To be honest Death Stranding isn’t the only inspiration for this post. Far from it. Decades and decades of watching great movies from the Death Stranding actors are. And just who are those actors that I’m talking about? Guillermo Del Toro And Norman Reedus.
Indeed, I’m very well aware of the fact that Guillermo Del Toro is primarily a director (not an actor), and that there are plenty of other great actors from Death Stranding I should mention here. Respected actors like Mads Mikkelsen, Troy Baker, or Tommie Earl Jenkins.
But, since their professional partnership has been going strong for more than 2 decades now, I thought that it’s best to discuss that instead. I mean, that partnership did deliver some pretty kick-ass movies over the years. And I feel that I must mention some of them. But first…
Death Stranding actors and what’s the game all about?
Well, It’s Hideo Kojima’s first video game after he left Konami in 2015. And of course, Norman Reedus is in the main role. Death Stranding is an open-world game in which Reedus is Sam Porter Bridges. A courier tasked with delivering supplies to the fractured and isolated colonies and cities (also known as Knots). He’s also responsible for reconnecting them via a wireless communications network (also known as Chiral Network). Death Stranding is also available for pre-purchase here at IndieGala. And if you’re particularly interested in reading more about the game, then please enjoy the great review my colleague did on Death Stranding. It’s fantastic. Give it a read.
Death Stranding actors and their love for video games
Now, before I transition to the movie portion, I must mention their partnerships in the gaming industry as well. Pre-Death Stranding that is. Look, I know that plenty of fans both of Kojima and Reedus (and Del Toro to be honest) are still healing the wounds after the Silent Hills cancellation, so I won’t rub salt on them. They will just have to imagine what this game would be like if it was actually made. Would it have been a masterpiece? One can only assume. We’ll probably never know for sure though. But the Death Stranding actors got back up, dusted the dirt of their shoulders and delivered something new and refreshing. Death Stranding.
Del Toro And Reedus: Bridging the gap between video games and cinema
But before they became a type of a buffer between the film industry and the gaming industry, Guillermo Del Toro and Norman Reedus were just two rookies trying to make it in Hollywood. Seriously. Del Toro had only done one movie in Hollywood (the amazing Cronos) and that was the case with Reedus as well. He was a model before making it in Hollywood, with only one movie in his resume.
However, let me tell you about my first introduction to both of them. As I recall it was September 1997. My friend and I went to the movies with the intention to watch The Game.
David Fincher’s thriller was just released but we couldn’t find tickets. So instead of going back home, we thought to watch what’s available. The next best thing, if you will. To make the trip to the movies worth it and to kill 2 hours of our time. In the movie theater next to us, there was a big poster that had the word MIMIC on them. A man in a hazmat suit walking in some sort of a tunnel was also on the poster, and we thought… Oh well, we’re here, we might as well give it a shot, since Mimic was released just a month or two prior.
Best decision I made that evening. It made me an instant Guillermo Del Toro fan, and I’m a fan to this very day.
Guillermo Del Toro and Norman Reedus- Match made in heaven
And if you look closely, Norman has a very small role in Mimic, but you remember him. You can’t help but remember him, long after watching this movie. And I think that’s the thing with Del Toro And Reedus. Besides having the same interests and the same taste in movies, games and so on… They compliment each other, and most of all to bring out the best of each other.
Most importantly, Del Toro knows how to utilize Reedus’s talents and weird charisma in the most memorable way. As any good director would actually. For instance, Reedus has about a 1-minute long scene in Mimic, but you remember him more than you remember the scene in which he was in. And this was Reedus’s second movie in his entire career. I guess, that asset made a stand out in a big ensemble TV show like The Walking Dead. With so many forgettable actors and characters in each passing season, Daryl Dixon is still a constant in an otherwise fading TV show.
Reedus’s role in Blade 2 was much bigger, but it had the same effect. You remember that pot smoking dude, and you want Spud to occupy more scenes of the movie. And I know that Del Toro’s partnership with Ron Perlman is even more iconic (with even more screen roles) but Del Toro and Reedus have an iconic gaming connection.
Favorite movies from Del Toro and Reedus?
And speaking of favorite movies from the Death Stranding actors… picking just one is going to be tough. Really tough. I mean how can you choose the best Guilerrmo Delo Toro movie? I certainly can’t. But I can tell you that the man can make better comic book adaptation that Marvel can dream of ever making. And I’m dead serious about this.
For instance, Hellboy is a true masterpiece of modern cinema and I dare anyone to say anything different. Seriously I dare you. It’s a god damn perfect comic book adaptation. And it’s one of his movies that I come back to more often than I’d like to admit. The man won an Oscar for the Shape of Water (which is fantastic BTW don’t get me wrong) but Hellboy holds a special place in my heart even to this day. Maybe because I adore the comic books, Del Toro and Perlman so much, that I can watch Hellboy over and over again.
And while I’m on the subject of Norman Reedus’s favorite movie, I’m going to pick several of them. Because why not? Mimic, The Boondock Saints, The Conspirator and even Triple 9. Loved that movie too. Norman Reedus is not most director’s first pick when it comes to the leading men, but Reedus can sure elevate a role. As small as it may be. Luckily, Del Toro knows that, and Hideo Kojima knows that too.
Your thoughts
What are your thoughts on the Del Toro and Reedus partnership? The Death Stranding actors? Did you like them in Hideo Kojima’s brand new video game? Furthermore, what’s your favorite movie of them? Tell us in the comment section. We’d love to know all about it.
