what are Christopher Walken's biggest moments?

Cafe Society
1

I just watched the movie Suicide Kings, which was pretty lacking overall, but at least had an interesting Walken character. After a quick glance at Walken’s IMDB list, two things struck me:

  1. He does not seem very picky about the movies he appears in.
  2. Even if he’s in a good movie, his role usually isn’t the lead.

What would you say are Walken’s finest and most memorable moments in his movie career? I loved his effort in the 1985 Bond movie A view to kill. The movie was tame, but Walken really stood out. Max Zorin is still my favorite Bond villain.

2

Not a movie, but his starring role in The Weapon of Choice video was pure genius.

3

I’m sure winning the best supporting actor Oscar in The Deer Hunter counts as a highlight.

4

His performance as a gangland boss in Abel Ferrara’s King of New York is excellent. Even his dancing in that film is sinister.

5

I loved him in “More Cowbell”.

6

Seconded. This is why I opened the thread, actually…

7

And available at the iTunes Music Store. Well worth the $1.99.

8

His story of Butch’s dad’s watch in Pulp Fiction.

The scene with Dennis Hopper in True Romance.

It’s been too long to recall much about the whole movie, especially his part, but I can’t wait for Brainstorm to come back around. Natalie Wood’s last one.

9

I’d have to say his scene with Dennis Hopper in True Romance is a career highlight, as is his monologue in Pulp Fiction (both written by Quentin Tarantino). Fatboy Slim’s “Weapon of Choice” music video (directed by Spike Jonze) and the now-famous Saturday Night Live “More Cowbell” sketch have to be comedic highlights. His small but memorable role in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall (his first major role, if I’m not mistaken) is pretty well-loved, as well.

10

That is exactly why I opened this thread. Pure comedic genius.

11

DAMN YOU - you beat me to it. That is one of my favourite CW moments.

12

My favorite is a long way back: his brief role as the crazy brother in Annie Hall.

13

I know it was a bit of a “B” movie, but his role as Gabriel in The Prophecy was pretty cool.

14

Did any of you see The Prophecy? He was great as the angel Gabriel. And he was fun in Blast from the Past.

15

What, no love for The Dead Zone? He got to exercise a lot of acting chops in that: romantic vulnerability, physical frailty, despair, anger, self-pity, horror, and political assassination.

That, and his Eurotrash slimeball from SNL’s “The Continental” skits. :smiley:

16

We ought to give prizes for multiple posts with the same roles mentioned. I have counted three thus far.

Did anybody see the Stephen King Dead Zone?

17

DAMN!!!

This is freaking me out!

18

Okay, can anybody else remember the bit on Inside the Actors Studio when James Lipton is describing when he and Walken and somebody else were walking in a dangerous part of Manhattan and were accosted by a bunch of Black street toughs. The leader of the gang came right up to Walken, got up in his face and said something like, “Damn, man. You are the coolest White dude on the planet.”

Also, no mention of Walken is complete without paying tribute to the guys who do such great impressions of him: Kevin Spacey, Kevin Pollak, and others.

19

Jay Mohr’s is my favorite. Was Jay the first? I never saw anybody imitate Walken before he did on SNL.

FYI, Pollack does the "Aristocrats’ joke as Walken in that documentary that’s on DVD now, I found that pretty funny.

20

Yeah, can’t forget Jay Mohr! But that’s interesting that Spacey and Pollak both do such great Walken impressions. Can you imagine how much fun The Usual Suspects might have been if those two, Stephen Baldwin, Benecio Del Toro, and Gabriel Byrne read ALL their lines Walken-style?