MovieChat Forums > John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) Discussion > Mark Dacascos Should Have Played It Stra...

Mark Dacascos Should Have Played It Straight

posted 4 years ago by cyguration (3951)
3 replies | jump to latest

I really like Mark Dacascos and I thought his look for Zero was perfect. Posing as a Japanese sushi chef was pretty cool, and being the leader of a group of top-notch assassins was spot on.

However, his goofy portrayal was Zero was a serious letdown.

It would have been so much cooler had he played Zero straight, as a non-sense, emotionless badass. This way when he would have said he admired John Wick because they were the "same" it would have given you reason to believe Wick was not like Zero because Wick was not a stone-cold, heartless killer.

Having Zero act goofy and fawning over Wick really took away from the character.

[–] ShogunofYonkers (77566) 4 years ago

I liked his performance as a cold blooded killer with self esteem issues and a fascination with the man he wanted so badly to kill

There was some humor there that added depth to the movie imo

[–] Druff (1802) 4 years ago

Disagree. Playing it straight would have been too flat. He served as a great foil for Wick, who Keanu plays as straight as straight gets. I wouldn't call the Zero performance "goofy." It was just slightly... colorful.

[–] cyguration (3951) 4 years ago

I don't think it would have been too flat, especially when you compare this to The Man From Nowhere, which had a very similar setup and showdown between the protagonist and the hired killer.

Except in The Man From Nowhere, both Won Bin and Thanayong Wongtrakul played their roles completely straight, and the movie was certainly better for it. You couldn't wait to see the showdown and had bated breath as the end drew near.

Here? I was disappointed at how lighthearted Dacascos' character was, and how he didn't seem to take things quite as seriously as he should. It would have made the showdown even more dynamic seeing two stoic, completely hardened killers facing off, letting their skills and determination tell the story, rather than involving the comical side-antics as displayed by Dascascos' character.