10 Intense Movie Performances NO ONE Was Ready For
6. Alessandro Nivolo - The Art Of Self Defense
A film about Jesse Eisenberg awkwardly learning karate should have been a quirky indie comedy. Instead, it's an uncomfortable representation of extremely toxic male standards, and it's thanks to one man.
Alessandro Nivola's role as "Sensei" isn't a screaming, jaw-clenching performance. But it is intense. The actor proves that you can be calm and quiet whilst still being the craziest character on screen.
A mixture of "wait, what was that?" dialogue, and outrageous physical acting present to audiences a man who doesn't exist, but is embodied everywhere in the real world. Nivola's delivery of his lines is of someone on the edge of either hugging, or hurting, the person he's in the room with.
"Sensei" is a man who revels in digging up insecurities and replacing them with manipulated weakness. Alessandro Nivola plays the character like a predator grooming his victims, and that's exactly what Sensei does.
Going into the film, you're expected to be drawn to Jesse Eisenberg's character, but he's one-note in comparison to Alessandro Nivola's performance as an unhinged cult leader.
Nivola has always been a minor actor, but hopefully with this performance he can finally graduate to a leading man status.