A honey of a performance

By the 1990s, actor Peter Fonda had been written off by many as a washed-up thespian who never lived up to the promise of his earlier roles, including that of Captain America in "Easy Rider." But Fonda pulled off one of the great comeback stories in Hollywood history by appearing in "Ulee's Gold" in 1997 and impressing many with his depiction of a Vietnam vet trying to keep his extended family together, earning an Oscar nomination in the process. CineVerse delved deeper into this underdog drama and came away with the following conclusions:

WHAT TOOK YOU BY SURPRISE ABOUT ULEE’S GOLD OR LEFT A MEMORABLE IMPRESSION?

• Peter Fonda’s portrayal is revelatory; here’s an actor, previously with a spotty resume, known for his early biker pictures and appearing in cheesy action thrillers and low-budget losers like Futureworld; Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry; Race With the Devil; and High-Ballin. But Fonda proves that he’s a grade A-caliber actor with his quiet, nuanced performance. He creates a remarkable character in Ulysses Jackson. 
• Reviewer Walter Addegio wrote: “Ulee's Gold certainly alludes to his countercultural past, but it's a major and unexpected step forward for the actor. His Ulee walks with the step of a man who's labored hard and endured much; he's unsmiling and untalkative, but there's more to him than the taciturn loner of Hollywood Westerns, noirs and cop dramas. He's seen horrors without exploding or succumbing to bitterness. He has a righteous streak, but it seems well earned. He may have retreated deeply within himself, but he responds immediately and in proper degree to a threat to those he loves - his luckless, self-destructive, innocent family. He's a man with an unfailing instinct for what's right.” 
• A major subplot involves a potentially violent conflict between Ulee and his son’s criminal accomplices; to the film’s credit, it doesn’t succumb to a cliché, predictable resolution that calls for action or feats of physical heroism. Instead, we see the conflict played out more internally, with the protagonist making a difficult but realistic choice that may seem anticlimactic yet in keeping with this movie’s reliance on characters motivating the story over action. 
• Despite the heavy tones at work—Ulee’s suffering and loss, the threat to the family, the concern over his granddaughter—there is hope at work in this story, as evidenced by the budding relationship between Ulee and his neighbor nurse and the reunion between his daughter-and-law and her daughters. 
• There’s a technical “hook” that also pulls us in: Ulee’s chosen profession. Most viewers probably don’t know what’s involved in beekeeping, and this film gives us a privileged look inside that vocation. 

WHAT THEMES ARE PREVALENT IN ULEE’S GOLD?

• Family comes first, despite differences and disagreements. 
• Patience and hard work leads to rewards, like the honey rewarded to a beekeeper. 
• A family, like a hive, requires nurturing and tender care. 
• Redemption and reunification are possible, at any age. 
• Being haunted by the scars of the past: Ulee is a Vietnam veteran who survived that brutal war only to discover years later that he’s in a different kind of war—an emotional one for the survival of his family. 
• Staying the course and keeping on the path. Consider the many behind-the-wheel driving shots pointing at the open road ahead, and how Ulee nearly falls asleep in one scene, threatening to veer off the road, but not before he wakens and corrects his driving. 

MOVIES THAT ULEE’S GOLD MAKES US THINK OF:

• Gran Torino 
• Nobody’s Fool 

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY VICTOR NUNEZ:

• Gal Young’Un 
• A Flash of Green 
• Ruby in Paradise