Christopher Walken: Movie Top Ten (Paperback)

~ Jack Hunter (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

With his gravity defying hair, nonchalant voice, ambiguous smile and reptilian-like features, there is an otherworldly alienness about Christopher Walken. It is this troubling combination of distinctive genetics, chilly sexuality and twitching mannerisms that has turned him into a genuine, cult movie star. From the suicidal Vietnam Vet in The Deer Hunter, to the unhinged Sicilian hood interrogating Dennis Hopper in True Romance, and to the arch-villain in Batman Returns, Walken has a prolific filmography. Hard to believe then, that this is the first book devoted solely to Christopher Walken.

Christopher Walken: Movie Top Ten takes ten of his most engaging or offbeat films and analyses them through accessible, in-depth essays by some of the best cutting-edge film writers around. Visually charged with striking b/w shots throughout, the result is both an incisive overview of Walken's impressive career, and an anthology of films by some of the leading cult directors of recent years such as Tim Burton, David Cronenberg, Paul Schrader, and Abel Ferrara.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Creation Books (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1871592844
• ISBN-13: 978-1871592849
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,445,850 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for Film Students - not for the general public or fan, November 15, 2000

By	"walkencomputerfund" (Orlando, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This is a great source of information about Christopher Walken, his movies, and the themes that drive them - however - it does tend to overanalyze, and contains little information on Walken that you could not pick up yourself on the internet. It seems that Walken is not the chatty type. In his own words, he enjoys working and is not proud of all the 90+ features he has appeared in, but he does have his favorites. I have no idea after reading this book if one of these top ten are in fact the actors favorite - rather they are showcased as his best performances. This is a lot of speculation, as Walken has an incredible amount of work, including broadway shows to choose from. So if you are looking for that personal touch, it's not really there. You have to ask yourself though, is there really anything behind Walken as a person that would warrant a personal touch? From all appearences, he works, he goes home, he works some more. He has been married to the same woman for 30+ years, thinks he cooks really well, and aside from the really odd stab at screenwriting (he wants to do the John Holmes story - apparently he is fascinated with Holmes' life, and the attention paid to Holmes' member vs. the real man behind the porn - Okay Chris - you get the different award) he would appear to be reasonably stable (discounting the Natalie Wood thing, but even that is scandal of the most mundane variety.). Christopher Walken is a person who has lived his entire life on film (since the age of 3) and no doubt will die on film as is his wish. So perhaps there is no personal touch to be had and his films are the only window into his life, aside from the odd interview (such as his most recent wish - to host a cooking show). If you want to experience an exhaustive analysis of ten of what are his best well-known films by good reviewers that have never interacted personally with Walken himself - this is for you. If you want to read Walken on Walken, get the playboy interview.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Walken deserves better, August 23, 2000

By	C. Isenberg "scllyx" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I only rate this book with 4 stars because of its interesting subject - not for the editor Jack Hunter. Did Hunter actually read it? I was completely distracted from the material by the numerous spelling and grammatical errors. An actor like Christopher Walken deserves better treatment than this sloppily thrown together collection of essays. Though some of them were pretty interesting (Deer Hunter, Comfort of Strangers), I found myself wondering if Hunter actually watched all of the actor's major films. How could he include The Addiction and Suicide Kings in the Walken Top 10 but leave out the awesome performances in At Close Range and Biloxi Blues - both with gripping climax scenes that deserve essays of their own. A comparison of Walken in his stand-off with Sean Penn to Walken's flip-flop stand-off with Mathew Broderick (Walken is held at gunpoint by Penn/ Broderick held at gunpoint by Walken) sorely needed to be added to this collection. Will someone please re-write this book?!?!! Heck, give me a week; I could do better than this.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT READING!, September 10, 2000

By A Customer

A great book by Jack Hunter. Christopher Walken is a very gifted actor, and Hunter gives loads of insight into the many characters he has played throughout the years. You may even be inclined to view some of the movies, again after reading this book. It is obvious that Hunter recognizes talent when he sees it. Hunter goes beyond the typical type-casting, that many film critics are stuck on. This book has many nuggets of wisdom, and is laced with respect. Christopher Walkwn is very fortunate to have an insightful author, like Hunter, write about him. Thanks Chris for sharing your gift of acting. Thanks Jack for sharing your gift of writing. The pleasure has been mine from Indiana.