Civil War, the new movie from A24 and director Alex Garland has an all-star cast, including one actor who will continue a 10-year trend of playing creepy roles across both television and movies. In a movie built around the idea of the United States devolving into a violent internal conflict, there should be no shortage of unsavory characters that led the country to this point. The hints given out in the trailer, however, pinpoint one important role played by a master of dark and malevolent characters.
The trailer for Civil War stars Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, and Nick Offerman as an on-the-rise fascist United States President, Civil War appears to skirt around the edge of what a plausible American dystopia would look like. In the film, the Western Forces have a united military under a new American flag and are fighting a dictatorial takeover of the country. That story opens the door for any number of roles to leave audiences uncomfortable, but one character, in particular, stands out as representative of the dark themes delivered by the film.
Jesse Plemons Plays Another Creepy Villain In Civil War
In the trailer for Civil War, Jesse Plemons plays a prominent role as some kind of military adversary who confronts the Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura characters. As all the reasons for what caused the civil war in the new A24 movie are not yet clear, what is known is that the American people are fractured into two sides with some siding with Nick Offerman’s United States President and others trying to fight against what they perceive to be the rise of a tyrannical government. The trailer strongly implies that Plemons’ character is fighting on behalf of the U.S. President.
His question to journalists Dunst and Wagner “What kind of American are you?” is layered with complexity and gives a sense of the tensions among varying factions within America throughout this movie. Plemons, through his literal rose-colored glasses, seemingly sees the world as black and white; that these travelers are either with him and his cause or against them. The trailer does not display the full conversation, but Plemons is next seen raising his weapon against the two and their child, meaning that Plemons’ psyche in the movie is apparently that of someone who believes violence is the answer if others do not agree with him.
A Full History Of Jesse Plemons Playing Creepy Characters In Movies & TV Shows
This character from Civil War continues a decade-long trend of Jesse Plemons playing some of the creepiest and most vile characters that have appeared on television and in movies. Since his breakout performances on Varsity Blues and Friday Night Lights, Plemons has evolved into one of Hollywood’s most accomplished dramatic actors, usually playing characters with a harrowing dark side. While he will periodically pop up in comedic roles, such as in the movie Game Night, his most praised performances have come as villains or antagonists.
Beginning with Todd Alquist, a soft-spoken, murdering white supremacist in the last season of Breaking Bad, and continuing for the last 11 years, Plemons has defined his craft with creepy roles. In addition to Todd Alquist, Plemons played creepy Jake in I’m Thinking of Ending Things, disgruntled husband Ed Blumquist in season 2 of Fargo, the reclusive Captain Robert Daly in the highly-regarded “U.S.S. Callister” episode of Black Mirror, remorseless Allan Gore in Love & Death, and most recently Tom White in Killers of the Flower Moon. Each of these was defined by Plemons’ calm and quiet style before learning more about a sinister side to the character.
Jesse Plemons’ role as some kind of militaristic anarchist or militia member in Civil War should continue a long streak of dark roles. As he teams up again with real-life wife Kirsten Dunst who was among the first to join the new A24 movie, audiences can expect another haunting performance that has become the hallmark of Plemons’ great acting career.
