Josh Brolin: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

5 Performances That Sucked...

5. Derek Bates - Into the Blue (2005)

Into the Blue is the heavily cheesy action film from 2005 starring Paul Walker and Jessica Alba, who definitely weren't just cast because they look good in swimwear. If those names don't set your quality control alarm off, there's a good chance your internal barometer is broken. The story follows a group of rich, attractive people trying to lay claim to sunken treasure and the problems that face them in doing so - sort of like The Goonies, if they grew up to be wholly unlikable. Along with the treasure, they find a crashed plane filled with cocaine, which is what lands them in trouble when they are forced to help retrieve it by a criminal gang. After multiple confrontations and copious underwater action scenes, it is revealed that the mastermind behind it all is one Derek Bates (Brolin), the former employer of Paul Walker's protagonist. Alongisde the forgettable story, Brolin's performance is equally disposable, and it's hard to shake the feeling that this is a pay-check movie, designed purely to pay the bills. His only notable moment in a performance set firmly on cruise control is when he explodes, which isn't a great comment to be made about the main villain of any narrative as they are meant to be a compelling counterpoint to the protagonist. But then, the hero was Paul Walker. His defining villainous characteristic was his trademark scruffy beard, which was honestly more menacing than his performance.