Blu-ray Review: Sam Elliott’s Most Powerful Performance Moves ‘The Hero’

In the mythic tradition of movies, the Cowboy holds an intriguing place. We think them immutable, creatures of mighty invulnerability who are emblematic of all that is manly, all that is just, and all that is American. Naturally, we prescribe these heroic aspects not only to the characters we watch, but to the actors who portray them. A version of Clint Eastwood will always live in our collective consciousness as the Man With No Name; John Wayne’s singular drawl is embedded within us as a voice of righteousness. The Cowboy Star, like the Cowboy itself, has become an integral part of the American mythos.

Sam Elliott occupies an interesting place in this tradition. As an actor, he made his name as a bit performer in the Golden Age, appearing mostly in one off roles on crime dramas with an occasional appearance in shows like Gunsmoke. It seems odd that he would be so associated with the idea of the Cowboy but, beginning with The Sacketts in 1979, Elliott’s career took a turn to the west, his lanky frame and iconic mustache becoming the living embodiment of what we think when we think Cowboy.

Like the Cowboy greats who came before him, we like to believe that Elliott is, somehow, immortal. That he exists in a state of eternal timelessness, untouched by the ravages of time or age. We tend to forget—consciously or no—that he, like all of us, is driving ever toward the great frontier of nothingness.

The Hero quickly dispels that notion. Here, Elliott plays a character something like himself. Lee Hayden is old, and quickly fading in relevance. He does voice over work for barbeque sauce, lacking the ability to earn meatier roles of his gunslinging youth, and hangs out with his weed dealer Jeremy (Nick Offerman), a former co-star from back his glory days. Estranged from his daughter, Lucy (Krysten Ritter) and his ex-wife Valerie (Elliot’s real life wife, Katharine Ross), Hayden finds solace in a new chance at love with the (much) younger Charlotte (Laura Prepon). Already struggling with the meaning of it all, his existential dread is worsened when he finds out he’s got pancreatic cancer.

No one but Elliott could have played Hayden, and his nuanced, subtle performance brings The Hero to, well, heroic heights. There’s an unspoken intensity to his character that carries the weight of Elliott’s entire career with every word he speaks and every glance he makes. This offers an intriguing peak behind the curtain of the Cowboy myth as we know it. Hayden’s struggles for relevancy as he ponders his legacy almost necessarily become Elliott’s; extrapolating from that, we are forced to confront how similar situations must have been handled by Wayne or Eastwood in their career downturns, or even the real world cowboys whose way of life became outmoded as industrialization made them obsolete.

Writer/director Brett Haley (I’ll See You in My Dreams) has a remarkable talent for crafting end of life existential fables. Even though his script (co-written by Marc Basch) is often too broad and cliched to offer real insight on its own, combined with Elliott’s masterful performance it becomes as emotionally resonant as any tale dealing with these themes has ever been. Elliott is captivating as Lee, who, despite his previous success, is beset by the increasing dread of obsolescence. How many actors and actresses that we love struggle with this daily? How many of us do the same?

In this way, The Hero becomes a humanizing work of myth busting, crashing our notions of our manliest heroes while giving us a chance to connect with them (or, at least, the idea of them) on a truly human level. It’s a wonderful film that oozes with emotional resonance, and Elliott turns in, easily, one of the most transcendent performances of his career.

Out today on Blu-ray, The Hero is definitely worth watching, though its lack of special features may not make it an enticing purchase for any but the staunchest of Elliott fans. Still, its commentary track offers some insight on Elliott’s performance and the script, giving you a good excuse to watch the film twice. Even without making it a part of your home collection, The Hero is an emotionally hard-hitting treat of a film that absolutely deserves your attention.

The Hero is now available to own on Blu-ray.

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