Benjamin McKenzie is an LAPD Cop

  0

They should get Mischa Barton to do a cameo as a young women with a drug problem.

  0

Woo Ben!
It better be a good show!! Im actually really sick of all these cop shows. Seems thats all thats ever on TV. But yeah..this one better bring something diff to the table.

  0

can picture it

  0

He’s a sexy cop!! have a

33

  0

I wasn’t much of an OC fan…but, liked the people on the series…I think he’d make a fine cop….a man in uniform…ooooh….GO BENJAMIN!

  0

Here’s a review of Ben’s film “Johnny Got His Gun” which premiered last week in Austin, TX. From the Daily Texan.

Ben Mckenzie stars in powerful drama

Ben McKenzie should no longer be remembered as “that cute blonde guy from ‘The OC.’” Instead, people should think of him as the actor who gives a stunning performance as a disabled war veteran in “Johnny Got His Gun.”

The film is based on the book by Dalton Trumbo and tells the story of Joe Bonham, a 20-year-old World War I veteran who was hit with an artillery shell on the last day of the final battle. Joe survives, but doctors are forced to amputate all four of his limbs, as well as his eyes, ears, mouth and nose. Although his body is nothing more than a shell, Joe retains the ability to think and reason.

The film takes place entirely inside Joe’s head with minimal props and scenery. Basically, the movie consists of McKenzie delivering a 70-minute monologue about his character’s life before, during and after the war. Imagine watching a one-man play in which a wooden chair and bench are the only objects on stage. Now add in some lighting and smoke effects, and you should have a pretty good idea about what it’s like to watch this movie.

The entire production crew consisted of three people, making “Johnny Got His Gun,” the epitome of an indie film. The only special effects are accomplished through the use of creative lighting and cinematography. The fact that the movie delivers such a strong anti-war message without showing any gore or battle scenes is impressive.

If this film sounds like it’s on the depressing side, it is. Joe is essentially trapped inside himself with no hope of ever recovering, reliving memories of his father and fiancée knowing that he’ll never be able to see them again.

Ultimately, this movie had the potential to be melodramatic and would have been been if not for such a strong performance from McKenzie. He takes the audience on a roller coaster ride, portraying emotions from complete hopelessness to a faint sense of optimism. Even if you mocked “The O.C.” in high school, you still have to appreciate the progress he’s made as an actor.

  0

Johnny Got His Gun ‘is a starkly powerful film based on a 1939 antiwar novel by Dalton Trumbo’
By Alice Embree / The Rag Blog / September 23, 2008

“Johnny Got His Gun” opens in Austin September 26th at the Dobie Theatre. It is a starkly powerful film based on a 1939 antiwar novel by Dalton Trumbo. The sole actor is Austin native Ben McKenzie, best known for his role as a high school heartthrob in the television show, O.C.

See this movie. See it because Ben McKenzie is a fine actor. See it because Dalton Trumbo, one of the blacklisted Hollywood 10, writes a compelling story. Let it stir memories of what a simply staged production can evoke. Buy a ticket because a portion of the ticket price supports the Fallen Patriot Fund for injured soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Johnny Got His Gun has a sparse palette – a bench and a chair, occasional background lights for a pavilion or a night sky. It has only Ben McKenzie acting. His talent fills the screen. Softening his gaze so that we see his girlfriend in his eyes, erupting in rage, dissolving in despair. Diving under the bench, we watch him re-live artillery shelling. Reacting to a pinch and the metal blade that takes off a limb. Nursing his missing arm. A slight lift of his torso and we see the nurse changing his bedsheet. Within the limitations of this austere stage set, we experience his limitations and his racing mind. Through McKenzie’s acting, we feel the pain of a World War I amputee and know that while almost a century separates that pain from that of a roadside bomb victim in Baghdad, it is the same, universal loss – the cost of war.

  0

Good that hw will be starting in new show. He was only one had sense on the O.C.

  0

I must say he makes a damn hot cop, his hot !!!

  0

Delicious as usual.

  0

Thank you!!!!
I love Ben, I think he is an amazing actor and will without a doubt be tuning in to watch.
I’m happy!!!.

  0

I’m so glad Ben is back!!!! I know he have done several films already but to hear he is back on TV, every week is great. He is amazing actor & extra HOT too :)

  0

The show is being produced by the John Wells, who also did ER and The West Wing so it better be good.