Sacha Baron Cohen: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
3. Adolfo Pirelli - Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street (2007)
A delightful tale of revenge, murder and cannibalism; Tim Burtons big screen adaptation of the Sweeney Todd musical perfectly walked the line between darkness and levity. With great performances from Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and the late, great Alan Rickman its a rare example of a movie that gore-hounds and musical-enthusiasts can happily watch side by side. As Sweeney Todd plots his vengeance while singing tenderly to his razors like a complete lunatic, he runs across a swindling street merchant claiming to sell a miracle hair-growth tonic. This con-artist, Adolfo Pirelli, is played with devilish glee by Sacha Baron Cohen whose song during the surprisingly entertaining shaving contest against Todd is one of the most entertaining and light-hearted in the movie. Baron Cohens Italian accent is, as with all his impersonations, completely ridiculous but Sweeney Todd offers up some reasoning behind this. He is revealed to be a cockney shyster named Davey Collins; an ex-employee of Todds who attempts to blackmail him out of half his earnings. Understandably this doesnt go well and he ends up having his throat cut and being baked into a delicious pastry. Despite his time as Pirelli being short-lived, Baron Cohens performance was unforgettable and gelled perfectly with Burtons trademark directorial style.
A pop culture mad writer from the North East who loves films, television and debating them with whoever will listen.
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