Sam Rockwell appears as Justin Hammer in the forthcoming Iron Man 2 movie. You may recognize him from his supporting work in movies like Frost/ Nixon, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, or the Green Mile. Rockwell has been around for more than two decades, playing a mixture of leading and supporting roles. Though he had some early career success, including playing the head thug in 1990's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rockwell still had to work side jobs including delivering burritos on a bicycle and working as a private detective. It wasn't until a 1994 Miller Ice Commercial that he had enough money and buzz that he could pursue acting full time. Soon after, Rockwell began to get work in independent film, including Lawn Dogs and Box of Moon Light.
Throughout his career, Rockwell has primarily portrayed characters on the fringes of society: criminals (Welcome to Collinwood, The Green Mile), isolated blue collar workers (Lawn Dogs, Moon), and the just plain weird (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind). Rockwell brings energy and charm to every role he plays, even characters that on paper are unlikeable. For proof of Rockwell's versatile talent and awesomeness, watch him out funny Jonah Hill and Michael Cera in the Tutors of 826 L.A. (warning: clip contains adult language and general silliness). Here we look at his early films:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990).
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Box of Moon Light (1996). A whimsical, proto-bromance comedy starring John Turturro as Al Fountain, an uptight electrical engineer, who meets the free-spirited Kid (Sam Rockwell) on a business trip. The Kid wears a Davey Crockett hat, lives in half of a trailer in the woods, and is a black market lawn ornament dealer. He helps Al find a new lease on life. The film is less quirky than it sounds and is an uplifting buddy comedy.
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Lawn Dogs (1997). Rockwell stars as Trent, a landscaper for a wealthy subdivision in Kentucky, where he is treated like dirt by the subdivision dwellers. A rebellious 10-year-old (Mischa Barton) strikes up a friendship with Trent, which is misunderstood and frowned upon by the subdivision community more because of their class differences than their ages. This movie has a highly stylized look and satirical depictions of the upper-class residents of the subdivision, and it takes a few minutes to adjust to the tone of the movie. However, once you get in to the flow of the movie, it's a moving film about friendship. I particularly like the magical realism in the ending.
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Safe Men (1998).
A zany, over-the-top comedy in the vein of Anchorman or Zoolander. Sam (Sam Rockwell) and Eddie (Steve Zahn) are members of an untalented, Simon & Garfunkel-esque folk duo, who get mistaken for the two best safe crackers in town. In order to avoid being killed by the Jewish mob, Sam and Eddie must bumble their way through a series of robberies. Safe Men stars an assortment of venerable B-list actors, including not only Rockwell and Zahn, but Paul Giamatti, Mark Ruffalo and Michael Lerner. It's enjoyable to watch these actors before they were famous.
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The Green Mile (1999). Rockwell plays a serial killer named "Wild Bill" in this Stephen King prison drama. This is one of Sam's best known roles and probably the least likeable character he has played. Rockwell described Wild Bill as being a mix of Huck Finn and Satan.
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Galaxy Quest (1999). In this sci-fi comedy, Rockwell plays Guy Fleegman, the pluckly comic relief and all-around wimp on the hit show Galaxy Quest. When the cast of the show is kidnapped by real aliens, Guy worries that he might be killed just like he was on the show. This is a cute, funny comedy and probably the best movie Tim Allen has been in.
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Charlie's Angel (2000). Rockwell plays Eric Knox, owner of Knox Technologies, whose ground-breaking voice recognition software has been stolen, possibly by his rival. The Angels are sent in to investigate and Eric has a brief romance with Dylan (Drew Barrymore). Rockwell is good in his role, putting a different spin on a computer geek, in this sometimes silly action remake. He and Barrymore have good chemistry together too.
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