Edward Burns is a useful ensemble actor who makes a character distinct even when the script gives him little help. His own films favour naturalistic conversations among New York families and friends, though the familiar setting can become a limitation.
Fi1m perspective
In Saving Private Ryan (1998), Edward Burns's Private Reiben is easy to pick out of the squad, even when the conversation gives him little room to develop. Burns and Barry Pepper, playing Private Jackson, help distinguish men whom Robert Rodat's screenplay too often reduces to a set of attitudes. That is useful supporting work, and we would not mistake the shortage of detail for a failure of the actor. Steven Spielberg's film needs us to recognise these soldiers amid the fighting; Burns does his share.
The difficulty comes between battles, when being recognisable has to give way to being worth listening to. We grew impatient with the conversations about duty and sacrifice because the men seemed to be stating assigned positions rather than talking to one another. Burns remains distinct, but he cannot supply all the history and complication the lines leave out. The frightening combat and Tom Hanks's strained authority make the film worth the ordeal, but the supporting cast has uneven help.
Burns had already written, directed and acted in The Brothers McMullen (1995), playing Barry McMullen. Its romantic and family tensions would become his regular subject. She's the One (1996), with Burns as Mickey Fitzpatrick, continued that ensemble approach before Saving Private Ryan brought him wider attention. His naturalistic, overlapping dialogue gives actors something useful to work with, allowing everyday disagreements to emerge through conversation. We respond to that interest in how people talk, although returning so often to Irish-American Catholic families and friends in New York can leave the work feeling too familiar.
Sidewalks of New York (2001), with Burns as Tommy Reilly, continues the interest in intertwined relationships. His Ethan in The Holiday (2006) belongs to the other strand of the work: supporting parts in studio films alongside the features he writes, directs and acts in himself. The attraction of his own ensembles is the opportunity to get to know people beyond their immediately recognisable attitudes, something Reiben could have used. For an introduction to Burns on his own terms, begin with The Brothers McMullen.
Biography
Edward Burns is an American actor, writer, director and producer. Born in Woodside, Queens, New York, he began in the film industry as a production assistant on Oliver Stone's The Doors before working at Entertainment Tonight. He financed, wrote, directed and starred in his debut feature The Brothers McMullen (1995), which won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and achieved commercial success.
Burns gained wider recognition for his role as Private Reiben in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998). He has continued to act in films including The Holiday (2006), 27 Dresses (2008), Man on a Ledge (2012) and Alex Cross (2012). As a filmmaker he has directed She's the One (1996), Sidewalks of New York (2001) and The Fitzgerald Family Christmas (2012). On television he has appeared in Mob City and Public Morals.
