Christopher Walken names his most overlooked movies: “And often they’re the good ones”
Since the 1950s, Christopher Walken has been performing on screen, starting out when he was just a child. The actor soon realised that he had a real passion – and talent – for performance, subsequently appearing in theatre productions before landing his first proper film role in 1966’s Barefoot in Athens.
As the 1970s rolled on, Walken starred in movies directed by prominent filmmakers like Sidney Lumet (The Anderson Tapes), Woody Allen (Annie Hall), James Ivory (Roseland), and Michael Cimino (The Deer Hunter). The latter was an important role for Walken, who earned himself an Academy Award for his impressive performance. The actor subsequently continued appearing in a mixture of Hollywood and indie films, proving himself to be a performer with a real love of film in all of its incarnations.
He has since appeared in everything from the Bond film A View to a Kill, Abel Ferrara’s King of New York, Tony Scott’s True Romance (which was penned by Quentin Tarantino, who then directed Walken in Pulp Fiction), to the musical comedy Hairspray, Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow, the 2016 version of The Jungle Book, and Dune: Part Two. If you’ve somehow not seen Walken in any of these films, then you’ll almost certainly remember him from Fatboy Slim’s ‘Weapon of Choice’ music video.
The actor has appeared in countless films, television shows, and theatre performances over the years, and as a result, there are some that have gone under the radar. This is part and parcel of being an actor – often, what you consider your best performance goes unnoticed. Talking to The Guardian, the star revealed the movies he believes have been overlooked the most. “They’re the good ones” that hardly anyone sees, Walken explained.
The first is A Business Affair, a romantic comedy released in 1994. He appeared in the movie, directed by Charlotte Brandström, alongside Jonathan Pryce, both of whom play the love interests of a woman named Kate Swallow, portrayed by Carole Bouquet. “It was made in London,” Walken recalled, but sadly, the film failed to make a dent in the British market or his home turf back in the United States. While it might not be the best film Walken has ever appeared in, he wishes that more people would have seen and perhaps enjoyed the movie, which even features him performing a tango routine.
The other movie that Walken believes has been overlooked in his filmography is Plots With a View. “And I once made a movie in Wales that was really quite amusing. I don’t think anyone saw that either. It’s about rival undertakers. In Wales,” he explained. “A fun movie. It’s not a very good title.” Directed by Nick Hurran, the movie actually featured many well-known actors like Naomi Watts, Brenda Blethyn, and Alfred Molina.
Released in 2002 and alternatively known as Undertaking Betty, it was well-received by critics and even earned the Bafta ‘Cymru Award’. Still, it is one of those films that has just simply faded into obscurity as the years have passed, even though Walken thought it was really good.
