Brendan Mackey

Brendan Mackey makes climbing look like work. In Touching the Void (2003), playing Joe Simpson, he keeps us occupied with the difficulty of the ascent rather than the difficulty of acting it. Alongside Nicholas Aaron as Yates, he gives the reconstruction the physical credibility it needs. We were frightened by the climb because their exertion looked so punishing. Neither performance needs to announce itself for us to feel what is at stake.

Kevin Macdonald puts the performances beside the climbers’ own accounts, which could easily leave an actor looking unnecessary. Mackey makes the exertion immediate enough that we accept the dramatised passages without constantly measuring them against the testimony. Patrick Bill’s production design helps by making the staged material credible, so the burden of persuading us does not fall on the actors alone. The film does not disguise its method. That makes Mackey’s lack of showiness particularly useful: he gives us no reason to turn our attention from the climb to the business of recreating it.

Touching the Void was his breakthrough. He had already played leads in H3 (2001) and the comedy 9 Dead Gay Guys (2002). The comedy credit is a reason to be cautious about treating physical intensity as his only useful quality. His subsequent work includes Life on Mars (2006) and Paintball (2009), with fewer prominent roles after Touching the Void. The strength of his Simpson makes us wish there were more substantial parts to set beside it.

The reservation with Touching the Void is its leisurely opening, which takes time to establish the grip Mackey helps it achieve. Once the reconstructions are working, there is little temptation to wish the film had stayed with the interviews. His performance is worth watching for the way it keeps the physical difficulty clear without turning the suffering into an invitation to admire him. Give the film time to get going, and watch how seldom the acting gets in its way.