Roddy Piper makes physical indignation convincing and dialogue rather less certain. We like him best when that awkwardness has a purpose: They Live gives his tough, unpolished presence a character worth spending an evening with.
Fi1m perspective
In They Live (1988), Roddy Piper's John Nada looks more comfortable confronting a problem than explaining it. His line readings can be uncertain, with the emphasis arriving somewhere we were not expecting. Yet that hesitation helps make him an appealing ordinary man, rather than simply an action lead waiting for the next fight. We warmed to Piper because Nada's anger is so much easier for him to express physically than in words. John Carpenter finds a useful place for an actor whose lack of polish would be a liability in a more verbally demanding part.
The move from wrestling to leading films came after Piper left the ring full-time in 1987. Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988), with Piper as Sam Hell in a post-apocalyptic setting, belongs to that early attempt to establish him in features. They Live gives us the clearest reason to take him seriously as an actor. Carpenter uses a rugged, working-class presence that needs little explanation, while the physical demands suit someone accustomed to making a confrontation convincing.
Keith David matters to the result. As Frank Armitage, he brings a firmness to the performances that Piper cannot always supply, and their pairing makes the move towards action feel natural. Piper also supplied the ad-libbed bubblegum line, a piece of blunt humour that suits him rather better than some of the dialogue he was handed. The endurance he brings to the fights is valuable, but neither performer can make the wandering storytelling or the excess of gunfire disappear.
His subsequent return to wrestling went alongside smaller film and television roles, rather than a clean break into another profession. The recurring Da' Maniac in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a deranged wrestler played for comedy, kept the connection to his ring persona explicit. That part takes his wrestling experience into comedy without asking him to leave the familiar character behind. For an action evening, start with They Live and forgive a few uncertain line readings; the man delivering them is good company.
Biography
Roddy Piper, born Roderick George Toombs, was a Canadian professional wrestler and actor. He was born on 17 April 1954 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and died on 31 July 2015.
Piper began his career in professional wrestling in the 1970s and became a prominent figure in the WWF and WCW, known for his Scottish heritage persona, kilt and bagpipe entrance. He hosted the interview segment Piper's Pit and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.
As an actor, he is best known for his lead role as John Nada in John Carpenter's They Live (1988). He also appeared in Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988) and had recurring television roles, including in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
