Viggo Mortensen

I admitted in my previous post having been crushed on Viggo Mortensen. (I answered wrong, I realize that now, since the question was about the fictional characters, not actors. And in the books, you moron, in the books! Not films!)

But I do remember vividly that I was fascinated by his bad teeth and grinding voice when I saw Renny Harlin's first American feature, "Prison". It doesn't have a very good reputation, I know, but I thought it was pretty well-handled piece of horror. (And I just might say that it's best Renny, the man from Finland (originally Lauri Harjola), has done. With the exception of "Long Kiss Goodnight", even it has some implausibilities.)

Viggo was very good also in "Indian Runner", a nice drama film directed by Sean Penn. And in "Reflecting Skin" by Philip Ridley (I haven't seen the latter again, BTW: does it hold up? I remember comparing it even with the films of Charles Chaplin in the review I wrote at the time!).

And then Viggo disappeared (at least, for me). Then he resurfaced in the Stallone flick where the former Rocky saves people from the tunnels (forgot the title). Viggo had had his teeth fixed and he had obviously seen some speech coach, since the grind had disappeared from his voice (well, not altogether, of course). He's very good in LoTR, but not very hot. And he was HOT in "Prison" and all the other films. I was ready to nominate him the sexiest male actor in the world (to make sure: I didn't write that kind of reviews). The tunnel film was a big let-down, I'm sorry to say.

I also mentioned Elizabeth Shue. I fell in love with her in "Leaving Las Vegas" (not Goodbye, as I wrote earlier), but she hasn't given me such thrills second time. She was very, very good-looking in "Palmetto" (by the German new-waver, Volker Schlöndorff), but not near the Las Vegas film.

Maybe that's what always happens. Love at first sight should be left at that.