American audiences who know Jean Reno strictly from Luc Besson productions
(The Professional, Nikita, The Big Blue, Wasabi) and
smart action blockbusters (Ronin, Mission: Impossible, The
Crimson Rivers) will be surprised how little ass-kicking he does in his role
as Ponton in The Pink Panther 2, opening this Friday. As family man
partner to eternal-bumbler Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin), Reno's character
is indeed one of the few to escape the mystery without slipping, falling, or
crashing into solid objects. But it's representative of Reno's career, a varied
body of work that frequently crosses over into video games, French slapstick,
and romantic comedies that is rarely seen in the States. RT spoke with Reno
recently to get his Five Favorite Films.
Apocalypse Now (1979, 98% Tomatometer)
Taxi Driver (1979, 100% Tomatometer)
Life is Beautiful (1998, 77% Tomatometer)
Il Sorpasso (1954, Tomatometer N/A)
Beauty and the Beast (1946, 95% Tomatometer)
The Pink Panther 2 opens in wide release February 6, 2009. Click here for a full synopsis, photo gallery and trailers.
Want more Five Favorite Films? Check out previous installments with Ernest Borgnine, Mickey Rourke, Danny Boyle, and James Franco.
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jokerboy1991 writes: on Feb 02 2009 05:47 PM Great list, Reno is a really "professional"... get it guys :) (Reply to this) |
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jarbuckl writes: on Feb 02 2009 05:55 PM A great actor who is occasionally in some crap films. Thought he was the best part of Mission: Impossible. (Reply to this) |
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Timothy M. writes: on Feb 02 2009 06:16 PM I've never seen any of those films!!! (Reply to this) |
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ledawg1138 writes: on Feb 02 2009 06:34 PM Good list. Great list, he's a "great actor". :p Okay he's in bad movies, okay actor. (Reply to this) |
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ledawg1138 writes: on Feb 02 2009 06:38 PM In reply to this comment (#2298254) Well you should! Great list. Okay actor, who's in a lot of clunkers. (Reply to this) |
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Mr. Bo Ziffer writes: on Feb 02 2009 06:39 PM I like this list. I agree that he was the best part of Mission:Impossible, but he was also the best part in that dreadful Godzilla remake. Also, when did Martin Sheen have a heart attack? I never heard about that! Did it have something to do with that bomb injected in his heart in Spawn? (Reply to this) |
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ledawg1138 writes: on Feb 02 2009 06:45 PM Sorry about saying the same thing twice. Don't know why I did that. Looks like this guy's adding the Pink Panther 2 too his lousy roster. Might be the worst he's done... maybe... no. (Reply to this) |
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ColinTheCimmerian writes: on Feb 02 2009 08:34 PM In reply to this comment (#2298281) Bad movies? Everyone's been in a few bad movies, but come on. La Femme Nikita, Mission:Impossible, Ronin? And he was Leon in 'Leon'! (or The Professional, if you prefer). Not saying he's the best actor out there, but he's pretty good, and there's nothing wrong with his resume. (Reply to this) |
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ledawg1138 writes: on Feb 02 2009 09:40 PM In reply to this comment (#2298455) Okay you're right. I forgot about some of those. (Reply to this) |
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rt_hire_me writes: on Feb 02 2009 10:15 PM Check out Les Visiteurs. Freakin hilarious. Medieval guys transported to our time. The English remake was panned, so don't bother. (Reply to this) |
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Bulletproof_Animal writes: on Feb 03 2009 12:26 AM Cool. I thought all his picks would be obscure 'art' films. (Reply to this) |
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brandon s. writes: on Feb 03 2009 03:59 AM In reply to this comment (#2298288) Martin Sheen had a heart attack while filming Apocalypse Now in the Philippines.....from what I understand it was due to a combination of on set stress and alcohol abuse, but I am not 100 percent on that. The intensity of that work ethic certainly made its way into the film, what a fantastic trip that movie is. Martin Sheen is a great actor who simply hasn't had a good leading role in years (I wouldn't call him a lead in Departed.) (Reply to this) |
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tfortier writes: on Feb 03 2009 06:05 AM For those doubting about Jean acting skills, just watch The Big Blue again..! He is incredible. My personnal favorite with him is Subway, the 80' flick with Christophe Lambert and Isabelle Adjani. Also he is one of the most popular foreigner actor in Japan..!!! weird cause he never did any japanese movies. They just like the guy, I dont know why. He often do ads here... (Reply to this) |
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Robert K. writes: on Feb 03 2009 07:03 AM In reply to this comment (#2298254) I wouldn't brag about it. (Reply to this) |
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Don't Tase Me Bro writes: on Feb 03 2009 07:50 AM My favorite Jean Reno films: 1. BIG BLUE 2. LEON 3. RONIN 4. MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 5. LA FEMME NIKITA Cool actor... (Not too shabby in 'Da Vinci' either...) (Reply to this) |
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Matt R. writes: on Feb 03 2009 09:47 AM Always a fan of Jean Reno. And yes, Martin Sheen had a heartattack from the stress of the shoot (watch A Journey into the Heart of Darkness, a documentary about the tumultuous filming of Apocalypse Now) and the intense heat at the time. Harvey Keitel was supposed to play the role but quit because he couldn't take it, after a couple weeks of filming. (Reply to this) |
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jitaditya n. writes: on Feb 03 2009 10:44 AM In reply to this comment (#2298254) tht's really sad!...not even the first two??? (Reply to this) |
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Kokushi writes: on Feb 03 2009 11:35 AM Great list and great actor, but wtf with him facking Pink Panther 2? Does he think those are quality films? Jean Reno need to start picking great movies again. (Reply to this) |
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KaoruX writes: on Feb 03 2009 03:16 PM In reply to this comment (#2298254) Have you at least read "Heart of Darkness"? (Reply to this) |
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gm1200 writes: on Feb 03 2009 04:20 PM Reno is a great actor...and Pink Panther is most likely gonna be a great comedy...the first one was. Why all the hate? Steve's Cluso is better than the original...I grew up with Sellers just like the rest of you guys but I'm not so hung on nostalgia that I can't acknowledge a superior performance when I see one. Martin kicks Sellers butt. (Reply to this) |
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