Landman's Billy Bob Thornton Starred In A Forgotten Crime Thriller With Dwayne Johnson
"Landman" star Billy Bob Thornton knows a thing or two about genre movies. Whether it's an end-of-the-world disaster flick like "Armageddon" or a crime caper like "Bandits," he shows up and mixes it up with the best in the biz. A lesser-mentioned but still sensational performance from the actor comes in the 2010 crime thriller "Faster," which also stars Dwayne Johnson.
"Faster" turns out to be a revenge story through and through. After Jimmy Cullen, aka Driver (Johnson), serves his time behind bars, he heads on a quest for vengeance, searching for his pound of flesh from all those who double-crossed him and played a role in his brother Gary's (Matt Gerald) death. Thornton plays detective Slade Humphries, who, along with his partner Cicero (Carla Gugino), hunts down Cullen.
Even though "Faster" didn't electrify the box office (making $35.6 million from a $24 million budget), nor did it receive glowing reviews (41% and 52% on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer and Popcornmeter, respectively), it's still a twisty and entertaining thriller that unravels as the viewer ventures further into the story. Thornton plays a crucial role in the movie, as he tails Cullen and serves a bigger purpose in the overall storyline. While it might not get the credit it deserves, "Faster" is one of Billy Bob Thornton's most underrated movies.
Billy Bob Thornton thought Faster was special in an age of bad movies
While "Faster" didn't turn into the big hit of 2010 that those involved may have expected it to be, Billy Bob Thornton showered the crime thriller with the highest praise. For the "Landman" star, it was a proper throwback to '70s movies that still hold up and put realism at the heart of it all.
"In my humble opinion, we're living in a time where we are making the worst movies in history — because they're geared toward the video game playing generation," Thornton told Vibe in 2010. "And in these video games are people killing for fun." Thornton added that "Faster" wasn't violence for the sake of it, since there was a powerful message attached to it. Underneath the carnage and bloodshed was a "film [that] shows what murder creates and what prisons create — dark characters who are in trouble."
While Thornton's praise for "Faster" might be a tad excessive — this isn't "Death Wish" — it's certainly a film that delivers on everything it promises in the trailer. It makes no qualms about what it is and turns out to be a perfect addition to any Friday night's entertainment plans.