I was more scared by Dromgoole yelling "It means ... WE HAVE A PROBLEM!!!!!" (after all he really is Jonathan "Black Jack" Randall) than by all the scenes with Roper. Roper seemed like a nice but eccentric uncle, and I just couldn't relate to him being a highly dangerous villain. Too bad, since Hugh Laurie is such a fine and versatile actor.
shareI have to disagree completely, even Dromgoole's yelling . . .THAT came off weird and unconvincing to me. Hugh Laurie is a genius and I found his subtlety terrifying! His glee and satisfaction after the weapons display was so evil. I imagine that it's difficult to play a character that is so evil but has to live like a normal person, every once in a while you'd get a glimpse of madness like he enjoyed the suffering, it was more than just making money to him or that he didn't care what pain he caused, he was well aware and was charismatic about it, not even glib or oblivious to it, he LIKED it.
shareTotally agree. Would have been easy for an actor in the role to be an over-the-top cartoon villain. Laurie did and amazing job of portraying a glib, charming exterior with the cold, ruthless killer just barely below the surface. Those who don't recognize it may have never been exposed to these kinds of people in real life. They can be quite terrifying and difficult to spot until they "flip the switch."
shareAgreed. I kept expecting Jeeves the Butler to appear whenever Roper was in a scene.
'What ho, Piltchie old bean!'