Brion James made menace physical, with a large frame and a gravelly voice that needed little assistance. We rate him for that directness, but The Player gives good reason to look beyond the heavies.
Fi1m perspective
In Blade Runner (1982), Brion James's Leon looks like someone we would rather not have to deal with. At 6ft 3in, with a gravelly voice, James had obvious advantages when a director needed someone dangerous; the skill was in making those advantages count. We found Leon unsettling because James's physical presence and rough delivery make the danger feel close. Ridley Scott's film builds a persuasive future, though its detective story is thin, and James supplies one of its more direct pleasures.
After small film parts and television guest appearances in the mid-1970s, his early-1980s rise included Walter Hill's Southern Comfort (1981) and 48 Hrs. (1982). Hill directed him five times. James also had a facility with accents, an asset easily overlooked when his size was such an obvious reason to cast him. Yet Blade Runner helped determine what followed: frequent heavies in action and horror films through the 1980s and 1990s. The work kept coming, but the opportunities to get away from menace were less plentiful.
The Player (1992) offers the useful change. James plays studio executive Joel Levison in Robert Altman's Hollywood satire, a rare non-villain part and a welcome break from the usual casting. We recommend the film, though its famous guests sometimes distract from the story. For James, the pleasure is in seeing that formidable presence put to another use. Altman lets him belong among the people doing business, without requiring danger to explain why he is there.
We would not argue for every film that employed him. A recognisable heavy can help a scene along without giving the whole film much to recommend it, and James's prolific action and horror work needs that distinction. His later prominent parts included General Munro in The Fifth Element (1997), but the useful comparison remains Leon and Levison. Begin with Blade Runner for the threat, then watch The Player to see why the casting need not have stopped there.
Biography
Brion James was an American character actor. Born on 20 February 1945 in Redlands, California, he studied theatre arts at San Diego State University and later with Stella Adler in New York.
He appeared in more than 100 films and numerous television programmes from the 1970s onwards. James is best known for playing the replicant Leon Kowalski in Blade Runner (1982). Other notable roles include appearances in 48 Hrs. (1982), Silverado (1985), Red Heat (1988), Tango & Cash (1989), The Player (1992) and The Fifth Element (1997). He died of a heart attack on 7 August 1999 in Malibu, California, aged 54.
