Richard Roxburgh

In Moulin Rouge (2001), Richard Roxburgh’s Duke is a villain we understand almost at once, and the performance gives us little reason to reconsider him. Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce’s screenplay draws its characters broadly; Jim Broadbent finds enough comic confidence in Harold Zidler to make that work. We were disappointed by Roxburgh here because the characterisation offers so little beyond its first impression. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor give the romance enough feeling to make the film worth seeing, but the Duke remains one of its less rewarding elements.

His breakthrough came as Roger Rogerson in Blue Murder (1995), a role that suits his intensity and his ability to make an authority figure convincing. Mission: Impossible II (2000) and Moulin Rouge brought international attention, followed by further villain roles, including Dracula in Van Helsing (2004). His vocal control and energy make that casting understandable, though the Duke shows how quickly an actor can exhaust a part that offers him too few choices.

Rake (2010–2018), which he co-created, gives him the lead as Cleaver Greene and room for both comedy and drama. His conviction in that complicated anti-hero is a more persuasive use of his abilities than the Duke. The physical energy and vocal precision of his theatre work help explain why he is so often cast as forceful men. A longer role gives him the opportunity to do more than establish that force.

In Mel Gibson’s Hacksaw Ridge (2016), he plays Colonel Stelzer in a drama carried by Andrew Garfield’s conscientious objector. We recommend the film for Garfield’s persuasiveness and the skilful staging of combat, with a caveat about Gibson’s relish for violence. It deserves an evening, but it is not where we would direct someone curious about Roxburgh. Start with Rake before deciding that the Duke tells you all you need to know.