The most recent (and one of the saddest) examples of movie characters living on in commercials is one of the best characters to be featured in a Quentin Tarantino film which is saying a lot, since QT is up to his bald head in iconic characters, and this particular character was only on screen for something like ten minutes. After playing a starring role in Tarantino's directorial debut Reservoir Dogs Harvey Keitel only managed a cameo appearance in the follow up, Pulp Fiction; but what a cameo appearance it was. After accidentally blasting off the head of Phil Lamarr's Marvin hitmen Vincent (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L Jackson) have to get off the streets and get themselves cleaned up without the cops noticing their bloodied motor vehicle. After a foul-mouthed rant by the director himself about coffee and signs that may or may not be on his lawn, The Wolf turns up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ir791xwvOP4 Winston Wolfe is a "cleaner" who can make difficult problems like this disappear, and can somehow make a thirty minute journey in just ten. Keitel's scene in the film is magnificent as he orders around the formidable mobster assassins like naughty schoolboys and bonds with Tarantino's douchey pal, heightening the dark comedy of having to pick pieces of a dude's skull off of a car backseat. Which makes it all the more surreal that he's now turning up in a series of Direct Line adverts where he helps people sort out messes involving contents insurance. Same Keitel charisma, less violent situations, and generally a weird juxtaposition of a larger-than-life character with incredibly tedious, everyday situations. With a knock-off of Dick Dale's Misirlou at the end just to really seal the deal.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
