I’ve been meaning to watch Mysterious Skin for quite some time now, and I finally got around to it last night.  Now it’s not a movie that I’m gonna watch over and over again, in fact it may not be something that I ever watch again, but it is definitely a film that I would suggest everyone see, simply for the performance that Joseph Gordon-Levitt puts in.  I won’t go over the details of the film because this post is not intended to be about that specific film but rather Gordon-Levitt himself.

Like most other people my first exposure to Levitt was the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996-2001) with the occasional film role thrown in for good measure (Halloween H2O, 10 Things I Hate About You).  It wasn’t until I saw Brick that I began to take notice of projects his name was attached to, in fact that’s why I watched both The Lookout and Killshot which were both kind of ordinary, but enjoyable because of the presence of Levitt.  Brick is one of my all-time favourite films not only because of the presence of Levitt but also because of the fantastic noir storyline, the mood and atmosphere that Rian Johnson injected into it, and the performances of everyone in the cast.

I wasn’t even aware of Mysterious Skin until some time after I saw Brick in 2005, and I think it’s taken me this long to watch it because of the heavy material which it covers.  Now I can understand that some people won’t want to sit through a film that deals with paedophilia, homosexual characters, rape, and violence, but in the end this film tells the emotional journey of two characters that ultimately proves to be a very moving experience.  I’m glad that I saw this film, and I’m especially glad that my faith in Levitt paid off and despite his more recent efforts I consider him to be an immensely talented actor, who makes brave choices for roles.

In the future Levitt has a number of interesting films scheduled for release.  In 2009 alone he has 500 Days of Summer, Women in Trouble, and the summer blockbuster G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.  Whilst in 2010 and beyond he has Hesher (starring alongside Natalie Portman), Elektra Luxx, Inception (the highly secretive Christopher Nolan film), and The Frog King.

There are only a handful of actors and actresses that will make me see any film, they include Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Zooey Deschanel, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  I think it’s important to note that comedic actors will always be funny, once you find someone funny you’ll always find them funny, so it should come as no surprise to want to see any movie they’re in.  Dramatic actors are different because their roles can change quite drastically.  I think this shows how highly I regard Joseph Gordon-Levitt if I would see him in any film no matter what, because, like Mysterious Skin, the material in the film could be very offputting but his presence alone would elevate the quality of it.

Ultimately I think the relative young age of Levitt (he’s only 28), the impressive number of roles he’s undertaken, and the quality of his performances all indicate that he’s one of the best, if not the best, young actors working in Hollywood today.  You can count me in to see everything he does, and I hope I’ve convinced some of you reading this to seek out his films.  You won’t be disappointed.