# Does anyone else think that Edward Norton should stop making movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2002, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725 "2002-10-10T20:23:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![sirtonyh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@sirtonyh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirtonyh)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/21 "2002-10-11T11:05:39Z")
I hope he continues to make movies for a long time. He is certainly one of the better actors currently working. I though he was terrific in Primal Fear, American History X, Fight Club, Larry Flynt and Rounders. Incidently, all of those are pretty good movies (imho) and somewhat unconventional for hollywood so I think his choice of movies to make is first rate. ---
**Author:** ![Broken\_Doll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbce88/32.png) [@Broken\_Doll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Doll)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/22 "2002-10-11T14:00:55Z")
_puts hand up_ yet another lust-filled fan of Edward Norton. I haven’t seen Red Dragon yet, so I can’t really say what my views are on it, but he was _excellent_ in American History X. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/23 "2002-10-11T14:11:47Z")
One of the best actors of his generation. No doubt about it. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/24 "2002-10-11T14:29:04Z")
A top notch actor. A nicely understated performance in Red Dragon. The character is one who has been so emotionally damaged by his job that he’s shut himself off from others, including his own wife, but still has an undercurrent of rage, frustration, and passion operating just under the calm exterior. He does a good job of showing us a man who is trying to sublimate his emotions and not quite succeeding. ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/25 "2002-10-11T14:38:40Z")
I love him. If he quits making feature films, I hope he does porn – with me! He was great in that one with Brando and DeNiro (Damn…I can’t think of the name of it). He’s great in everything. And way hot. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/26 "2002-10-11T14:47:37Z")
I saw Red Dragon last night and I thought it was a good movie (never seen Manhunter) and Norton gave a fine performance. I can’t say it was a miscast because I didn’t read the book to have a preconceived idea what the character should be like. How can you bash someone like Norton when you have Cage and Keanu Reeves making movies? I don’t agree with Astorian regarding Hannibal. It had to be hard to do a prequel with a character that was detroyed in “Hannibal”. IMHO they did a good job bringing the character back to the SOTL portrayal. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/27 "2002-10-11T20:15:08Z")
Chalk me up as another viewer who considers Edward Norton one of the best film actors of his generation. (The finest American actor working today, by the way, is Morgan Freeman. Don’t even bother to argue, because I’m right. :p) Don’t make the mistake of confusing his roles with his craft. Norton is one of the most inventive, innovative actors working on film today. He doesn’t have a lot of range in terms of his physicality and vocal technique, but his emotional skills, and his ability to distinguish his characters with some extremely subtle choices, are very impressive. And based on _Keeping the Faith_, he has the potential to become quite a director, too. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/28 "2002-10-11T21:30:25Z")
Cervaise (WHNYRAF) wrote: > [@](#): > > The finest American actor working today, by the way, is Morgan Freeman. I’ll bet you’re too young to remember him from _Electric Company_! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2002, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/29 "2002-10-11T21:35:41Z")
Haven’t seen “Red Dragon” so I can’t comment on it but, even assuming the worst about Norton’s performance, that one movie is hardly justification for declaring his career over. Edward Norton is still in the stage of his career where he can be regarded as having immense promise. He’s already had several great performances (e.g., “American History X” and “Fight Club”) but we still haven’t seen his best yet. Also, Norton is still willing to take challenging parts rather than just cruising through one crappy movie after another because they offer the biggest paychecks. > [@](#): > > Ew. > > I think (Salma Hayek) is a Hagasaurus Rex. That charge warrants a long and caustic rebuttal but I’m not going to do it. There’s just no accounting for taste and this thread is already getting perilously close to being tossed in the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/30 "2002-10-12T01:02:04Z")
Far and away my favorite actor. I haven’t seen Red Dragon but I think he’s got major acting chops and is unbelievably versatile. American History X Fight Club Score - Unbelievable in this one, almost rivals AHX And I’m not embarrassed to admit, Keeping The Faith. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/31 "2002-10-12T04:33:32Z")
I have loved Edward Norton since the second I saw him in Primal Fear, so hands off, he’s MINE!! 😉 have you seen him sing in “Everyone Says I Love You”? Superb! I bet this troll that started the thread IS Edward Norton and he just wants some love. haha Email me Eddie, i’ve got a ton of love for ya! 😉 And I agree with everyone who says he’s the finest American actor of his time. I hope he has a long career. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/32 "2002-10-12T09:41:57Z")
Well, let’s still not forget that he edited _American History X_ into _The Edward Norton Show_. In doing so, he wiped out key elements of his relationship with his prison laundry buddy. Norton’s escape from the wrath of Black inmates in the movie was a classic Deus ex Machina. It was suddenly revealed that his laundry friend had saved his ass, and yet their relationship had been woefully underdeveloped. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2002, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/33 "2002-10-12T23:27:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Epistaxis \* > \*\*lol this same troll posted this in RottenTomatoes’ forum. He really has it in for Norton. \*\* Yeah, he posted it in the Home Theater Forum too, where, in an earlier thread, he’d said that Edward Norton was one of his favorite actors. I think Norton killed his brother or something. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/34 "2002-10-13T00:16:01Z")
You pick on Ed Norton and completely ignore the real problem: Vin Diesel. I was flipping channels today and came across _The Fast and the Furious_. The cars were out-acting this guy. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/35 "2002-10-13T02:57:27Z")
Cervaise, I certainly agree with you about Morgan Freeman (and, BTW, I DO remember him from Electric Company! Also remember S. Epatha Merkerson “Law adn Order” from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, but that’s a different thread). I’ve always said that Freeman could play anything but a 19-year-old white girl, and he MIGHT be halfway successful at that! As for Norton, I don’t consider him to be in league with Freeman or Gary Sinise or Tom Hanks, but think he does a pretty good job. Just saw Red Dragon tonight (been 20 years since I read the book, so comparison is vague), but LOVED the movie! Even my hubby, whom I dragged kicking and screaming, enjoyed it a lot. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2002, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725/36 "2002-10-13T07:47:00Z")
Vin Diesel is the next Van Damme. And “Fight Club” had a stupid concept? As Homer said, “Explain how!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-else-think-that-edward-norton-should-stop-making-movies/131725.md?page=1)