This article contains spoilers for The Sympathizer through episode 3.
With the HBO original limited series The Sympathizer, adapting the award-winning 2015 novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen, audiences get four Robert Downey, Jrs. for the price of one. The Academy Award-winning actor, who also executive produces the series through his production company Team Downey, plays four distinctly different characters over the course of the story. By the series’ third episode, all four of Downey’s characters have not only been introduced, but begun interacting with each other on-screen as the story nears its halfway point.
With so many Downeys to get to know in The Sympathizer, here’s a quick primer explaining the background of each of Downey’s characters, what we know about them so far, and how each figure into the overall story and interact with its protagonist, a Vietnamese double agent known as simply as the Captain.
With the HBO original limited series The Sympathizer, adapting the award-winning 2015 novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen, audiences get four Robert Downey, Jrs. for the price of one. The Academy Award-winning actor, who also executive produces the series through his production company Team Downey, plays four distinctly different characters over the course of the story. By the series’ third episode, all four of Downey’s characters have not only been introduced, but begun interacting with each other on-screen as the story nears its halfway point.
With so many Downeys to get to know in The Sympathizer, here’s a quick primer explaining the background of each of Downey’s characters, what we know about them so far, and how each figure into the overall story and interact with its protagonist, a Vietnamese double agent known as simply as the Captain.
- 4/29/2024
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
For his forthcoming one from the heart, Megalopolis, Francis Ford Coppola has once again violated the cardinal rule of the entertainment business: Never invest your own money in the show. Reports are that to bankroll the $120 million epic he has literally mortgaged the farm, or vineyard. The investment is slated to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 14.
We — and he — have all been here before. Coppola last went into hock for another long-aborning and cost-overrunning project, which 45 years ago, almost to the day, also premiered at Cannes: the now legendary Apocalypse Now (1979).
At the time, Coppola was bathing in the afterglow of one of the most astonishing back-to-back double, or triple, plays in the industry’s history: The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974), the operatic two-part saga of mob family business in which organized crime serves less as a metaphor for American capitalism than its purest expression (“Michael,...
We — and he — have all been here before. Coppola last went into hock for another long-aborning and cost-overrunning project, which 45 years ago, almost to the day, also premiered at Cannes: the now legendary Apocalypse Now (1979).
At the time, Coppola was bathing in the afterglow of one of the most astonishing back-to-back double, or triple, plays in the industry’s history: The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974), the operatic two-part saga of mob family business in which organized crime serves less as a metaphor for American capitalism than its purest expression (“Michael,...
- 4/22/2024
- by Thomas Doherty
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director Luke Sparke has announced the casting for his upcoming sci-fi horror feature Primitive War, based on the novel by Ethan Pettus. Primetime Emmy Award and Golden Globe winner Jeremy Piven has been given the lead role, alongside Tricia Helfer, SAG Award Nominee Ryan Kwanten and Nick Wechsler. Together, they’ll be playing US soldiers in 1968 who have been sent to a remote region of Vietnam. They’re an elite recon unit known as Vulture Squad and they only get handed the toughest assignments. All they know is a Green Beret platoon has gone missing in the area, and they’ve been sent to investigate and possibly retrieve them. What they don’t expect, but who possibly could…was that this was the region of 1968 Vietnam that had dinosaurs in it. Well, no wonder we lost. Primitive War will also star Anthony Ingruber, Aaron Glenane, Carlos Sanson Jr
The post Jeremy Piven,...
The post Jeremy Piven,...
- 4/5/2024
- by Peter Paltridge
- popgeeks - film
Paul D’Amato, who portrayed the despicable goon Tim “Dr. Hook” McCracken in the classic hockey movie Slap Shot and had a memorable scene in the best picture Oscar winner The Deer Hunter, has died. He was 76.
D’Amato died Monday at his home in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, after a four-year battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disorder, his fiancée, actress Marina Re, told The Hollywood Reporter.
“He was the most wonderful, sweetest guy, he fought so hard against this horrendous disease,” she said.
D’Amato also played a razor- and knife-wielding bad guy in Peter Yates’ Suspect (1987), starring Cher and Dennis Quaid, and appeared in other notable films including Heaven Can Wait (1978), F/X (1986) and Six Ways to Sunday (1997).
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, D’Amato ice skated since childhood, served with the National Guard and attended Emerson College in Boston, where he acted in school plays and was a...
D’Amato died Monday at his home in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, after a four-year battle with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare brain disorder, his fiancée, actress Marina Re, told The Hollywood Reporter.
“He was the most wonderful, sweetest guy, he fought so hard against this horrendous disease,” she said.
D’Amato also played a razor- and knife-wielding bad guy in Peter Yates’ Suspect (1987), starring Cher and Dennis Quaid, and appeared in other notable films including Heaven Can Wait (1978), F/X (1986) and Six Ways to Sunday (1997).
Born in Worcester, Massachusetts, D’Amato ice skated since childhood, served with the National Guard and attended Emerson College in Boston, where he acted in school plays and was a...
- 2/21/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Six weeks after being convicted for possessing and transporting child sexual abuse material, former ABC News producer James Gordon Meek and his footprint in the world of investigative journalism are quietly disappearing.
Hulu removed Meek’s Emmy-nominated documentary “3212 Un-Redacted” from its platform this past week. The film, which delves into the deaths of four U.S. Special Forces soldiers in Africa and exposes a government cover-up, was produced by ABC News and first launched on Hulu in November 2021.
A source familiar with the matter says the film’s licensing window expired and will not be renewed. Although the film, which is based on Meek’s reporting, was considered an impressive feat of investigative journalism, the prospect of keeping it on Hulu became untenable given that the disgraced producer is featured prominently on camera.
Likewise, ABC News also has quietly removed a tagline from all of Meek’s work that read:...
Hulu removed Meek’s Emmy-nominated documentary “3212 Un-Redacted” from its platform this past week. The film, which delves into the deaths of four U.S. Special Forces soldiers in Africa and exposes a government cover-up, was produced by ABC News and first launched on Hulu in November 2021.
A source familiar with the matter says the film’s licensing window expired and will not be renewed. Although the film, which is based on Meek’s reporting, was considered an impressive feat of investigative journalism, the prospect of keeping it on Hulu became untenable given that the disgraced producer is featured prominently on camera.
Likewise, ABC News also has quietly removed a tagline from all of Meek’s work that read:...
- 11/13/2023
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
Apple TV+ has dropped the trailer for the four-part documentary series ‘Wanted: The Escape of Carlos Ghosn,’ telling the riveting story of CEO-turned-fugitive Carlos Ghosn and his relentless climb to the top of the corporate ladder, shocking arrest, and unbelievable escape that stunned the world
The series features in-depth access to all of the key players in the saga, including Mike Taylor, the former Green Beret who orchestrated Ghosn’s harrowing escape, and the man in the middle of it all – Carlos Ghosn – who, for the first time, tells his side of this ongoing, global news story, from start to finish.
Inspired by the acclaimed book “Boundless,” by The Wall Street Journal reporters Nick Kostov and Sean McLain, the series includes never-before-seen interviews and footage with the prime players who lived in the Ghosn orbit, his rise to corporate power in Japan, his several arrests and the details of his harrowing escape to Lebanon.
The series features in-depth access to all of the key players in the saga, including Mike Taylor, the former Green Beret who orchestrated Ghosn’s harrowing escape, and the man in the middle of it all – Carlos Ghosn – who, for the first time, tells his side of this ongoing, global news story, from start to finish.
Inspired by the acclaimed book “Boundless,” by The Wall Street Journal reporters Nick Kostov and Sean McLain, the series includes never-before-seen interviews and footage with the prime players who lived in the Ghosn orbit, his rise to corporate power in Japan, his several arrests and the details of his harrowing escape to Lebanon.
- 7/26/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Michael Rock, the star of Horror Nerd Productions’ newest film, Ghost, sits on the couch, nervously tapping his rifle. The camera focuses on this simple hand gesture – the normally stoic and hardened former Green Beret is now vulnerable and contemplative. He struggles to find the words about his mother’s death, something he clearly hasn’t …
The post Ghost (2023): Demons, 1980’s Nostalgia and Real Military Veterans appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
The post Ghost (2023): Demons, 1980’s Nostalgia and Real Military Veterans appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.
- 6/8/2023
- by Mike Joy
- Horror News
Jim Brown, the NFL titan who appeared in “The Dirty Dozen,” many Blaxploitation films plus Oliver Stone’s “Any Given Sunday,” “The Running Man,” Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks” and Spike Lee’s “He Got Game,” to name a few, died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 87.
His wife Monique posted the news of his death on Instagram, saying, “He passed peacefully last night at our L.A. home.”
In nine extraordinary seasons as a fullback with the Cleveland Browns, Brown set an array of NFL records. In 2002, The Sporting News named him the greatest professional football player ever. That phenomenal athleticism and a charismatic personality made him bankable as the first African American action star.
“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Monique and their family,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Jim Brown was a gifted athlete — one of the most dominant players to...
His wife Monique posted the news of his death on Instagram, saying, “He passed peacefully last night at our L.A. home.”
In nine extraordinary seasons as a fullback with the Cleveland Browns, Brown set an array of NFL records. In 2002, The Sporting News named him the greatest professional football player ever. That phenomenal athleticism and a charismatic personality made him bankable as the first African American action star.
“On behalf of the entire NFL family, we extend our condolences to Monique and their family,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Jim Brown was a gifted athlete — one of the most dominant players to...
- 5/19/2023
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Update 7/21/23: James Gordon Meek pleaded guilty to one count each of transportation of child pornography and possession of child pornography.
Federal prosecutors have charged former ABC News producer James Gordon Meek with transportation of child pornography, according to a criminal complaint filed in Eastern Virginia on Wednesday. Meek resigned abruptly from his job shortly after federal agents raided his Arlington, Virginia home in April 2022.
Federal prosecutors say their investigation into Meek first began after the cloud storage company Dropbox tipped off the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children...
Federal prosecutors have charged former ABC News producer James Gordon Meek with transportation of child pornography, according to a criminal complaint filed in Eastern Virginia on Wednesday. Meek resigned abruptly from his job shortly after federal agents raided his Arlington, Virginia home in April 2022.
Federal prosecutors say their investigation into Meek first began after the cloud storage company Dropbox tipped off the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children...
- 2/1/2023
- by Adam Rawnsley
- Rollingstone.com
Fire Emblem fans have plenty of reasons to be excited about the recently-released Fire Emblem Engage. Not only is it the latest entry into the famous strategy franchise, but it’s really a return to form for Fire Emblem after the series experimented with a few different ideas. It also features a massive roster of characters voiced by some pretty notable actors.
Seriously, Engage’s voice cast is impressive. It’s one thing to boast a roster of named and notable characters quite so large, and it’s quite another to give most of those characters their own name and voice. While you may only recognize the names of a few Fire Emblem voice actors on paper, you’ll almost certainly recognize many of them the moment you hear them in-game.
So whether you can’t quite place why that name is so familiar, or you just want a little...
Seriously, Engage’s voice cast is impressive. It’s one thing to boast a roster of named and notable characters quite so large, and it’s quite another to give most of those characters their own name and voice. While you may only recognize the names of a few Fire Emblem voice actors on paper, you’ll almost certainly recognize many of them the moment you hear them in-game.
So whether you can’t quite place why that name is so familiar, or you just want a little...
- 1/20/2023
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Walk Like A Duck Entertainment and Renegade Entertainment have entered into a two-picture financing and co-production deal, tapping veteran second unit director, stunt choreographer and fight coordinator Chris Brewster as the director for the first film under the deal, titled Relentless. The deal follows Wlad’s participation in Renegade’s recently released features Dig and Slayers, starring Renegade principal Thomas Jane.
Chris Brewster, Thomas Jane
Relentless is a Taken-style action-thriller in which Jane will play Charlie Thorne, a former U.S. Army Green Beret living off the grid who is forced back into action when smugglers steal his boat, leaving him for dead and attempting to kill a young girl he has befriended. In the cross-fire of warring crime gangs, Thorne re-enters battle, fighting to rescue the young girl, while combatting his own internal demons.
Related Story ‘The Silent Hour’: Joel Kinnaman Action Thriller From AGC Studios & Meridian Pictures...
Chris Brewster, Thomas Jane
Relentless is a Taken-style action-thriller in which Jane will play Charlie Thorne, a former U.S. Army Green Beret living off the grid who is forced back into action when smugglers steal his boat, leaving him for dead and attempting to kill a young girl he has befriended. In the cross-fire of warring crime gangs, Thorne re-enters battle, fighting to rescue the young girl, while combatting his own internal demons.
Related Story ‘The Silent Hour’: Joel Kinnaman Action Thriller From AGC Studios & Meridian Pictures...
- 11/7/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Mvp,” the directorial debut of U.S. Army Green Beret veteran and former NFL player Nate Boyer, will premiere in theaters on Sept. 14. The film’s debut via FilmRise is accompanied by a fundraising campaign from the Gnc Live Well Foundation for Boyer’s nonprofit organization, Merging Vets & Players, after which the film is named.
Executive produced by Sylvester Stallone, “Mvp” is based on the true story of the formation of Merging Vets & Players, which Boyer co-founded with Jay Glazer with the aim of empowering and connecting combat veterans and former professional athletes, providing them with a new team to assist with transition to civilian life and promote personal development.
The film takes place on the streets of Hollywood and centers on the growing friendship between a struggling recently retired NFL player (Mo McRae) and a homeless veteran suffering from Ptsd (Boyer). With their “glory days” behind them, the two men...
Executive produced by Sylvester Stallone, “Mvp” is based on the true story of the formation of Merging Vets & Players, which Boyer co-founded with Jay Glazer with the aim of empowering and connecting combat veterans and former professional athletes, providing them with a new team to assist with transition to civilian life and promote personal development.
The film takes place on the streets of Hollywood and centers on the growing friendship between a struggling recently retired NFL player (Mo McRae) and a homeless veteran suffering from Ptsd (Boyer). With their “glory days” behind them, the two men...
- 8/18/2022
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Fans of movie explosions get another chance to spend time with the character that inspired Ronald Reagan
Forty years on, here’s a rerelease of the first movie in the Rambo series from 1982: the watchable if entirely preposterous exploitation-action picture in which star and co-writer Sylvester Stallone makes his first appearance as John Rambo, the decorated Green Beret, Vietnam veteran and commando übermensch in a permanent rage at the way he and his fellow soldiers were let down. It climaxes with an entirely bizarre speech from Rambo on the subject of his Ptsd, delivered in Stallone’s unintelligible slurred drone: “Igghh sawfff bodyghhh partghhs everyghrhwhere…!”
This was actually the film that came before the one that made Rambo a real movie icon, Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), where he has to go back to Vietnam for a fantasy replay of the war on the grounds that he is searching...
Forty years on, here’s a rerelease of the first movie in the Rambo series from 1982: the watchable if entirely preposterous exploitation-action picture in which star and co-writer Sylvester Stallone makes his first appearance as John Rambo, the decorated Green Beret, Vietnam veteran and commando übermensch in a permanent rage at the way he and his fellow soldiers were let down. It climaxes with an entirely bizarre speech from Rambo on the subject of his Ptsd, delivered in Stallone’s unintelligible slurred drone: “Igghh sawfff bodyghhh partghhs everyghrhwhere…!”
This was actually the film that came before the one that made Rambo a real movie icon, Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), where he has to go back to Vietnam for a fantasy replay of the war on the grounds that he is searching...
- 6/23/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
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