Anthony Hopkins and Benicio del Toro totally make sense as a father-and-son pairing, right? They both have...accents. They're both from...places. They both have...names and facial features. Looks like the acting duo themselves were aware of this total mismatching, since both thespians decided to phone their performances into this forgotten 2010 blockbuster, a blip on the CV of director Joe Johnston just a year before he went on to helm Captain America: The First Avenger and all. Nobody came out of this film looking good, but it was Benicio who was front and centre, taking most of the flack. Universal's update of their classic forties monster movie had a troubled production, to say the least. Mark Romanek, best known for experimental and cerebral affair like Never Let Me Go and One Hour Photo, was the surprise first choice for director, aiming to "infuse a balance of cinema in a popcorn movie scenario." Whatever that means. Looks like the studio were similarly confused, unceremoniously dumping the filmmaker just four weeks before production and subbing in Johnston with zero lead-in time. Which was a little optimistic, as the subsequent rewrites, reshoots, reedits, and change of composer delaying the film from its original 2008 release date. Amongst all this turmoil, Benicio del Toro seemed like a steady rock to cling onto. Dependable. Solid. The actor was an avowed Wolfman fanatic, owning a ridiculous amount of memorabilia and - as special effects maestro Rick Baker himself pointed out - the fact that he's a pretty hairy man naturally meant it was all the easier to "transform" him into the furry werewolf. Unfortunately we can't tell if del Toro actually managed to live up to the original performance of his hero, Lon Chaney Jr, because the finished movie is such a hot mess that nobody comes off looking good. Maybe best we just forget all about this one. It's rather rough. Ruff. Sorry.
Which are your favourite and least favourite Benicio del Toro performances? Share your own picks below in the comments thread.
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/
