Wrinkly Hard-Men

At 54, Mel Gibson isn’t the most likely action hero. He may have a few wrinkles, but he’s certainly not showing his age. With this week’s release of EDGE OF DARKNESS, in which he plays a bereaved father chasing down the killer of his daughter, Gibson proves that he still packs a punch. What better excuse do we need than to take a look at some of Hollywood’s toughest OAPs

Mel Gibson

From the very beginning of his career, Mel Gibson has been an on-screen hard man. His first major appearance was in the 1979 hit Mad Max, where Gibson’s character went on the rampage after his family were brutally murdered. Later on, after playing Mad Max in multiple sequels, he found roles in the legendary Lethal Weapon series. Accompanied by fellow saged hero Danny Glover, Gibson’s Martin Riggs character delivered punishment on the right side of the law. Since Payback, Conspiracy Theory and Ransom in the late 90s, Mel has been on hero-hiatus – however now in Edge of Darkness, he delivers more than a few hard-hitting beat-downs.

Clint Eastwood

Having built his career on hard-man western roles such as in The Good The Bad The Ugly and Unforgiven, Clint Eastwood will go down in history as a grizzling force to be reckoned with. Eastwood has a unique appeal that’s unrivalled in Hollywood; he’s a fantastic actor, an award winning director and he can still fight. With a recent return to form in Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood proved that he’s still one of the hardest OAPs on the planet – who else could beat an aggressive gun-touting teenager to the floor, stamp on their face and make the word ‘lawn’ sound terrifying?. At 80 years old, he’s the oldest of our wrinkly hard-men.


Sylvester Stallone

It seems Stallone’s had his fair share of facial augmentations over the years, but he’s still got a few wrinkles to show. His recent franchise revivals Rocky Balboa and Rambo might split opinion, but most will agree that he can still kick some ass. In Rocky Balboa Stallone kept his own against a man almost half his age, but Rambo featured one of the most brutal automatic weapon scenes in film. With the forthcoming release of The Expendables, an all-out action extravaganza, we can expect a few more years of punch-out moments from Sly.

Jean-Claude Van Dam

Jean-Claude Van Dam (or JCVD) put his stamp on film in the 80s with a string of high concept (and often low-budget) films. While his martial arts skills are to be reckoned with, his acting style has always been for debate; regardless, his on-screen presence has always carried a nostalgic charm. Violent releases such as Bloodsport, Kickboxer, Double Impact and Timecop are likely VHS favourites of many children of the 80s and 90s. Recent work has displayed a softer side to JCVD – none more so than in the film JCVD, where he plays a fictional version of himself. Universal Soldier: Regeneration did, however, demonstrate that the “Muscles from Brussels” still packs a punch.

Ian McShane

From his days as the loveable antique dealer Lovejoy, Ian McShane has ditched the rural setting of East Anglia for a more aggressive side in his old age. At 67, the actor has been cast in some of the most memorable hard men roles in recent film and TV. With his now iconic character Al Swearengen in Deadwood, McShane managed to shed any traces of the antiques dealer and revitalise his Hollywood career. Other star turns in 44 Inch Chest, Death Race and Case 39 have shown that McShane’s trademark growl was meant for the big screen, none more so than in the animated Kung Fu Panda as the fearsome snow leopard Tai Lung.

Michael Caine

Michael Caine is a fantastically adaptable actor and somewhat of a national treasure. With such an array of roles under his belt , his popularity remains strong with younger film fans through his role as Alfred in both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. For older audiences he has been a leading man on cinema screens with many much-loved films, such as Get Carter, The Italian Job and as the womaniser Alfie in the film Alfie. Most recently, Caine has been the epitome of the wrinkly action hero with his role in Harry Brown – defender of OAPs everywhere.

 Edge of Darkness is now in cinemas everywhere

 

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