D is for Drexl, Clarence shot without thinking
A-Z of Movie Deaths
When anyone asks me, “What’s your favourite film cameo of all time?”, (and you’d be surprised how often I get asked…) I turn to True Romance.
It’s a film filled with a number of high-profile turns that could all answer that question.
From the Dennis Hopper/Christopher Walken confrontation, to Brad Pitt’s couch-hugging junkie slacker Floyd. It is truly a cavalcade of superbly written and beautifully acted cameos, one after the other, that elevate True Romance to one of the best action films of the 1990's.
In my opinion, second only to Lee Donowitz’s incredible Coming Home In A Bodybag.
But the turn that really stands out in this movie, for me, is Gary Oldman as Alabama’s terrifying pimp, Drexl Spivey.
I don’t need to talk at length about Gary Oldman’s acting prowess, or how he seamlessly inhabits one character to the next. He’s built up quite the resume over the last 40 years.
With dreadlocks, wonky eye and cheetah print dressing gown, Drexl leaves a lasting impression. On screen for only 7 minutes, the dangerous white pimp who thinks he’s black, dies in the most amusing way.
Christian Slater’s Clarence, the hero of the piece, fights with Drexl, and after gaining the upper hand, shoots him in the groin and in the head, taking down some expensive-looking fish tanks in the process.
The artwork
Drexl suffers the indignity of being shot in his undies. His dressing gown flailing open, he sends the occupants of his fancy aquarium to fishy heaven in a shower of glass as he crashes through the tanks.
I had some fun with this - altering Seth Stanley’s usually black pupil to a cool blue-grey to replicate Drexl’s odd pigment condition.
It was also fun really treating this like collage, with fake animal print for the dressing gown, a repeating pattern for the wallpaper and some brown felt for Drexl’s dreads. I used a spatter brush to make the blood stains on the wall behind (and the patch on his undies).
Drexl was my D cos I really wanted to draw him, and I was pleased with how this one turned out.
Who would be your D? Any ideas who could have replaced Drexl? Or maybe someone I could line up for a Volume 2?
(I’m still unfinished from S onwards - ideas are always welcome!)
Thanks for reading!
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I'm curious Johnson, why did Drexl think he was black?
Anyway, congrats on creating your mini e-book. I like the over image.