Modern Badassery

Friends,
remember the old days of badassery? Rambo, the Terminator, Robocop? Hulking monolithic men who shot bullets out of their gigantic guns, or actual arms, depending on their hybrid infrastructure?

Whilst the new enlightened male of the '00/aughts can go too far to downright wussy, there has emerged a new breed of badass in pop culture, and herewith I offer three of
my favorites:


1. Matt Damon as Jason Bourne. A no brainer. He renewed his career with this role, and though he looks no taller than say 5'10" and looks as if he should be installed as homecoming king, his intense intellect and way with the martial arts ensures his station as #1 badass today.



2. Damien Lewis as Charlie Crews in the NBC drama, Life. I've gone on and on about this show, and Crews' character - a blend of winking humor, metaphysical exploration, and laser-sharp intellect - is one of the most distinctive and, strangely enough, poignant portrayals from the fall '07 season. Crews has been in jail for over a decade for a crime he didnt' commit; after a few rough months (years?) he comes across a book about zen, and doesn't look back. Lewis (British by birth) never pushes the zen; he half smirks at it and half depends on it for sanity. His partner, Dani (Sarah Shahi) is stuck with him after her own bout with rehab, but she sees enough of his badass jail survival skills in his many encounters with criminals to have a respect for him that grows from grudging to relatively enthusiastic. He brutally attacks a guy who hit his girlfriend. He nearly shivs - illegally - a suspect. He is a thin, ginger-haired, pale guy- and he is a baddass.



3. You'd think I'd be sick of Law and Order by now. But they've surprised me- with the excellent Linus Roache joining the crew, and badass Jeremy Sisto. Sisto was first inducted into my personal badass club during the underrated Kidnapped; now he's back as Interpol-ish NYPD detetive Lupo, a dark guy with enough sardonic wit to instill a Jerry-Orbach-esque bite back into the proceedings. He looks like the slightly dirty boy who sat in the back of class in 8th grade and was into cars, but with his heavy lidded intensity, he is pure badass.

These men make me, a diminutive rabbit with a penchant for pink bowties, think that I too, could be a badass. Well, in my dreams, anyways.