Tom Wilkinson in RocknRolla

Lately, I have greatly enjoyed the works of older actors. Perhaps it is because I am getting older. Chris Walken, Brian Cox and Tom Wilkinson are good examples. Wilkinson just might be my recent favorite considering his performance in Michael Clayton. In RockNRolla, Wilkinson portrays Lenny, an underhanded London city boss with high connections and evil dispositions. Here is an example of how Lenny works.


But Lenny may be in over his head. A Russian billionaire, eerily familiar to Chelsea Football Club current owner Roman Abramovich, wants to engage in business in areas of London that Lenny controls. To bring luck to their business dealings, the Russian lends Lenny a painting that has brought him luck. Unfortunately for Lenny, the painting has brought quite the opposite when it gets stolen. Little does Lenny know that his junkie son Johnny Quid has developed quite the vendetta against his father.

Tom Wilkinson's Character in Michael Clayton

The movie Michael Clayton was a strong influence in my hesitance to be an attorney, especially at a big law firm. The cunning and venal litigation strategies, the 80-hour work weeks and most importantly Tom Wilkinson's portrayal of ostensible psychosis excellently represents the distressing toll that results from an overwhelmed attorney lifestyle.

Before watching the below scene, you must first give a look to the movie's opening scene, which YouTube is not allowing Scene Junkies to embed by request. Tom Wilkinson is a brilliant and diverse character actor of our generation.