Dissecting Halle - Executive Decision

Executive Decision – released in 1996. In it, we see Halle Berry playing Jean, a flight attendant on a hijacked airliner. She surreptitiously assists American agents onboard the aircraft in their quest to overtake the middle eastern terrorists.

The role -- and it was a small role -- called for little more than two emotional responses from Berry. Be terrified. Be courageous.

And she did this.

Throw in a moment of grief; oh, and another beat down, but I’ll get to that.

I preferred Berry as defiant. The terrified thing didn’t work for me.

I got to wondering -- and it occurred to me that it must be really difficult to pretend to be terrified. Lots of actors do it but to do it successfully must require a certain level of skill, else you come out looking like an emotionally distorted caricature. It is easy to exaggerate terror or underplay it, I think.

I figure, as the moviegoer, I am to feel terrified right along with the actor -- if the actor does his job. 

In this film, I was highly aware of Berry’s characterization. It just didn’t work for me. One may argue that the scenes were short and quick and she didn’t have the time or momentum to execute terror.

Maybe. I’m not an actor, so I know little of these things.

Or maybe a skilled actor can give us terror when the script or director says, “Give me terror.”

Berry and the beat down. In Swordfish (2001), Stan (Hugh Jackman) pushed her out of his trailer and she hit the ground like a ragdoll. In Executive Decision, Nagi (David Suchet) knocked the hell out of her. He hit Jean so hard, he totally knocked her block off. 

Poor Halle. Now, I can’t wait to see her kick some azz. Does she do that in the X-Men series? I’ve not seen it. Ain’t that superheros and stuff? Since superheros kick azz, I expect she will. I saw Catwoman (2004), but barely remember it. I know she kicks some azz in that –- doesn’t she? Anyway, I’m rambling…

Finally, because of one particular scene in this film, Berry is the recipient… ta dum… of a WOOD AWARD! Halle Berry joins Beyonce as the second recipient of this not-so-prestigious award presented by THE BLACKACTOR.COM. See next post.

Comments

[Madame Zenobia]

Leveling Halle's talent with Beyonce's 'talent'??? Ohhh, that's low. LOL. Give Halle MORE credit, please. Does she kick ass in XMen? Errr, sure, if you call throwing lightning and seizing until your eyes turn into the back of your head kicking ass, then sure. CatWoman was a joke; I wouldn't call any of her moves in that film 'kicking ass'. If you're going to be a Halle-critic, please see all of her films. LOL. At least watch XMen for canon's sake, for saga's sake, for Marvel Comics' sake. I enjoy your posts, but please don't put Beyonce and Halle in the same sentence or in the same award group. Halle may be wooden 'sometimes', but Beyonce in the whopping 4 movies she's done (wayy less in comparison to all the projects Halle's been in) is wooden ALL THE TIME.

[johnny wishbone]

ok.. i have to agree with the last poster.. come on.. beyonce? seriously? halle gets her ass kick on in catwoman, and in xmen. i mean she's STORM. she does her stormy thing. beyonce though?
OUCH

[THE OBENSON REPORT]

You mean no ass shots in this one? No boobage? Why bother then? :o)

Alright, so I'm totalling objectifying HB. But sometimes she makes it rather easy for me to do so... I still need to see "Things We Lost In The Fire." I'm assuming you'll be reviewing that one as well. Her performance is supposed to be her strongest thus far.

[THE OBENSON REPORT]

OOPS - that's supposed to read, "I'm TOTALLY objectifying HB."

[iris]

i see what you're saying black actor that this performance was wooden. i've seen clips of catwoman on oxygen. i think the mistake was the cgi. cat woman is more like batman. very strong and a fighter, not crawling on ceiling. sighs.

[theblackactor.com]

@ Madame Zenobia

Hi Madame: First, there is no comparison on this blog between the talent of Berry vs. Beyonce. They do have in common the fact that they are both recipients of the Wood Award. Anybody can get a wood award. It calls for a wooden performance IN ONE SCENE ONLY. Madame, I'm not a Halle critic. I'm an observer and a writer. I post once per week and your comment is on the FOURTH Halle Berry film. I have said we will be looking at ALL or certainly MOST OF Halle Berry's work. This means I have not yet gotten to the other films. I could do quickies and place 2 or 3 of her films into one article. Halle Berry is too popular, has been working too long, has such a large body of work, and for other reasons, I felt her work (Good and Bad) was worthy of deeper exploration. It will take several weeks to complete the series. But thank you, Madame, for checking out the articles. And thanks for the warning about X-Men. (I don't dig this genre and am dreading having to watch these pics; but who knows, I may enjoy them.) LOL.

Er, I'm thinking you no likey Bey. LOL.

@ Johnny

See my comment, Johnny, to Madame Zenobia.

@ Obenson

I saw some weird thing on TV the other night -- I mean, creepy. It was on BBC America and it was showing men who are in love with and have sex with dolls -- real woman-like dolls - anatomically corrrect, like 100 pounds, with moving joints and make up and shit. Weird.

@ Iris

I don't remember half of it; but sometimes it was funny. The critics and fans let her have it on this one.

[Madame Zenobia]

@ BlackActor. Alright then ;) And yes, I don't like Beyonce...as an actress. LOL.