Jason Patric is at his most persuasive playing troubled, tightly coiled men. We value that intensity; his useful assurance in Speed 2: Cruise Control deserved a screenplay that took more interest in its characters.
Fi1m perspective
In Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), Jason Patric looks like someone who could handle an emergency. As Alex, he brings useful assurance to Jan de Bont’s cruise-ship sequel, enough to make us believe that somebody aboard might know what he is doing. It is a poor film, and we would not recommend it as an introduction to the actor. Patric gives it a credible lead; the screenplay gives him little help in establishing a connection with Sandra Bullock.
Their scenes together have little warmth or friction. We were bored by those exchanges because the film had given us so little reason to care about the relationship. Patric cannot make up for that neglect, and his competence begins to look like the only thing the part requires of him. There is a limit to how long we will watch someone handle an emergency if we have no interest in him once it is over.
His stronger work makes more use of the unease he can bring to a character. The breakthrough as Michael Emerson in The Lost Boys (1987) was followed by Jim Raynor, an undercover narcotics officer, in Rush (1991). That part suited his commitment to making damaged men physically and emotionally convincing. His frequent choice of character-driven independent films and thrillers makes sense: they offer room for the difficult men he plays convincingly.
The more revealing turn after Speed 2 was Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), which he also produced. His tightly coiled supporting performance as Cary suits the caustic ensemble, while Narc (2002) again put that intensity to good use. That does not mean a lack of warmth is always the screenplay’s fault: he and Bullock never make a persuasive pairing. We would start with Rush, and leave the cruise until there is nothing more pressing to watch.
Biography
Jason Patric is an American actor. Born John Anthony Miller III on 17 June 1966 in Queens, New York City, he is the son of actor and playwright Jason Miller and actress Linda Gleason.
He made his feature film debut in Solarbabies (1986) and gained attention for his role in The Lost Boys (1987). Subsequent credits include Rush (1991), Sleepers (1996), Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997), Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), Narc (2002), The Alamo (2004), My Sister's Keeper (2009) and The Losers (2010). He has also appeared in the television series Wayward Pines (2015) and on Broadway in revivals of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and That Championship Season.
