The King of Creep

The 28th Annual USA Film Festival Artist Profile

Comments (0) By Scott Kelton Jones Thursday, Apr 9 1998

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And surely we'll see him as Pulp Fiction's Captain Koons, the man who brings to young Butch his father's watch and tells him its history. Walken will deliver that lengthy, hysterical monologue, and it'll have us squirming in our seats--as much from uneasiness as humor. And maybe, we'll see a quick clip from The Prophecy, where as a fed-up and jealous Angel Gabriel leading a new revolt against heaven, Walken singes the air as he moves through it. He'll growl, "Ahh, you can always smell a graveyard," and we'll shake our heads and know he was the only thing in that movie that was worth a damn-- just like in Suicide Kings. And there will be other snapshots too, ranging from the terrible (Things to Do in Denver when You're Dead, Nick of Time) to the boring (The Funeral, The Addiction) to the pure fluff (Brainstorm, The Dead Zone) to the pure fun (Wayne's World 2, Batman Returns).

And then you'll realize that being creepy is never as much fun as it is when done by Christopher Walken, and you'll wonder why you are watching Suicide Kings when there are so many other films that pay better tribute to his talents. Sitting there in the dark, maybe, just maybe, the answer will come to you: publicity tour.

--Scott Kelton Jones

Suicide Kings
The Master Screen Artist Tribute to Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is scheduled to attend.
Thursday, April 16; 7:00 p.m. at the Lakewood Theater