Remember back in 2009 when Sam Worthington was the biggest thing since sliced bread? After the success of James Cameron’s Avatar, the little known actor broke out and became a bankable name. But then something happened, the buzz surrounding the Aussie actor died down considerably. Films like The Debt, Man on a Ledge and Texas Killing Fields have pushed him far under the radar. Now, the actor may just want to take it easy before he gears up for Avatar 2, but his rather unimpressive filmography as of late isn’t helping his career. And it seems as that trend will continue as Worthington is set to star in an indie action/thriller titled For The Dogs.
An adaptation of Kevin Wignall’s novel, the Phillip Noyce helmed film will be penned by Oren Moverman. For those unfamiliar with the story, it follows a “a lone assassin (Worthington) in Italy who keeps an eye on a young college girl as a favor to her father. When the girl’s entire family is murdered, the assassin reluctantly agrees to help her get revenge, even though the only thing he really wants is to reconnect with his former girlfriend and his estranged daughter.”
Admittedly, this doesn’t sound too bad. Noyce has directed some solid action in the past and I really enjoyed Moverman’s first two films (The Messenger and Rampart). Both were excellent character dramas that were very well written. As for Worthington, he’s a bit hit or miss but most of the time I just find him to be dull. He is watchable and some of his work isn’t too bad, but there’s definitely a reason that he hasn’t really established his brand yet.
For now, we’ll leave For The Dogs on the “has potential but could easily bomb” list. I don’t think that this is what Worthington really needs right now at this point in his career but then again, he has Avatar 2 and 3 coming up, so can you really blame him for wanting to lay low for a little while?
What do you think? Are you excited to see Sam Worthington star in For The Dogs?
