MovieChat Forums > The Long Goodbye (1973) Discussion > Sterling Hayden is absolutely amazing in...

Sterling Hayden is absolutely amazing in this movie.

posted 16 years ago by Ronald Quincy Dobbs
6 replies | jump to latest

He's so unpredictable and feral in it, he's just like a force of nature. He's one of those actors who always just seemed to have "it" in terms of presence and intensity, but didn't seem to be that naturally talented but incredibly effective when he's in a well placed role. Before I had seen this movie I hadn't really noticed how funny he is in The Godfather which is by all rights a pretty austere movie, "You gotta go, you gotta go"

There are some actors who have incredible talent but won't ever have one role as good as his work in this film, The Godfather, and Dr. Strangelove.

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[–] willerror 16 years ago

After seeing Hayden in LONG GOODBYE, I finally saw why Spielberg originally wanted him for Quint in JAWS.

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[–] WarpedRecord 15 years ago

I was mesmerized by Sterling Hayden's performance. I'm always impressed by him, but he was flat-out brilliant here, almost to the point of jumping off the screen into my living room. I was convinced he was drunk (could he have been?) because he played the part so well.

He was a terrific actor from the golden age of film (the '40s and '50s) who continued into another golden age (the '70s). In addition to the films you mentioned, he was amazing in "The Star" (1952) and one of his last films, "King of the Gypsies" (1978). Really, he was stunning in everything. What a remarkable actor.