3.
Eastern Promises
Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen)
I watched Eastern Promises again while compiling the images and clips for this top ten and it was interesting how familiar Howard Shore’s score is to me now. About a year or so ago I included a few select tracks from his score in a playlist I would listen to on a loop while I was working and it is simply one of the best from recent years.
As for Viggo Mortensen’s tattoos as Nikolai, well, I don’t want to say too much so as not to spoil the film for those that haven’t seen it, but I think it’s safe to say they say everything about the character and mark a turning point in the film heading into the final moments and for those that have seen it, they say even more.
2.
Memento
Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce)
You could easily make an argument for why this tattoo should be #1 considering the way Leonard Shelby depends on the markings he’s made on his body to live each day. Of course, the film has caused legions to question everything about the film due to a brief glimpse at a tattoo seen only once in the entire film… “I did it”… what could it mean?
The mystery boggles the mind and is one of the reasons I love this film and consider this to be one of the best tattoos I’ve seen in movies.
1.
The Night of the Hunter
Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum)
Perhaps I am making this my #1 placement because this is my favorite film of the five I’ve listed here, but the “Love/Hate” speech from Robert Mitchum is just one example of what could be looked at as either one of the most menacing performances of all-time or one of the greatest pieces of black comedy of all-time.
The first time I saw Night of the Hunter I scoffed at it. I heard how great it was and how scary it was and watched the first time expecting something altogether different than what Mitchum and director Charles Laughton delivered. However, watching it a second time a year or so later and my impression totally changed.
I don’t remember how many times I watched it while reviewing Criterion’s Blu-ray edition, but as the words “love” and “hate” contradictorily simmer throughout the entire film I grew to love it even more and more. From the first moments Harry Powell looks out beyond his jail cell bars and thanks God for the situation he’s put him in the film just stews with evil and I enjoyed watching it yet again while making this list.
So there you have it, that’s my list of my five favorite movie tattoos, but I’m sure you’ll have other favorites, hopefully some I haven’t even mentioned on my list or in my introduction as I couldn’t possibly have listed them all. Also, I think it’s the subtle ones, specifically those like the “love” and “hate” knuckle tattoos Harry wears in Night of the Hunter that play so much better than tattoos such as the giant back tattoo in Red Dragon.
With that said, list your favorites below… will Rooney Mara’s tattoo in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo soon become one of them?
