Mark Strong has established himself as the go to guy for villainous roles, appearing in movies as varied as Body of Lies, The Young Victoria, and Kick Ass.
Matt’s Movie Reviews picks the best from the rotten bunch and pays tribute to the new king of the bad guys, Mark Strong.
Ridley Scott’s espionage terrorist thriller Body of Lies saw Strong steal the show from both Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe in his role as Hani, a Jordanian intelligence operative who is always one step ahead and oozes style from every pore.
In Guy Ritchie’s world of hard men doing very bad things Archy is a highlight, Strong playing the dangerous and lethally smooth underworld operator with pitch perfect intensity and humour.
Strong goes period, this time portraying Sir John Conroy, the Queen mother’s chief attendant and lover, who conspires to rule England from behind the crown. Strong effectively scares Blunt and the audience with his cold to the core demeanour, creating an easy baddy to hate.
Portraying the mysterious and deadly Lord Blackwood, Strong provides the perfect counter to Robert Downey Jr.’s cheeky super sleuth and a memorable villain to lay boos upon.
A martial arts wielding mob boss having to contend with a legion of costumed vigilantes? A role made for Strong, who provides one of the bright spots in Matthew Vaughn’s nihilistic superhero satire.
Ridley Scott’s reimagining of the Robin Hood legend saw Russell Crowe take on the role of the folkloric outlaw. Only fitting, then, that Strong be cast as the man assigned to take him on and bring England to its knees.
