Sometimes you know a movie will be bad just by the cast or the film's star. After Mommie Dearest, most films starring Faye Dunaway were generally bad (with the exception of Cold Sassy Tree and Barfly). You'd be hard-pressed to find a good movie starring Sean Young, although in the '80s she starred in Blade Runner and No Way Out, two fine films.
The strange this is these two stars were once (ie. Dunaway), or could have been (ie. Young), A-list stars. But they've lost that status, and now star in straight-to-video movies or cable flicks.
Currently in theatres is a movie featuring a number of B-list actors. In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale... starring Jason Statham! Ray Liotta!! Leelee Sobieski!!! Claire Forlani!!!! And Mr. Burt Reynolds!!!
Okay, so this cast does not exactly scream out Brad Pitt or Julia Roberts star power. I haven't seen a film with so many actors whose careers appear to be washed up. Remember when Ray Liotta was touted as the next big thing in Hollywood after his amazing performance in Something Wild? Remember when Leelee Sobieski was becoming the next big young thing? Where did she go, except to Z flicks like this? And Burt Reynolds. Ten years ago, he scored an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for Boogie Nights. Ten years later, his face has been pulled so tightly back, you're afraid it will snap. Perhaps that's why he's getting roles like "King Konreid" to add to his resume.
What happened to their careers? Bad choices? Probably. Lack of good roles? Maybe. Drugs? Who knows? Perhaps, as in the case of Sobieski, the momentum was never really that strong in the first place. I thought Liotta would have a long career, and while he's worked throughout his 20+ career, he has had a lack of great roles aside from Something Wild and Goodfellas.
Will these "stars" ever get back on the A-list? Who knows? Perhaps starring in reality tv shows or getting arrested may seem the only route these days for B-list stars to regenerate some buzz, as sad as that may sound. Sean Young's surprising outburst at the Director's Guild Awards was shocking not because she was supposedly drunk and heckling the award winners, but because she was at an A-list event. Why was she even there? She hasn't had a box-office hit in almost 20 years. It's somewhat sad because in the '80s, Young showed promise and talent, but nowadays you'd never know it.
I wonder what the cast of "A Siege Tale" was thinking when they were making that film? Perhaps it was a decent pay cheque, so they didn't have to think about the fact they were starring in a B-film. Or maybe Sobieski or Forlani dared to think, "Just maybe... one day I'll get to work with Martin Scorsese!"
Although Ray Liotta was probably thinking, "Just maybe... one day
I'll get to work with Martin Scorsese... again!"
