Kevin Costner is a slow-aged Gouda of an actor: smooth, warm, with crystals of something harder running through every role. He rarely plays small, and he almost never wastes a scene.
Start with The Untouchables. Eliot Ness is a man holding the line while everything around him corrodes, and Costner keeps the steel visible under the courtesy. Dances with Wolves showed the full range: a soldier learning to see, played with the patience of someone genuinely listening rather than performing understanding. Bull Durham is the opposite register entirely, all swagger and grin, a catcher who has learned exactly how much charm it takes to get what he wants. No Way Out moves fast, Tin Cup moves slow, but the control never leaves. Field of Dreams lets him anchor something impossible by playing it straight, never winking at the audience or the absurdity.
His television work in Hatfields & McCoys proved he could carry the weight of a whole story across hours rather than minutes, aging a man through breath and decision rather than makeup. Yellowstone kept him at the centre of everything, John Dutton a man whose authority comes from knowing exactly when to speak and when to let the silence do the work. The best aged cheeses don't need anything else on the plate. One piece, held steady, is enough.
Highest rated review
Jerico Stewart
Criminal
2016
5/7cheeses
5 days ago
The transformation of Kevin in this character is spine chilling. Growing up seeing him as a strong character and reliable hero and protector - Bodyguard - this performance turns the tables. Ruthless killer and no morals. Yet for a couple of scenes we actually sympathize with the character..
Kevin Costner
Jonathan Kent • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
Jonathan Kent • Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)