John Cusack has always been a fascinating actor, as he has consistently been able to reinvent himself by appearing in wildly different genres. Cusack started off his career as a teen heartthrob of sorts with his charismatic performances in the coming-of-age classicsBetter Off Dead and Say Anything…, yet was able to make the transition into more serious roles in The Grifters and Eight Men Out. The next decade offered Cusack the opportunity to be more self-aware with satirical roles in the dark comedies Being John Malkovich and High Fidelity. Unfortunately, his career has somewhat floundered within the past few years. More often than not, Cusack has gone the same route as Nicolas Cage or John Travolta, in that many of his films have been released direct-to V-D or streaming. Although it is a bit disappointing that a great actor’s talents are being wasted, Cusack gave the most menacing performance of his entire career in the underrated western Never Grow Old.
What Is ‘Never Grow Old’ About?
Never Grow Old is a revisionist western set amidst the changing American frontier. Although the town of Garlow had once been a hive of villainy that was dominated by crime and prostitution, it has been reformed into a more civil, God-loving destination for families to live in peaceful co-existence with one another. However, this fragile utopian society is threatened when Cusack’s character, the ruthless gunslinger Dutch Albert, arrives with his gang to create chaos and thwart the local leaders. Patrick Tate (Emile Hirsch), the town undertaker, benefits from the mayhem Dutch Albert brings, profiting off every life Dutch takes. Although morally conflicted, Tate becomes the only person capable of standing up to Dutch.
Cusack is terrifying in Never Grow Old because of his menacing presence and the power of suggestion, as it takes a while for the audience to actually witness Dutch getting his hands dirty. While there are many Westerns that attempt to create tension through a series of shootouts, Cusack’s performance is impressive because Dutch’s goals are more ambitious than simply executing a few locals in a bloody firefight. While Dutch is shown to be an agent of retribution, retaliating against those who steal from him or disrespect him, the actual danger he poses is nuanced, as any sleight against Dutch’s imposed leadership could result in disastrous consequences for the innocent people who are caught in the crossfire.
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John Cusack Is a Subversive Western Antagonist in ‘Never Grow Old’
Casting Cusack as the main villain in Never Grow Old was inherently subversive, as most audiences would recognize him from his roles in romantic comedies. What’s most brilliant about his performance is that Dutch has a lot of the same qualities that made characters like Martin Blank in Grosse Pointe Blank so beloved; he’s very intelligent, and always seems capable of rattling off a snarky one-liner. The difference is that nothing that Dutch says is complimentary or kind. One of the most disturbing moments in the movie is when the widow of a man Dutch had killed earlier in the movie offers to work for him as a sex worker to feed herself and her starving child. Dutch agrees, but only on the condition that she also brings her daughter to work for him, serving as a bleak reminder of his ruthlessness and apathy.
Cusack makes for an interesting screen partner with Hirsch, as the two parts are seemingly reversed from what one would expect in a story about good and evil. Cusack plays the more verbose, charismatic character, whereas Hirsch leans into the lonely, brooding quality of an anti-hero. Hirsch is certainly doing a great job at portraying the complexity of the position he finds himself in, but it is Cusack’s scenery-chewing villainy that makes Never Grow Old one of the more underrated westerns in recent years.
Never Grow Old is currently streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
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