Some actors simply play a character in a film, but rarely will an actor make that character seemingly become real. Rutger Hauer is such an actor. His performances aren’t over the top, nor are they phoned in and infamously bad, but they are hypnotic in a way that feels nearly dangerous. It’s one of those rare instances where an actor disappears into a role and becomes something else. You don’t even notice he’s vanished and instead of seeing him on the screen, you see the character coming to life.

Having appeared in over 150 films to date, Rutger has undoubtedly played some of the most unnerving, psychotic and memorable characters in cinema history, undeniably able to convincingly become that character, like a nightmare come to life. So to celebrate his birthday, I’ve decided to take a look back at five of his performances that define how far he is able to take his talent.

Flesh + Blood
Rutger Hauer plays the least immoral and disgusting character in a film by Robocop director Paul Verhoeven full of despicable people, but hey… they didn’t call it “the dark ages” for nothing. Like most people of that era, Hauer’s character Martin is selfish and violent and you should, for every reason you will see, hate him. But this is where Rutger is able to show you what acting is and takes you for a little mind ride, as you actually start to side with this guy. Sure, he starts to make the right decisions, but does that make him a good person? It truly is debateable and you will be thinking about this long after the movie is over.

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Blind Fury
Unless this were a Zatoichi film, I would scoff at the idea of a blind samurai/Vietnam veteran rescuing the son of one of his buddies, but you throw Rutger Hauer in there and give him a sword, it will work. Now, I’m sure a stunt double was used for some of the sword fighting, but Rutger didn’t use this as an excuse to half ass it. Not only does the guy have to pretend he is blind, but he has to convincingly handle a sword. I couldn’t do either of those, one at a time, if I tried. And that fight scene with legendary Sho Kosugi…

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Blade Runner
Roy Batty is right, because this android is absolutely batty! This is the role he is probably best known for. He’s just an android who wants a longer life span and will do whatever it takes to get it, even if it’s impossible. He’s absolutely ghastly, but once again, you can’t help but feel where he is coming from and his desire to live a full life. Sure, he’s going about it a totally wrong and violent way, but is that because he was made that way? Either way, I don’t want to argue semantics, since we are here to talk about his performance, but maybe I just answered my question. It’s Rutger’s performance that is so (no pun intended) lifelike that makes it debateable.

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The Hitcher
If there anyone ever gives you the impression that you should be afraid of them, it’s definitely John Ryder. All the dangers of picking up a hitchhiker your parents warned you about are brought to life in this film. At first, he seems (kinda) normal, but quickly escalates into a shell of a person with no conscience or remorse, as he plays the world’s most shocking game of cat and mouse with the wimpy kid from Red Dawn. Such a raw intensity is brought to the role and even if you look at it like a cheesy horror flick, there is no denying that whenever Rutger popped up on screen, you were frightened and nervous. What Jaws did for swimming, I think The Hitcher did for people who pick up hitchhikers.

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Hobo With a Shotgun
Bringing the titular character to life in Jason Eisener’s larger than life, low-down dirty homage to exploitation films, he’s a character that has been through it all and seen it all… and he’s sick and tired of it. All he wants is to save some money to buy a lawn mower to earn an honest living, but society keeps spitting in his face until one day, he can’t take it anymore. He begins to deal out justice one shell at a time! You really feel sympathetic for this character and I have to admit, I questioned how maybe I have been treating others. Not that I treat people like crap, mind you, I just became more aware of it. For a low-budget film that was originally a fake trailer as part of a the Grindhouse contest, he really puts everything he has into this role to make you feel something for a character in a film that would be viewed as b-movie trash. Rutger turns this hobo who’s sick of society and crime running amok into a fearful vengeance machine. He’s just as loveable as he is dangerous, but you have nothing to fear as long as you are a good person.

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