Defending John Turturro’s casting as Carmine Falcone
John Turturro’s casting as Carmine Falcone in Matt Reeves’ The Batman is already drawing criticism, but is the hate truly deserved?
The news is out that John Turturro is playing Carmine Falcone in Matt Reeves’ The Batman. Sadly, many are already criticizing this casting choice. Let’s look in-depth at John Turturro’s casting.
Apparently, many people do not know John Turturro’s acting career well. Mainstream audiences know him best as Seymour Simmons from Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise. Remember, he’s the crazy Sector 7 agent Bumblebee lubricates on.
Yes, the man has many other roles in what some may label as silly films such as You Don’t Mess with the Zohan or The Ridiculous 6. Now, with these mainstream titles where he plays comedic roles in comedic films, that’s what audiences think of him as. How can this comedian play Carmine Falcone, the Batman equivalent of Vito Corleone – the Godfather? Matt Reeves intends to craft a detective-driven, noir Batman film. Some take notice of this casting and think this may fit more for a Schumacher film.
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Interestingly enough, John Turturro’s first role is in Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull. Surely, Scorsese is no hack for casting him, no matter how small the role is in the film. Six years later, Scorsese brings him back for The Color of Money. Another noteworthy film is Spike Lee’s critically acclaimed and Academy Award-nominated film, Do The Right Thing. In this film, John Turturro is hardly comedic, unless his casual use of a racial slur amuses you. Spike Lee even asks this “comic” to return for his film Clockers.
Working with these two directors is not something to brush over. Adding to this is his work with the Coen Brothers in their film Barton Fink, where he plays the titular role. The film is hard to categorize, as it borrows from psychological thrillers, film noir and more, but it’s certainly a critical cult classic. Turturro went on to win Best Actor from the Cannes Film Festival for his performance. The man has a list of films that do not fit into the realm of comedy – To Live and Die in L.A., Five Corners, The Sicilian, Catch Fire, State of Grace, Men of Respect, Jungle Fever, The Big Lebowski, O, Brother Where Art Thou? and many more.
Remember that Carmine Falcone is Italian and a gangster. Our John Turturro himself is of Italian heritage. He too has a history of playing historical gangsters, including Frankie Carbo and Sam Giancana. The man, in a sense, is a character actor who has played many characters across the spectrum, including other historical and literary characters. How is Carmine Falcone any different?
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This is no different from a certain comedic actor of the eighties named Michael Keaton being cast as Batman. Remember when teen heart-throb Heath Ledger landed the role of the Joker? When will people learn? Turturro has significant range, including his work in television and as a writer and director. Hence, this is in his blood, he is not some simple comic for hire.