Michael Clarke Duncan could make physical strength look unexpectedly vulnerable. We value that tenderness more than the familiar intimidation, and wish more of his films had given him as much to do as The Green Mile did.
Fi1m perspective
Sin City (2005) casts Michael Clarke Duncan as Manute, an enforcer whose physical threat needs little explaining. Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's hard black-and-white images make direct use of his size. The deep voice helps, too, though seeing him employed this way so often makes us wish casting directors had been less easily satisfied. We rate Duncan most when a film lets the formidable man be vulnerable.
Armageddon (1998) had brought the breakthrough, with Duncan playing Bear in Michael Bay's asteroid disaster film. The cast makes a fair amount of the foolishness enjoyable, and we would count his presence among the reasons to stay. Bay's frantic cutting, however, leaves little room to settle with the actors. The laboured tenderness is another obstacle across 151 minutes, so our recommendation remains qualified. It is worth considering for the company, provided the disaster-film appetite is already there.
Bruce Willis's recommendation led to his casting as John Coffey in The Green Mile (1999), the role that brought wider recognition. Duncan's size was still central, but the part also allowed him quiet vulnerability. We were moved by Coffey because Duncan made his strength seem no protection against hurt. The subsequent studio roles did not consistently ask as much of him.
Attar in Planet of the Apes (2001) and Kingpin in Daredevil (2003) put him back among enforcers and authority figures. Sin City gives that familiar casting a persuasive setting: its blunt comic-book figures belong in those hard images. We prefer it to Armageddon, though the repeated brutality becomes wearing and another imposing figure cannot cure that. There is pleasure in seeing Duncan used so decisively, but we would send anyone curious about his acting to The Green Mile first.
Biography
Michael Clarke Duncan was an American actor. He began his career with small roles, often as bouncers or bodyguards, after working in security.
He appeared as Bear in the 1998 film Armageddon. The role led to his performance as John Coffey in The Green Mile (1999), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and a Golden Globe nomination. Other credits include Sin City (2005), Daredevil (2003) as Kingpin, and voice work in Kung Fu Panda (2008) and Brother Bear (2003).
Duncan was born in Chicago, Illinois, and died in 2012.
