Where Did All the Tough Guys Go?
Before we begin, let me plainly state that I’m not a tough guy. I’m built like Olive Oil. I don’t claim to be an expert on machismo but with the recent losses of Ray Liotta, James Caan, and Tony Sirico, this question is on the forefront of my mind: Where did all the tough guys go?
Crime fiction is unique in that it can portray people as they are rather than as how we want them to be. Because the protagonists are already established as “bad guys” we don’t hold them to the same moral standards as we would other characters. They can talk like real people talk and do things crazy people do. The roles the three actors were most famous for- Henry Hill, Sonny Corleone, and Paulie Gualtieri respectively- were brash and politically incorrect but they were also honest. Anyone can read lines, but the reason they resonated with us is because they felt authentic. It didn’t seem like they were playing someone. Somewhere deep inside of them, they were these people.
It’s easy to get swept up in the glamour that comes along with the way the mafia is portrayed on television and in film, but there’s something deeper in their performances if you’re paying even a little bit of attention. They are bad asses, sure, but they’re also hurt. Their characters were vulnerable, anxious, depressed, and ultimately, realists. They knew life sucked and they kept going anyway. After Sirico’s passing, the following image was shared all over social media. Rightfully so, because it sums up everything I’m trying to say in this paragraph:
These men played three dimensional characters and it was a combination of a real-world toughness with extraordinary acting ability that led them to being a bastion of masculinity for millions of viewers. Was the masculinity they presented “toxic” at times? Absolutely. But people can find a release in watching these men do things that you can’t do in real life. When Sonny finds out his brother-in-law is beating up his sister he does something about it. When Henry Hill finds out his girlfriend’s neighbor attempted to assault her, he does something about it. Is this how you should handle these situations in real life? Maybe. Maybe not. That’s irrelevant because they are letting you live vicariously through them. Was there a time when you wanted to do the same thing but you either physically couldn’t or were afraid of the legal ramifications? Of course there was. We’ve all wanted to smash someone’s head with the butt-end of a pistol and if you claim you haven’t you’re a fucking liar. Doesn’t it feel good to watch them do it?
In real life these actors weren’t too far off from who we saw them portraying on screen. Tony Sirico has a well-documented rap sheet. Caan who boxed and played football for Michigan State, and was also no stranger to mixing it up. I’m not trying to argue that in order for someone to give a good performance, they should go out and get in gun fights. Liotta, a non-Italian raised by adoptive Italian parents in New Jersey, got into acting during college and was able to channel his upbringing and his feelings of abandonment into something great. So, how do we find the next generation of actors we can believe?
The first step has to be abandoning whatever algorithm casts TV and movies. Let’s not pretend Caan and Liotta weren’t handsome- show your wife or your girlfriend Goodfellas and see if she doesn’t swoon for Ray- but they were handsome guys that could act. I’m sure there are actors out there that could carry the torch, but what local guy would even get into acting nowadays when all you see is Instagram models being cast? Could you imagine one of the psychos you grew up around sitting down and reading lines next to some kid that puts filters on his swimsuit photos and gets 2.1 million likes? The second step-or maybe the first step now that I think about it. Fuck. Well I don’t feel like rearranging these paragraphs. So- the second step has to be making shows and films for adults again. Everything now, regardless of how well it’s made, is essentially to sell toys and t-shirts to little kids. And the fact they have almost every adult in the world also buying those toys and t-shirts isn’t helping the cause.
So, where did all the tough guys go? They’re still out there, but we stopped looking for them. We’ve traded tough conversations for convenience. We’ve traded legitimacy for Funko Pops. Does every movie have to be a gangster flick? No. But there should still be a space where people can be people. I’ll go see Thor this week and I’ll probably enjoy it, but we should all take a good look around. The truth is disappearing.