Charles Halford

Charles Halford looks well suited to a part called Tall Thug; the difficulty is giving him something to play once he has arrived. In Steven Soderbergh’s Kimi (2022), he and Jacob Vargas, billed as Glasses Thug, are among the least interesting elements of a thriller we otherwise enjoyed. We were frustrated by these pursuers because Koepp’s script gives them so little beyond the job of chasing its heroine. Halford’s imposing build supplies an immediate threat, but it cannot supply a character. That is a limitation of the part rather than evidence against the actor.

The roles that brought him wider notice show two uses for that physical presence. As Reggie Ledoux in True Detective (2014), he makes limited screen time unsettling. As Chas Chandler in Constantine (2014–15), alongside Matt Ryan, he plays a loyal cab driver and ally, putting his toughness to a more reassuring use. The deep voice is useful in either case. We would be wary of mistaking a casting pattern for the full measure of an actor, especially one so often employed in supporting parts.

The film work includes Earl in Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky (2017) and Sammy Wilds in Bad Times at the El Royale (2018). Television has also given him the recurring role of Big John, the protagonist’s father in Outer Banks (2020). Those credits establish steady employment, not in themselves a reason to seek out a performance. His return to Soderbergh in Kimi is worth noting, though repeat employment does not make an underwritten role any richer.

Soderbergh and Koepp make a brisk, effective thriller, and Zoë Kravitz gives it the performance it needs. The problem for Halford is that the chase replaces the more compelling business of a woman unable to leave her flat. Once the film turns to its pursuers, being convincingly large and dangerous is not enough to keep them interesting. Start with Constantine if you would rather see that imposing figure given someone to look after.