Editor's note: The below article contains spoilers for Spiderhead.When looking at roles that come to define actors, it is often the case that their on-screen identity becomes intertwined with a single character in the imagination of the audience. This can, unfortunately, reduce them to just being that person when they have much more range to dig into. However, when they do get the chance to delve into a new role that challenges our perception of them, they can strike gold and disappear into a fresh new character. Chris Hemsworth in the solid new film Spiderhead is this in action. The Marvel star has made a name for himself as the all-powerful Thor, though it is this latest turn as the tech bro of terror in the new film from Joseph Kosinski where he has done his best work to date. Perfectly capturing a mix of being charming and creepy, the Hollywood hunk we know completely transforms into the menacing man that is Steve Abnesti. It’s a performance that shows he can really stretch his acting muscles, upending our expectations for what he is capable of.
In the film, Abnesti is running an experiment that tests out a variety of drugs on inmates. He puts on a friendly external veneer as he pretends to be buddies with those he oversees, deflecting any criticism or pushback he gets by placing responsibility on an unseen so-called “Protocol Committee” that he claims is giving him direction. Abnesti deploys his charm strategically, attempting to build a rapport with those he is testing that he hopes will make them forget the absolute control he has over them. He will offer them the illusion of choice to administer the mysterious drugs that can cause everything from overwhelming joy to all-consuming pain. We soon see how there isn’t really a choice as, when characters don’t want to, he will begin to coerce, cajole, and outright threaten them until he gets his way. Despite this, he still tries to get them to refer to him as Steve as if they are just pals having a chat together and not constantly under his cruel thumb. This all can quickly turn vicious, showing that the stakes are real and that Abnesti can cause real harm to anyone he chooses to target.
What makes Hemsworth so effective in the role is just how cold and darkly comedic he can be without missing a beat, shifting from being a chummy guy who only wants to get the job done into a maniac who holds the subjects' lives in his hands. Even just the small expressions he gives speak volumes with the infuriating half-smiles plastered on his smug face disarming tension that Abnesti himself has created. He will try to make it all seem like it is out of his hands, as if he is just following orders and that it pains him to do this. He continually says how he wishes he didn’t have to do all this, only to go ahead and do it anyway over justified objections that go unheeded. He is the embodiment of a villain that will twist the knife deeper into your back while staring you dead in the face and expressing just how much he appreciates your help. It makes the skin crawl as his sinister nature is constantly shifting in unexpected directions, leaving you uncertain about what version of the man you’ll get. Say one thing to cross him and you’ll face his wrath, which Hemsworth delivers with a pleasant tone that makes it seem like he is just talking about ordinary things as opposed to wreaking havoc on all you hold dear. He is a fraud, through that makes him all the more fearsome.
It stands out as a performance that we ought to see more of beyond the presence he has developed in the many Marvel movies which have reached a ceiling of potential. Yes, it is undeniable that he has become married to his superhero image that won’t be going away anytime soon. With that in mind, this makes it all the more impressive that he can make us forget his presence as the God of Thunder as he becomes something much more than that. Abnesti is a far more multilayered character that Hemsworth fully embraces, showing how he is just as gruesome as he is handsome. His beauty on the outside hides his ugliness on the inside, tricking otherwise good people into doing his bidding. His attractive exterior is a weapon he uses, a well-dressed yet wicked man that has so many quirks and nuances that only add to how sinister he is.
From the way he dances to music or provides a cheery morning announcement in the facility, Hemsworth has created a character whose cruelty is interwoven with his charm. He is methodical in his madness, following procedures with patience and paternalism that he projects onto the people around him. This can quickly fall by the wayside as he consistently makes casually callous comments, delivered with the same tone as if everyone is just chatting and having a good time. When he snaps at someone, you can see the boiling rage simmering just underneath his calm facade that is waiting to burst forth.
It is a role that Hemsworth completely devours, breaking through all our previously held notions of him in a way that redefines his screen presence. He is the absolute best part of the film, pushing through some of the rough narrative patches towards the end by just being so mesmerizing to watch sink deeper into depravity. Even in just a single role, it feels like a door being opened into exciting new directions that would allow him to grow as an actor. It is not just a great Hemsworth performance, but an all-time great villain performance writ large. He delicately captures the character's intensity with a whole heaping of strangeness that makes it as unsettling as it is unusual.
Making use of bold choice after bold choice, it all comes together to make something as unexpectedly brash as it is oddly bewitching. Without going into detail about why this all occurs, the way he captures the flurry of emotions towards the conclusion is quite impressive as you completely buy into how both awful and pitiful he is. One can only hope that, when we look back at Hemsworth's career beyond Marvel, we see him taking on more movies like Spiderhead. It shows that he has so much more to offer as he throws himself into a frightening character where he shines brighter than he ever has before.