Six Essential Performances By Ben Mendelsohn

animal kingdom

More than a few great character actors have found themselves on the rise after long, distinguished careers which fell “under the radar.” In America, Ben Mendelsohn (currently in Starred Up and upcoming Lost Rivers, Black Seas, Exodus, and Slow West) is a name that has only emerged as one to watch a couple years ago, but according to director Derek Cianfrance, he’s long been “Australia’s hidden treasure.” He’s only made a few appearance in “big budget” films (Dark Knight Rises and Australia) but in the indie world, his filmography is an impressive blend of romantic leads, impulsive man-boys, and maniacs for more than three decades.

If you’ve never seen The Year My Voice Broke, you’re missing one of the great underrated coming of age films

If you’ve never seen The Year My Voice Broke (1987), you’re missing one of the great underrated coming of age films, despite its awkward title. Starring Noah Taylor (Shine) and Leone Carmen, the 1962 romantic drama tells the story of 15 year old Danny’s developing feelings for his best friend, Freya, a girl from the wrong side of the tracks. Mendelsohn plays the object of Freya’s desires, a rugby playing juvenile delinquent who seems to lack true menace. Mendelsohn’s performance was heralded as a revelation by Australian audiences in the 80s, praising him for bringing complex humanity to a character who could easily been described simply as “the rebel.” There is something unbelievably tender behind his unhinged performance, channeling the energy we saw from young actors in the 1950s and 60s which was distinctly threatening and endearing. Even the character’s memorable laugh, a scratchy manic cackle, captures the dangerous allure of the youthful bad boy. Despite Trevor being a delinquent, Mendelsohn primarily played nervous romantic leads in movies (The Big Steal, The Efficiency Expert) which were more reminiscent of James Stewart than James Dean, until the mid-1990s when Tarantino’s impact on cinema was felt internationally and Australia’s independent films began to reflect the generation’s frustrations.

In a movie which is at times aggressively visceral, his is violent outbursts still always feel unexpected and hard to watch. And yet, he gets the biggest laughs in the movie

Despite impressive performances in Metal Skin as a sex addict and petty criminal in Nirvana Street Murder, his performance in Idiot Box (1996) is the one which stands up as a truly breathless, revelatory performance. Released the same year as Bottle Rocket, Idiot Box is a brutal comedy about two bored friends who decide to rob a bank for the fun of it, only to find themselves caught in the cross-fire of a professional robber targeting the same bank. Despite having a loyal, slightly calmer best friend trying to keep him under control, Mendelsohn’s Kev is equal parts sweet, scary, and hopeful. In a movie which is at times aggressively visceral, his is violent outbursts still always feel unexpected and hard to watch (especially his encounters with a dog). And yet, he gets the biggest laughs in the movie, when his pathetic Kev pleads like a little boy to his mother to accept the hot TV he bought her as a present.

Mendelsohn does some of his best work with criminally under-appreciated writer/director David Caesar, and their second (of three) collaborations couldn’t have been less like the violent, aggressive Idiot Box. Mullet (2001) is a gentle and relaxed little movie that feels more like a throwback to the low-key films of the 70s. Mendelsohn’s title character is named after the local fish that he catches, which everyone else throws back, or throws away, in disgust. Like a small town Llewyn Davis, Mullet is not a likable character, speaking what he perceives as the truth and living with a persistent chip on his shoulders. But his wounded puppy dog reactions to perceived slights by friends and family leave audiences wondering what caused him to believe “everyone seems to want me gone.” His performance is delicate and understated, but just as vivid as his more kinetic characters, and shows a truly generous performer at work, playing off each actor with a spontaneity which enlivens this little movie.

Despite the number of performances to choose from, the last three performances come from the past four years because, he’s been on a bit of a hot streak. The film which struck a chord for international audiences was Animal Kingdom (2010), a must see in the crime genre, about a family of criminals, stealing nearly every scene from a pretty strong ensemble. Mendelsohn’s Pope, a psychopath who brings his family down after trying to avenge his partner-in-crime, and is more than willing to do literally anything out of self-preservation. Of all the masculine characters in this movie, Mendlesohn looks the straightest, until you note the intense stare which looks like a predatory animal, constantly sizing up potential prey. At times he suggests that there was a potential to be a human being…but that potential was drained long ago, leaving only a lonely, vicious person in his place. And few moments will leave you as disturbed as his interactions with his nephew’s girlfriend.

It would be a challenge to find a heroin addict in film more pathetic or as funny as his character, who lives for pleasure, no matter how depraved.

He followed Animal Kingdom (which earned him all three top film Awards in Australia) with his performance in Killing Them Softly (2012) as the pathetic, hedonistic Russell. It would be a challenge to find a heroin addict in film more pathetic or as funny as his character, who lives for pleasure, no matter how depraved. Filthy Russell is truly a stomach churner of a character, (especially when he eats) yet there are few moments which hit in this generally cold movie then when his best (and probably only) friend sells him out, especially having just seen him such a severe drug haze that he literally nods in the middle of getting stolen money. And if you haven’t seen the movie, it’s highly recommended you watch his heroin scene to see the laughing fit he falls into describing a car accident. There is humanity and boyish, frenzied warmth within this character who could have been nothing more than a stereotypical druggy.

Considering Killing Them Softly underperformed and Animal Kingdom was a foreign film, the only one of these six performances you’re likely to have seen was The Place Beyond the Pines (2013) as Ryan Gosling’s bank robbing partner/mentor. In truth, Place Beyond the Pines isn’t as satisfying a complete film as the three part, father-son epic intended. But Mendelsohn’s Robin might the most consistent and lovable performance in the entire film. Introduced when he establishes an instant, undying friendship with Gosling, his is perhaps the only pure relationship in the film, making Gosling’s betrayal that much harder to watch. Confident and easy, his lovable performance is that much more incredible to know that as written, Robin was written as a corrupting villain. But Derek Cianfrance rewrote the character into an endearing buddy after meeting and working out the character with Mendelsohn, even allowing him to improvise the film’s tagline.

Ben Mendelsohn appears this week in Starred Up.

What is your favorite Ben Mendelsohn performance?

Read more comedy news, stories, interviews with comedians, videos and comedy clips on our home page. Get more comedy news. Watch more viral videos. Read more interviews with the best comics in the business.

.

The following two tabs change content below.
Lesley Coffin is a feature editor for FF2media and has also written the books Lew Ayres: Hollywood Conscientious Objector (2012) and Hitchcock's Stars (2014), and currently writing a third book. Follow on twitter @filmbiographer for thoughts on movies and cat pictures.
Lesley Coffin
Lesley Coffin
Lesley Coffin is a feature editor for FF2media and has also written the books Lew Ayres: Hollywood Conscientious Objector (2012) and Hitchcock's Stars (2014), and currently writing a third book. Follow on twitter @filmbiographer for thoughts on movies and cat pictures.