Three words: Bryan Freakin Cranston. The guy is clearly at the top of his game, coming off a five-year stint as one of the greatest television characters ever created, and he could probably be in any movie he wants from now on. Sure, hes bit at the prospect of some high-paying, big-budget Hollywood remakes, including the horrific Total Recall and next years promising Godzilla remake. If youre telling me you wouldnt do the same, youre lying. But Cranston makes time for smaller projects too: hes currently playing LBJ on Broadway, and in 2010 he lent his gravelly voice to Detective James Gordon for the animated adaptation of Millers Year One. Why, when he could be a part of nearly anything, did Cranston choose to play Gordon? Does the fact that hes a complete badass have anything to do with it, perhaps? Like the animated adaptation of The Dark Knight Returns, Year One is extremely faithful to the original Frank Miller yarn. And again, this is simultaneously great and limiting. I prefer TDKR to Year One (if I had to pick one comic), but Cranston is just perfect for Gordon. All the talk of him taking on the role of Lex Luthor in the Man of Steel sequel made little sense to me, having seen how perfect Cranston would be as Gordon. Both adaptations are great, but Year One makes better use of vocal talent and, by extension, makes for a better film.
