With a career spanning almost 200 film and television credits, you probably know John Saxon, even if you don't. The native Brooklynite started out studying with Stella Adler before becoming a Universal contract player in the 1950s. Early on his was cast heartthrob roles and became something of a teen idol, going on to win a Golden Globe for "New Star of The Year." In the 1970s, he would go on to become an industry stalwart and well-respected character actor: playing fathers, policemen, and outlaws for directors from Hollywood to Hong Kong.
Passing away earlier this week at the age of 83, John Saxon leaves behind a diverse body of work in which he was rarely the star, but always possessed a stolid, cherished screen presence that has endeared him to countless film lovers.
10 Black Christmas (1974) - 71%
Anonymous phone calls take a murderous turn in this foundational Canadian slasher from Bob Clark. As winter break looms, the sisters of a sorority house are plagued by a disturbed prank caller while enjoying their holiday festivities. Jess (Olivia Hussey), Barb (Margot Kidder), and Phyllis (Andrea Martin) think nothing of it until one of their friends, Claire (Lynne Griffin) goes missing. Did she skip town, or could there be a maniac targeting the girls?
Four years before John Carpenter solidified the slasher template with Halloween (1978), Bob Clark's film laid the groundwork. Saxon is featured as Lieutenant Ken Fuller in one of the stalwart policeman roles that would be his meat and potatoes as an actor.
9 A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) - 74%
Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) returns to do battle with Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) once again in this sequel which sees her taking a position at a psychiatric ward to help teens with sleep disorders. As she hears the young people's stories, she realizes that the nightmares plaguing them aren't as harmless as they seem, and she'll have to enlist the help of a skeptical doctor (Craig Wasson) and her investigator father (Saxon) to end Freddy for good.
Though he largely plays an antagonist to his daughter in the original film, Saxon gets more time to shine in his second Elm Street film, going toe-to-toe with a skeletal Freddy in an unforgettable moment of sacrifice.
8 Tenebrae (1982) - 75%
While on a promotional tour in Rome, crime author Peter Neal (Anthony Franciosa) finds himself involved with a real-life murder mystery, in which a serial killer has been butchering women before stuffing pages from his novel in their mouths.
Saxon got the opportunity to play one of his stalwart investigator roles for Italian master of the macabre, Dario Argento, in what is one of the last great Giallo thrillers.
7 Mr. Hobbs Takes A Vacation (1962) - 80%
Roger Hobbs (James Stewart) is an overworked banker who wants nothing more to spend a relaxing vacation all alone with his wife, Peggy (Maureen O'Hara). Unfortunately for Roger, Peggy insists on bringing the kids along and inviting the couple's two elder daughters and their sons-in-law, who also come with a bevy of marital issues. Roger is forced to help everyone else sort out their troubles in the hope of getting some peace and quiet.
Saxon plays a smaller role as one of the aforementioned sons-in-law in this creaky comic vehicle, which is still worth watching for Jimmy Stewart in a cantankerous turn.
6 Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994) - 80%
In this bold, metatheatrical dismantling of the Elm Street mythos, Heather Langenkamp plays a version of herself contending with the all-consuming legacy of Freddy Krueger. As she ruminates making a new film with Wes Craven, her son, Dylan (Miko Hughes) starts having disturbing dreams about the infamous razor-fingered baddie. Is Heather overreacting? Or could movies and reality actually be bleeding into each other?
Though Craven's first meta-narrative was quickly eclipsed by Scream (1996), there's still a lot of fun to be had with New Nightmare, in watching the director reflect on the legacy of his most iconic character and Saxon and his cohorts play themselves.
5 Death of a Gunfighter (1969) - 83%
When Frank Patch (Richard Widmark), Sheriff of Cottonwood Springs, kills the town drunk in self-defense, officials and locals demand his resignation. Unwilling to step down, the denizens of Cottonwood Springs are left no other option but old testament style violence to remove Frank.
Saxon features as Lou Trinidad in this surprisingly solid Western, that bears the distinction being the first film ever credited to "Allen Smithee," a long-time pseudonym used by directors who wish to distance themselves from a project.
4 Joe Kidd (1972) - 86%
Joe Kidd (Clint Eastwood), is a former bounty hunter in possession of a ranch located near the stomping grounds of a cohort of Mexican revolutionaries. The group, led by Luis Chama (Saxon) demands that their land be restored by the American government, to no avail. Kidd initially declines to join the posse that forms to apprehend Chama, but after he discovers one of his horses has been stolen, he joins the hunt.
Also featuring Robert Duvall and shot from a script by Elmore Leonard, Joe Kidd should be better than it is considering the talent involved. And, of course, there's no getting around the fact that Saxon is miscast (and in brownface), though it's a fun performance in a so-bad-it's-good, scenery-chewing sort of way.
3 Fast Company (1979) - 88%
Drag racer Lonnie Johnson (William Smith) gets steamed when his manager, Phil Adamson (Saxon) inks an underhanded deal with his biggest competition in this uncharacteristic early David Cronenberg effort.
Saxon plays one of his juicier roles as a corporate sleaze-ball at odds with Smith's everyman hero.
2 A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) - 94%
When their friend dies a brutal, supernatural death while asleep, Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp) and her friends are haunted by dreams of a razor-gloved killer named Freddy Krueger. Too terrified to sleep, the teens try to discover what happened to Krueger and the dark secrets that their parents hold before he can claim all of their lives.
The film that launched an iconic series is the first to feature Saxon as Donald Thompson, final girl Nancy's policeman father. In a career full of law-and-order type roles, A Nightmare On Elm Street is Saxon's most indelible and has endeared him to generations of horror fans.
1 Enter the Dragon (1973) - 94%
In one of Bruce Lee's best-loved films, he plays a martial-artist on the hunt for the crime lord responsible for his sister's death. He chooses to compete in a martial arts tournament hosted by the killer, and, along the way, teams up with two other competitors (Saxon, Jim Kelly) with motives of their own.
Though he's, again, cast in a supporting role, playing second (okay, maybe third) banana to Bruce Lee is nice work, if you can get it, and Enter the Dragon gave Saxon a chance to shine in ways he was rarely afforded as a hard-hitting martial arts master.
July 31, 2020 at 09:30PM
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John Saxon’s 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes - Screen Rant
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