Keith Carradine is unusually good at making an unreliable man seem worth listening to. We value his relaxed manner most in Robert Altman's ensembles, where charm can become troubling without the performance turning showy.
Fi1m perspective
In Nashville (1975), Keith Carradine sings 'I'm Easy' with an ease that makes Tom Frank's appeal quite understandable. Carradine wrote the song, and Robert Altman uses its apparent sincerity for something considerably less innocent. We felt slightly ashamed of warming to Tom: the musical sweetness makes his manipulation attractive. Carradine lets the song work on us without making a show of the calculation behind it. He is particularly good at playing someone whose company we enjoy before we have decided whether to trust him.
In the earlier McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), he plays Cowboy in a Western carried by Warren Beatty and Julie Christie. The film's patience suits his unforced manner; he can make a small contribution count without competing for the centre. Altman gets the most from him by letting that ease sit within the ensemble, rather than asking him to press for our attention. Between these two films came Thieves Like Us (1974), the other part of the three-film partnership that established him.
The limitation became apparent in the casting that followed Nashville: more cads and womanisers, with a persuasive performance becoming a label that was difficult to shake. Leading parts outside Altman included Armand d'Hubert in Ridley Scott's The Duellists (1977) and E. J. Bellocq in Louis Malle's Pretty Baby (1978). His choices of material were uneven in the 1970s. We would be cautious about choosing a film simply because Carradine is in it.
Television later made more use of his authority, notably as Wild Bill Hickok in Deadwood (2004) and FBI agent Frank Lundy in Dexter (2006). That is a sensible development for an actor whose relaxed presence can make experience seem ordinary. The danger is that dependable casting leaves too little for him to do beyond lending a programme some weight. We prefer him when that apparent ease gives us something to question. Start with Nashville, and pay attention to how readily the song earns the trust its singer has not.
Biography
Keith Carradine is an American actor. He is known for his role as Tom Frank in Robert Altman's Nashville (1975).
Born in San Mateo, California, in 1949, he is a member of the Carradine family of actors. His father was the actor John Carradine.
On film he has also appeared in Pretty Baby (1978) and Choose Me (1984). On television his credits include Deadwood (2004) as Wild Bill Hickok, Dexter (2006) as Frank Lundy, and Fargo (2014) as Lou Solverson. He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for the song "I'm Easy" from Nashville.
