Gabriel Macht Suited Up as a Superhero Opposite Scarlett Johansson & Samuel L. Jackson Before He Became Your Favorite Lawyer on ‘Suits’
Gabriel Macht is, without a doubt, a curious and dynamic actor. His brilliant role as the suave, smart Harvey Specter in Suits and, now, Suits LA, has almost perennially defined him as the character. It’s easy to see why, he does such a fantastic job as the best closer in the legal world that it can be difficult to imagine him playing any other characters. And perhaps that’s why his filmography is so scant. He hasn’t even been in a film since 2013, which will be utterly shocking for many people to hear. He has not quite taken a break from Hollywood, but his work in Suits has meant he has at least been well occupied with a big performance for most of his career.
But to look at the films he did, particularly those that came before being cast as Harvey Specter, reveals some fascinating choices and films. One, though, stands above the rest. In 2008, Macht starred as the titular masked crimefighter in The Spirit, an adaptation of the DC Comics character by renowned comic-book artist Frank Miller. An astoundingly strong cast gathered around Macht, including Eva Mendes, Samuel L. Jackson, and Scarlett Johansson, which seemingly would have set the film up for enormous success. Sadly, critics and audiences alike didn’t see much worth praising in The Spirit, though Macht’s performance was one of its highlights, and it’s now seen as something of a cult classic.
What Is ‘The Spirit’ About?
Denny Colt AKA The Spirit (Macht), a masked detective-cum-superhero, is told that his greatest enemy, The Octopus (Jackson), has resurfaced. He liaises with Officer Liebowitz (Miller) before coming across Detective Sussman (Dan Gerrity) who was wounded by Sand Seraf (Mendes). The Octopus arrives and he, alongside his companion Silken Floss (Johansson), fights The Spirit for chests that contain mystical powers of earth-shattering proportions. As The Spirit’s lover, Ellen Dolan (Sarah Paulson), helps him recover from his gunshot wounds, The Octopus discovers that his chest contains the Golden Fleece and not the Blood of Heracles.
As The Spirit hunts for The Octopus’ lair, he is trapped by the seductive assassin Plaster of Paris (Paz Vega) from whom he later escapes after seducing her. He is confronted by Lorelei (Jaime King), the Angel of Death, who tries to seduce him underwater. He escapes as The Octopus and Floss meet up with Sand to exchange the Golden Fleece for the Blood of Heracles, the key ingredient in his recipe for an immortality serum. Needless to say, storywise, The Spirit is a curious ride from start to finish.
‘The Spirit’ Fumbles the Story, but Delivers a Visual Spectacle
The Spirit is a great many things, most of which are not the most flattering to the amount of talent assembled to create this film. The plot is constantly moving and jumping to different characters in different situations with little context given. The seductive powers of The Spirit, or the film’s obsession over his fraternizing with women, are inexplicably something the film spends a surprising majority of its runtime on. Even for a superhero film, the zaniness of the plot is bizarre, almost making the film difficult to watch.
Which is a great shame because there are some elements of a superb film in there somewhere. The cinematography from Bill Pope is glorious, effectively capturing the shadow-like cartoonishness of Central City in Miller’s distinctive style. The graphic novel-like visuals, filled with high-contrast black-and-white visuals, pops of red, surreal lighting, and comic book panel-like framing, turn the film into something of a piece of moving art. It elevates it to another level entirely, carving a place out for the film alongside Miller’s more popular films like Sin City.
Most fans will know this film because of its visual style or because of Samuel L. Jackson’s outlandish performance as the villain, but its real strength is the performance from Macht. He leans into the stylized melodrama required for the role in such a pulpy, noir-esque film. His dead-pan detective energy, coupled with the internal monologs, give the film a consistent anchor amid its wild visuals and eccentric characters. He delivers a Humphrey Bogart-like charm with which he imbues his character, pulled straight from the great noir films of the 40s and 50s.
Macht more than holds his own amongst the cast of heavy-hitters. In the midst of wild, over-the-top dialogue and bizarre characters, the cast do all commit to the bit and manage to produce a cohesive chemistry, with Macht playing the straight man to the theatrics of every other cast member extremely well. The Spirit was by far not the best superhero film of 2008, nor is it one of the best you’re ever likely to see. Does that make it not worth watching? Not in the slightest. The visuals are undoubtedly, idiosyncratically good, allowing a brilliant cast to indulge themselves in the pulp of it all, led by a commanding performance from Gabriel Macht. Perhaps, Macht will return to making movies soon.
- Release Date
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December 25, 2008
- Runtime
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103 minutes
- Director
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Frank Miller
- Writers
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Frank Miller
