Disclaimer up front: I haven’t seen a number of Friedkin’s later films. But it would seem that, with the exceptions of (1) quality neo-noir To Live and Die in L.A., and (2) the somewhat freakish and individual films he made from Tracy Letts scripts, Bug and Killer Joe, much of Friedkin’s post-1980 work falls into the category of Utterly Generic Eighties and Post-Eighties Thrillers (Rampage, Jade, The Hunted, The Guardian, Rules of Engagement). Even the titles of these things are generic, and the casts are all vaguely interchangeable. This category bedeviled plenty of New Hollywood directors as they moved into the commercially conformist Eighties; it was what was available to make, what had the possibility of being financed. I swear that with the best will in the world, I cannot keep these films (Friedkin’s or anyone else’s) straight in my head; they all blend together, and since this type of movie kept going strong into the Oughties and beyond (supplemented by straight-to-video examples * that lacked for budgets and casts, but governed by essentially the same impulse), there are HUNDREDS of them.

Sometimes I look through actors’ IMDB filmographies and am struck by how many of the titles sort into (1) I kind of remember that one, and (2) Did I ever know about that one at all?

Let me make this more concrete. Here is a list of Generic Thrillers than Robert De Niro has made since 1995 (the year of Casino and Heat). I am leaving off a lot of forgettable films of other types that De Niro has made during the same period.

Sleepers
Ronin
15 Minutes
The Score
City by the Sea
Hide and Seek
Righteous Kill
Machete
Stone
Killer Elite
Red Lights
Freelancers
Killing Season
The Bag Man
Heist
Savage Salvation

Now honestly, Nicolas Cage gets criticized for taking paychecks ** , but what about this De Niro list? Even allowing that there may be one or two OK movies in there, and that all actors make some crap, sheesh. And the roles (the aging, weathered guy that has been there, done that) are pretty much as generic as the films. Not a lot of fresh conceptualization here. I am indulgent towards “genre”, but there are limits.

Does anyone else have the same problem that I do with Generic Thrillers? Is it just me? Maybe there is more to salvage here than I have been willing to allow.

* Two actors who have specialized in these are Michael Madsen (313 IMDB acting credits) and Eric Roberts (635, good Lord).

** I think that Nick almost always puts more of a spin on his roles in paycheck movies than De Niro or Bruce Willis do, or than MOST actors do. And when he is given a juicy role in an independent or more creative production, he can still bring it, he still has the touch.