Stark choices

Iron Man presents a superhero in search of redemption | Sam Thielman

It's understating the case to say that Robert Downey Jr., an actor with bottomless reservoirs of charm, is good in Iron Man. He is Iron Man, and not just the character, but the film itself—a total popcorn flick in which Downey gives what may be the best performance on screen this year. Beyond mere professionalism, though, it's encouraging to see someone with a precise, instinctual grasp of his craft in a user-friendly blockbuster movie. It's like a comic book by Nabokov.

Speaking of comic books, the Marvel Comics character of engineer Tony Stark is a perfect fit for Downey, whose potentially brilliant career has unfurled in fits and starts, handicapped by his heavily publicized substance abuse problems. The ultra-slick Stark has similar quirks: alcoholism, an irresponsible streak a mile wide, and a feckless lack of conscience that gets him, immediately, into loads of trouble. In the movie's opening sequence, Stark is chatting with the soldiers ferrying him from his latest weapons demonstration, glibly asserting that "Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy."

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May 17, 2008, Vol. 23, No. 10

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