This summer marked what could be the end of a horror legend in the making, as the 2024 movie MaXXXine sewed up Mia Goth and Ti West’s sexy, bloody vision pretty nicely. If you happened to miss that picture in a theater near you, that’s ok. The third, and potentially final chapter of the story started with X, is supposed to be hitting PVOD pretty soon, although there's no studio confirmation on that just yet. This would be a good thing if confirmed though, because after a summer that brought us both this flick and Beverly HIlls Cop: Axel F, I think I need to see more villainous roles starring the legendary Kevin Bacon.
Why Kevin Bacon’s MaXXXine Role Is So Much Fun
In the case of Ti West’s MaXXXine, Mr. Bacon’s villainy is that of a seriously slimy variety. Playing private detective John Labat, the Footloose star is far from the insanely likable image he crafted earlier in his career. Working with some sinister forces to try and track down Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) for an unknown purpose, this is a man who loves his job, and doesn’t care who’s paying him to do it.
What makes it even more awesome to see Bacon go to work in MaXXXine is the fact that he’s a walking easter egg. Tipping his hat to Jack Nicholson’s Chinatown protagonist in his costuming, and a very prominent injury, his Southern boy charm and menace could help this winner go down as one of the best Kevin Bacon movies.
But what really makes 2024 the summer of Kevin Bacon’s bad guy era is the fact that he’s on a vicious streak at the moment. Which is another reason why Netflix’s Beverly Hills Cop 4 should have been released to theaters, as part in the Eddie Murphy legacy-quel is another flavor of evil altogether.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Lets Kevin Bacon Play A Cold Hearted Baddie
I don’t think it’s a spoiler to tell you that Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’s Captain Cade Grant is a bad egg, You can clock him as a two-faced bureaucrat from a mile away when you first spot him, although Kevin Bacon plays it oh so smartly so as to give you enough doubt. That’s only half of the payoff though, as Captain Grant’s arc brings Bacon into some fantastic, deep-fried villainy.
When the jig is up and the Beverly HIlls Cop 4 heavy is out in the open, Kevin Bacon gets pretty crispy in the third act shootout. Totally leaning into his dark and twisted character’s motivations, Cade Grant is so sneeringly bad that you enjoy what’s heading his way, At the same time, you’re kind of sad to see him go, as Bacon was clearly having fun.
How These Two Roles Capitalize On A Movie Kevin Bacon Made Almost 30 Years Ago
Despite making a splash as the sniveling Chip Diller in National Lampoon’s Animal House, Kevin Bacon shot to stardom through complicated dramas like Diner and major features like Footloose where he played the hero. As far as the world was concerned, Bacon’s pre-1996 career had us all seeing him the same way that Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord talked about him in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies.
It’s a good thing Peter Quill was away for the late ‘90s, as our actor in question would net two roles that helped diversify his career. In my own research, I’d trace the first post-breakout Kevin Bacon villain role, after he became a known quantity, to 1996’s Sleepers, which was then followed up by another delightfully unsavory turn in 1997’s Wild Things. While I know he wasn’t a good person in A Few Good Men, it’s these later two movies that really saw Bacon digging deeper into the depths of such unsavory nature.
Not many actors could make a career out of playing the bad guy after building their bones on behind so heroic, but Kevin Bacon’s pivot has been quite successful. With the actor returning to that corner of the moral compass every so often, the results have been as exciting as what you see before you; which wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for Sleepers and Wild Things.
The Reason Kevin Bacon Should Be In Even More Villain Roles
In a sense, Kevin Bacon’s return to the sort of heel he played in National Lampoon’s Animal House is kind of like a homecoming. While he’s mixed it up throughout the past couple decades through both sides of the moral coin, if you look close enough, you can see that Bacon’s antagonistic streak has been well served through a variety of nefarious figures.
Yes, there have been heroic parts, like his lead investigator on the Fox procedural The Following. And there was Mr. Bacon's adorable appearance as himself in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, which was another fun way to stretch the man's performance muscles.
But over the past couple of decades, Kevin Bacon seems to be digging into a multitude of viciousness, as we’ve recently seen in MaXXXine and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. While I’d still believe him as a hero, Bacon scoring two notable movies in the same summer is a cause for celebration. This is especially true if you’re into that trademark grin of his being flashed for evil instead of good.
Further Viewing For Members Of The Kevin Bacon Villain Fan Club
If you’ve made it this far into my argument, you should consider yourself a member of the Kevin Bacon Villain Fan Club. Now, whether you want to make that a charter membership, dependent on how you feel about MaXXXine or Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, is your call. But if you’re ready to take things to the next level, I have a small cadre of roles you should check out to enhance your understanding of just how good Kevin Bacon is at being bad.
The most obvious choices are Hollow Man and X-Men: First Class, as the characters he plays in both of those flicks are quite amoral and sadistic. Also, they both happen to be named Sebastian, so that’s another freaky kind of coincidence. For those of you looking for a more lawful evil, I definitely suggest Ron Howard’s historical biopic Frost/Nixon, in which Bacon plays the former president’s chief of staff Jack Brennan. There’s plenty of evil Kevin Bacon to be seen in the history of film, and that’s even without mentioning his menacing turn in Jon Watts’ Cop Car, the role that had me wishing he would be cast as the new J. Jonah Jameson when Watts’ MCU hire was first announced.
Kevin Bacon will never make another Footloose, and that’s alright with me. But if he can keep making bad guys like his roles in MaXXXine and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F a regular part of his professional output, I’d be a very happy fan. Of course, he can still return to the heroic roles he’s ready to jump into, because good or bad, you can’t resist Bacon on screen.
With that in mind, you should definitely catch MaXXXine, which is still playing in theaters. Or, if you’re looking for something fun to do with your Netflix subscription, you can check out Beverly HIlls Cop: Axel F, which is also available for your viewing pleasure.
