User:SeanTheYeti452/sandbox/project50
| Drexl Spivey | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | True Romance (1993) |
| Created by | Quentin Tarantino |
| Portrayed by | Gary Oldman |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Pimp |
| Home | Detroit, Michigan |
Drexl Spivey is a fictional character created by Quentin Tarantino from the 1993 film True Romance portrayed by Gary Oldman. Drexl is a drug dealer and pimp who is an associate of mobster "Blue Lou Boyle". One of Drexl's call girls, Alabama Whitman, runs off and marries a man named Clarence Worley, who returns to confront Drexl. Despite a lack of screentime, Oldman's performance as Drexl became instantly iconic, and has been regarded as being one of Oldman's best performances.[1]
Fictional character biography
[edit]Drexl Spivey is a drug dealer and pimp in Detroit who does business with mobster "Blue Lou Boyle" and his associate Vincenzo Coccotti. Drexl and his bodyguard Marty kill drug dealer Big Don and his associate and steal a suitcase full of cocaine from them. Drexl had recently taken in a young woman named Alabama Whitman for three days before she suddenly disappears. Drexl is then confronted by Alabama's new husband, Clarence Worley. Drexl demands compensation for his time and "peace of mind", to which Clarence hands him an empty envelope, retorting that is what Drexl's "peace of mind" is worth. Drexl and Marty fight Clarence and find his address. Drexl prepares to send Marty there to pick up Alabama, before Clarence pulls a gun and kills Marty. Clarence then shoots Drexl in the groin, then shoots him in the face, killing him. Clarence takes the suitcase he believes contains Alabama's belongings, but is revealed to have been the suitcase of cocaine taken by Drexl from Big Don.
Reception
[edit]Oldman's portrayal of Drexl in the film garnered much critical acclaim, and was cited as being the breakout character of the film.[2] The scene in the club with Drexl has been seen as being the highlight of the film, as well as being one of the best movie scenes from the 1990's.[3] Many viewers have seen Drexl as one of Gary Oldman's best roles, along with his performances as Commissioner James Gordon in The Dark Knight trilogy, Count Dracula in Bram Stoker's Dracula, Sirius Black in the Harry Potter franchise, Lee Harvey Oswald in JFK and Norman Stansfield in Leon: The Professional. Oldman himself has also cited Drexl as one of his favourite roles.[4][5][6][7] MSN Movies wrote: "With just a few minutes of screen time, Gary Oldman crafts one of cinema's most memorable villains: the brutal, dreadlocked pimp Drexl Spivey. Even in a movie jammed with memorable cameos from screen luminaries [...] Oldman's scar-faced, dead-eyed, lethal gangster stood out."[8] Maxim journalist Thomas Freeman has also ranked Drexl as Gary Oldman's best performance.[9] Drexl has also been cited as one of the best characters created by Quentin Tarantino.[10] Due to his performance as Drexl, Tarantino had wanted Oldman to portray the role of Lance in Pulp Fiction. Kurt Cobain was also considered for the part, but had died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound before filming. The part eventually went to Eric Stoltz, and Oldman was later considered for the roles of Ringo and Vincent Vega.[11][12][13][14]
In popular culture
[edit]The scene where Clarence confronts Drexl in the club was performed in the pilot episode of the HBO television series, Barry. Drexl is played by Barry's target, Ryan Madison, who picks Barry to play the part of Clarence for the scene. Barry's being invited into performing the scene is what sets off his newfound passion for acting.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ Stice, Joel (2015-03-21). "It Ain't White Boy Day: A Celebration Of Gary Oldman As Drexl Spivey From 'True Romance'". Uproxx. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Aybar, Terrence (2012-11-30). "The Movie Villain Hall Of Fame: Drexl Spivey". CultSpark. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Berman, Nat. "The Incredible "White Boy Day" Drexl Spivey Scene from True Romance". TV Overmind. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Dalton, Stephen (2017-11-16). "Critic's Picks: Gary Oldman's 10 Best Performances". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Wilson, Sean (2018-01-06). "In praise of Gary Oldman's performance in True Romance". Flickering Myth. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Robberson, Joe (2018-08-17). "20 Things You Never Knew About 'True Romance'". Zimbio. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Plumb, Ali (2018-01-31). "Movies That Made Me: Gary Oldman". BBC. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ True Romance (1993) - Drexl Spivey. "Best of Gary Oldman". MSN Movies. 2011. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - ^ Freeman, Thomas (March 21, 2018). "Gary Oldman Is Turning 60, So Revisit His 10 Best Roles of All Time". Maxim. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ McCormick, Colin (2019-11-09). "Quentin Tarantino's 10 Biggest Hot Mess Characters, Ranked: 9. Drexl (True Romance)". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Farquhar, Peter (2015-09-15). "Here's who Quentin Tarantino originally wanted to star in 'Pulp Fiction'". Business Insider Australia. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Roberts, Chris (August 1999). "Gary Oldman: A sheep in wolf's clothing". Uncut (27). IPC Media.
[True Romance] wouldn't have been [Oldman's] last Tarantino collaboration, had TriStar execs gotten their way ... Oldman was the preferred choice for [Lance].
- ^ "50 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About Pulp Fiction". ShortList. October 28, 2013. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Wenn (2006-09-20). "Cobain Turned Down 'Pulp Fiction' Role". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
- ^ Murthi, Vikram (2018-03-25). "Bill Hader creates a new life on stage in the Barry series premiere". AV Club. Retrieved 2020-01-09.
Category:Fictional murderers Category:Film characters introduced in 1993 Category:Fictional drug dealers Category:Characters created by Quentin Tarantino Category:Action film villains Category:Fictional pimps Category:Fictional gangsters Category:Fictional characters from Michigan