Gary Sinise is a convincing man to put in uniform, but we value him most when certainty gives way to anger. His supporting performances make difficult people credible without asking us to approve of them.
Fi1m perspective
Lieutenant Dan Taylor's bitterness interrupts the comforts of Forrest Gump (1994). Sinise makes him credible without making him agreeable, which is the quality we value most in his work. We were moved by Dan's anger because the hurt behind it remains convincing even when he is difficult company. Our reservations about Robert Zemeckis's film remain: it runs too long and makes American history too reassuring. Sinise gives that reassuring story someone whose resentment cannot simply be dismissed as a failure to appreciate its hero.
Before that breakthrough, Of Mice and Men (1992) had put him on both sides of the camera, directing and playing George Milton opposite John Malkovich. The move from actor-director to a familiar supporting presence can look like a narrowing of opportunity; it tells us little about the quality of the acting. Sinise has described his approach plainly: "My stuff has always tended towards gut-level realism and aggressive, visceral acting." Lieutenant Dan is a persuasive example of what he means.
In Ron Howard's Apollo 13 (1995), he plays Ken Mattingly; in Frank Darabont's The Green Mile (1999), Burt Hammersmith. Both also feature Tom Hanks, and both belong to the run of supporting parts that followed Forrest Gump. Reliability is useful in an ensemble, though it is a thin description of what makes Sinise worth watching. Against the warmth Hanks brings to Forrest, Dan's bitterness has weight, and Sinise does not need to make him pleasant to keep our interest. The film would be considerably easier to shrug off without him.
Nine seasons as detective Mac Taylor in CSI: NY (2004–2013) made sustained authority a larger part of his work. The frequency of soldiers and policemen among his roles can make his casting feel predictable, even when the acting is sound. We prefer him with some anger to work through and no obligation to make it attractive. Start with Lieutenant Dan, provided a fine supporting performance is enough to carry you through the film's soft account of American history.
Biography
Gary Sinise is an American actor. He co-founded the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago in 1974. His stage work includes directing and starring in a production of True West for which he received an Obie Award.
Sinise starred as George Milton in the 1992 film Of Mice and Men, which he also directed and produced. He is known for his role as Lieutenant Dan Taylor in Forrest Gump (1994), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Other film roles include appearances in Apollo 13 (1995) and The Green Mile (1999). He has won a Tony Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards. He founded the Lt. Dan Band, which performs at military bases.
