Pitt Start.By TIM DAVID HARVEY
Who's on the box?! Rumour has it from the showbiz circles of Hollywoodland that it's biggest star and one part of the greatest power couple is about to take the badge and gun off fellow Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey for the second series of HBO's new, best television series on the box 'True Detective'. The hit show that the 'Dallas Buyers Club' lead made amazing with 'Hunger Games' franchise star Woody Harrellson is in need of a new partnership for it's new season and it looks like our lead detective is going to be played by the his of the 'Mr & Mrs Smith', Angelina Jolie marriage. Now let's talk Pitt. These are the best casting Brad Pitt rumours since we thought he was going to play the magnificent Moriarty villain in the Robert Downey Jnr 'Sherlock Holmes' series sequel. If the biggest movie star in the world is about to go from the silver screen to the smaller household ones with his new Plan B, the producing giant of 2013 has plenty of beat cop experience to do the script paperwork. Fans and critics and people of the world alike often forget that the Hollywood hunk is more than just one of the most famous faces of film and female magazines. He's also arguably one of the worlds best actors too, certainly top five. With many looking to the new breed of Goslings and Hardy's people need to pay attention to the american hustle of the Bradley before Cooper. You see the Oscar's selfie. Sure, this may be Leonardo DiCaprio's movie world-even without the Oscar-but Pitt is a lot more better and versatile than most people give him credit for. The forever young 50 year old is still on the best, longest running streak of his career...he's far from just a pretty face, even if men like this writer can shamefully admit that.
It was the mid to late nineties that made this guy a true 'Legend Of The Fall'. From science fiction, envelope pushing films like 'Twelve Monkeys' to the pull no punches knockout of 'Fight Club' that everyone has to talk about for the birth of the 'twist' finale generation. Every film these days has about nine twists in it's plot before you've even settled into your cinema seat with your popcorn, but back in the golden age of everything entertainment with this brilliant pound-for-pound, by-the-book ringleader you never saw it coming. If you haven't seen it-we won't spoil it-but where have you been? Just like with the nerve wrenching, sick sin inducing, tension terrifying end of 'Se7en', Brad's true detective drama with Morgan Freeman and someone else we'll just call John Doe that is quite possibly one of the best cop genre films of all time...in fact one of the greatest movies in any arena hands down. The acting that Brad brings to the conflicting end of this harrowing case file through the seven deadly sins will whip you worse than a double barrell pistol with a shot to the skull. To say it's the best, emotional and evocative acting of his career would unfair to the beautiful body of work he's acted through since, but when you really watch this guy in his perfect prime and time you have to think in a moment of this much gravity...has anyone acted this good? This is why he's the perfect detective to cop the handed down holster of McConaughey who made 'True Detective' just that deep and dark. Fans of 'Se7en' have been waiting more than that many years for something like this. Let's hope he makes the case, because it's been quite the last couple of months for a guy who could have retired by now and already have an unquestionable, untouchable classic career and catalogue.
2013 saw Pitt's Plan B productions make a power move, but they never failed on their originial intentions and mission statement. Speaking of DiCaprio, Pitt won the bidding war for 'World War Z' and last year gave a crowded, blockbuster and science-fiction summer market season one of it's underrated and best films and the over-bitten zombie genre a fresh taste for the cinema. Based on Max Brooks brilliant book we saw a special effect of fast paced, rabid limb eaters and an arm chopping, greneades on plane tossing performace from Pitt that showed he was about to take world war three to a new trilogy of franchise formability for the flesh. Sandwiching in his own session on the Michael Fassbender, Cormac McCarthy couch, coffee table reader based all-star thriller 'The Counsellor', Pitt saved his best for movie-making history. The Oscar winning best film '12 Years A Slave' may be Steve McQueen's movie as well as Chiwetel Ejiofor's, 'Best Supporting Actress' Lupita Nyong'o's and Fassbender's again, but the story of Solomon Northup and arguably one of the greatest and most necessary movies of all-time on a 'Schindlers List' devesating scale wouldn't have been made without Pitt and he aces a critical cameo of substance over star-power to close out this best picture too. Another underrated performance for a man who you can see in the forthcoming franchise sequel '22 Jump Street' (like cameo star Depp, he was in the original series) starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, as well as the 'Fury' of his own World War II film with young talents Shia LaBeouf and Michael Peña. No wonder Clooney didn't enlist him for the Oceans 1945 of the magnificent 'Monuments Men', Brad was busy with his own battle. Still, as you see Pitt next to Matt Damon and the legend that is Clooney for the terrific 'Oceans' trilogy you see more than a sea of Las Vegas cool that redefines the Rat Pack swag of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr. You see the most underated megastar next to the most marketable one and this generations Cary Crant in an orgy of incredible and still somewhat looked over talent taking it all to the house.
Sometimes when your so good at something you just make it look all too easy and people take it for granted, just like the dark decadence of 'Killing Them Softly' where Pitt truly murdered it in his twenty twelve solo stint after one of the biggest years of his career that ironically probably led to arguably his biggest with his last calender run to date. Clicking his feet to 'Happy Feet Two' after showing more C.G. in 2010 with Will Ferrell's 'Megamind', Pitt's career sang in 2011 from the independent stakes to inspiring the industries most influential. Terrence Malik's weird and wonderful 'The Tree Of Life' showed even more range for the 'Babel' deep actor who doesn't get enough credit for his fearlessness in taking the movie world anywhere his director wants without tarnishing his own artistic and public press personified brush. Like he would care anyway, Pitt swings big and always hits like Babe Ruth and in his career home-run 'Moneyball', Pitt took Micahel Lewis' statistical story of the Oakland Athletics trip to taking the house with their own stats over stars gamble and knocked it out the park. Giving the second wind of his pre-half-century career another strike and showing Jonah Hill off to the Academy as a real big hitter this is one of Brad's best and you dont have to be a baseball fan to dig this one out and see it's a winner. Following this franchise, Jonah Hill's now the new 'Wolf Of Wall Street' go-to sidekick star and as for Pitt he's still running with home plate in sight. It's been quite the half-decade of dominance for the man that doesn't look that much over 30 between all the long hair and beards, but the leading man with real character has never really had a bad run of years when it comes to the blockbuster and billboards.
Even the new milleniuum began with a true 'Snatch' where complete with an Irish accent and a drifters wardrobe the Hollywood legend showed his legacy wasn't too powerful and pretentious to take a side role in hit Brit flicks of grit. Then of course there was the classic 'Oceans Eleven' and it's trilogy to go along with 'The Mexican' (I'm pretty sure 'The Mexican' starring Brad Pitt is a bit like 'The Last Samurai' starring American Tom Cruise, respect to Paul Mooney for that one), 'Spy Game' and 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind' and 'Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas'. He's gone 'Gladiator' epic in 'Troy' before those type of films got all slowed-down and watered down, '300' silly before returning to the Wild West home of his and Hollywood's beginning for the brillaint and big-titled (hold your breath now) 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'. A film that belongs with his boldest and best, one that really shows the depth and distinction of this mans acting ability hidden in his mild, maddening mannerisms that communicate so much more. Still after the Jennifer Aniston years (nice 'Friends' cameo to go along with the 'Dallas' and 'King Of The Hill' ones), Bradgelina made Hollwood coupling comedy history with the hilarious 'Mr & Mrs. Smith' that mixed amazing action with tongue-in-cheek hilarious marriage references for the assassins comedy creed ("I used to be married", "whats her name and social security number?", "No you're not going to kill her"). With the perfect parntership making as many big-movie hits as they did courageous charity contributions Pitt's career went even further down the aisle with his ever versatile, crazily, headphone hilarious fitness trainer, complete with dancing in the Cohen brothers classic 'Burn After Reading' with his man Clooney. Alongside Clooney's leading lady and Oscar Best Actress Cate Blanchett, Pitt defied age yet again for 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'. A beautiful love story of 'Forrest Gump' time and tide storytelling proportions Pitt played a man who quite simply aged backwards and the chamelonic character acting at an A-list level of this man made it more than just the marvellous make-up. Some didn't get it, but behind the critical, crippling pain is the heart and soul of a real love story.
Still, following all this, Pitt was after everyones scalps in his Tarantino moment for the Nazi head-hunting and killing 'Inglorious Basterds' which led the world to the talent that is Fassbender and Q.T. to 'Django Unchained' and a forthcoming third-part of this revenge redefining history trilogy. It was Pitt's understated, stiff-up-lip unique performance that snorted as much cocaine as tobbaco he spat in 'Moneyball' however that made this more than just German Christophe Walt'z wonderful Academy, coming out party. About to go to furious war once again this year brad has more in his trenches and barracks to in his and fellow 50 club Tom Cruise's decade of the 90's, as the pair sank their teeth into the industry and 'Interview With A Vampire' that could definitly drain the blood out of the teen faces of the likes of 'Twilight'. More than just a 'Being John Malkovich' or a hilarious bong-hit, scene stealing similair role in 'True Romance' Brad brought beauty to the screen with what was behind those magazine cover looks with his amazing acting. From the sweet and spiritual 'Meet Joe Black' to the harrowing and haunting 'Sleepers' he truly brought something else to the career gamble table. 'The Devils Own' saw him hold his own with the legendary likes of Harrison Ford and the girl power of 'Thelma & Louise' still had room in the trunk for this young 'Hunk'. Still it was his bread and butter in traditional movies like 'A River Runs Through It' and 'Seven Years In Tibet' (no surprising boxes in this box-office hit thankfully) that took the Southern Baptist from Oklahoma who was raised on the rivers and lakes of Springfield, Missouri to the real heart of both his career and America. From films of this 'Legend Of The Fall' type and the early promise of 'The Dark Side of the Sun' and 'A Stoning in Fulham County' name another big, blockbuster Hollywood star willing to go this deep into real America and acting? This is what lies beneath the career of a man who yet again is as versatile as he is underrated and these are the years that have birthed the deades of his long career and legendary legacy. Now with his best years ahead of him Pitt just seems to be getting started when it comes to his greatest hits. He's got as much more to come as he has in the past than people realise. This Pitt's not going to stop.
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