Long live Bill Nighy. In a long and celebrated career, the 72 year old Surrey-born actor has never given a bad, let alone a blah, performance, but in this remake of the 1952 Kurosawa classic, Ikiru, written by Kazuo Ishiguro, he’s taut in a way that feels different.
Nighy has always avoided taking centre stage in prestige film projects. You can’t blame BAFTA or Academy voters for not giving him Best Actor prizes; he hasn’t given them the chance. But if he was scared of being called a drama queen, he’s now faced down that fear. Along with The Banshees of Inisherin’s Colin Farrell, Nighy deserves big love at all the awards ceremonies that matter in 2023.
