MovieChat Forums > The Stepfather (1987) Discussion > O'Quinn made this movie.

O'Quinn made this movie.

posted 13 years ago by luxmissus
12 replies | jump to latest

There were a lot of nice elements but O'Quinn was stand out. I'd seen him in the X-files (and probably Millennium though I don't recall.) Even in those small parts he was magnetic.

This was a revelation, however. He drives the intensity of the movie and I couldn't take my eyes off of him when he was in the scene. I'm not sure why his career was not higher profile until Lost.

---with only minutes to react we've somehow been killed by a stick insect -- Londinieres

[–] Doom 13 years ago

Amen.

------

Wait a minute... who am I here?

[–] OpaqueOne 13 years ago

Yes, O' Quinn was great. I think it was his own reluctance to be typecast that made him shy away from thrillers. It took some convincing for him to return for Stepfather 2. There was no way he would agree to do the third. After those two films he also did a couple TV movies portraying disturbed characters. So, it was most likely his own desire to break away from such roles that eventually led him to seek a lower profile, at least until Lost.

[–] asgard-5 12 years ago

I had no idea he was that good. Never cared for him in any of his tv shows or supporting parts in films like Blind Fury, but this is just fantastic.

[–] WarpedRecord 12 years ago

Terry O'Quinn really is scary-good in this film. I can't imagine any other actor in the role, and this film would have felt like the standard-issue horror flick with the wrong actor in the lead. He's a fine actor who finally is getting the attention he deserves. Too bad it took so long.

[–] asgard-5 12 years ago

I think he deserves better work. He's doing so many tv shows that he basically plays the same guy in all of them, or at least they hire him to play the same guy - that's not very interesting.

[–] franzkabuki 11 years ago

Yeah he makes an outstandingly menacing and authentic-feeling psycho; surprised I`ve never seen the guy in anything else. He`s also helped here by a rather evocative, atmospheric direction and an effective score. Definitely a better film than I expected, all in all.

"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

[–] IrinaOma 10 years ago

Stop overrating him! I didn't notice anything special in his acting

[–] leadzeppelin69 10 years ago

Clam down! Everyone has a right to their opinion, just because you don't agree with theirs doesn't mean you should tell them to stop saying what they think.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] fiatlux-1 10 years ago

I thought O'Quinn was chilling as pyschopathic Jerry, but the only scene I really don't like is toward the end when he says "You've been a baaad girl!".
That line came off so cheesy.
Perhaps that was the director's intention, as we see moments of dark humor throughout (such as the 'Jim, next time call before you come by' line)...but the 'bad girl' one just didn't work.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] Doom 10 years ago

I agree.

This line may have worked for a trailer, but not in the actual film.

------

Wait a minute... who am I here?

[–] [deleted] 2 years ago

He was good and so was Jill Schoelen.