Maggie: 7 Tics In Arnie’s Performance That Make It Great

3. He's Still Very Powerful

It only happens in flashes, but Arnie's Wade is still very much a weapon, not carved by military training or born a warrior, but more organically strong - a necessary part of his life as a farmer and a protector. There is no showy uniform to emphasise his muscles - no shirtless posturing either - instead he's dressed in simple flannel. But that doesn't mean that he's not capable of supreme moments of strength when circumstances dictate. He's a killer of necessity, who is measured and feels every time he is forced to do it, hesitating as if weighing up what remains of the humanity in who or what stands before him. That power that comes out of nowhere is a subtly brilliant element, and one that plays strangely and wonderfully against any expectations anyone might have of Arnie heading into the film.