptation of Thomas Harris' novel "Red Dragon" (of course Anthony Hopkins would go on to fame and Oscars playing the role in the 90s).
Cox continued to toil on the small screen, with spot work in the movies, when in 1995 he landed roles in two high-profile period films, "Rob Roy" and "Braveheart," the start of a chain reaction of big-budget films like "Chain Reaction," "The Long Kiss Goodnight," and the Ashley Judd/Morgan Freeman thriller "Kiss the Girls." He continued building a solid resume in the 90s with supporting roles in films like Wes Anderson's "Rushmore" and Sam Raimi's "For Love of the Game."
He broke out in the 2000s, scoring a small but pivotal role in Gore Verbinski's atmospheric remake of the Japanese horror film "The Ring" and quickly became the preferred go-to character actor.
Here are a few of Cox's juiciest roles of the 2000s:
Melvin Belli, Zodiac (2007)
A blustery psychologist who is contacted by the Zodiac Killer, Cox brings a sense of haughtiness to the shrink, believing he can reach the killer in a televised phone conversation. Belli is no match for the Zodiac's games, though, and ends up looking rather buffoonish in front of the entire city of San Francisco.
Dr. Finch, "Running With Scissors" (2006)
Perhaps Cox's most unheralded performance of the decade, there is something strange and weaselly about Dierdre Burrough's (Annette Bening) shrink, and it isn't just his strangely messy home and questionable taste in clothing. He has an almost obsessive relationship with Dierdre and controls her life to the most minute detail, and offers what seems to be terrible advice, but suggests, nay, orders it, with such assuredness she can't help but trust in him unconditionally. Young Augusten (Joseph Cross) more than suspects he's a quack, but he's so interesting it doesn't really matter.
James Brogan, "The 25th Hour"
No, THIS is Cox's unheralded performance of the decade. Monty Brogan's (Edward Norton) warmly quiet father loves his son, and though he's caught dealing drugs and facing some time in the slam, he never admonishes his son. He doesn't have to. He is a constant presence through Monty's last day of freedom, and when he finally does broach the subject with his son, he gives his son a fantastically heartbreaking speech advising him on how to avoid jail ("You'll get a job somewhere, a job that pays cash, a boss who doesn't ask questions, and you make a new life and you never come back," he says). Cox in that one moment cements a wonderful father-son relationship in offering his son that fantasy scenario, and in doing defines being a strong father: he advises his son to do what's best for his son, not for his father.
Ward Abbott, "The Bourne Identity" (2002)/"The Bourne Supremacy" (2004)
As the slimy government agent tracking Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), Abbott is also the guy who created Bourne as an unstoppable killing machine. His slimy spook is a brilliant take on the classic heavy, and his scenes with Damon and Joan Allen as a colleague sympathetic to Bourne are pitch perfect.
William Stryker, "X2: X-Men United"(2003)
Another government villain, Stryker is worse than even Abbott, as he's exploiting his own mutant son to further his career and political agenda, hunting down and exposing (and sometimes worse) mutants, not to mention he was a key figure in the past of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman). It's Strkyer's presence, and Cox's portrayal of him, that truly carried "X2" to the next level, allowing it to be considered the "Empire Strikes Back" of the "X-Men" series.