or, “Bullshit-Free: 400 Words on
Patrick John Flueger”:
A spoiler-free mini movie conversation.
In my previous post, I wrote that certain scenes of movie violence only register viscerally with audiences, opposed to emotionally, were it not for the “mettle” of the participating actors.
As Devyn LaBella’s “Horizon 2” lawsuit illustrates, professionally-minded directors – not including the “Costner Factor” – won’t force challenging material on the unprepared: potentials read a script; sign an agreement; and, afterward, may require healthy decompression.
But what about actors in the television industry? How do serial players on today’s gritty cop shows compartmentalize 15-hour workdays filled with repeat coverage of the world’s worst? Other than with a good cry?
Deadline recently disclosed that TV alumnus Patrick John Flueger (Shawn on the original “4400”; Ruzek on “Chicago PD”) would be taking a leave of absence from PD, possibly due to “an instance of alcohol… on set.” With PD’s frequently off-putting subject matter, I joked with my spouse that the guy must have finally broke.
[cont’d]
Of course, NDAs will discourage us from the reality. Yet as usual, my speculations lit a fire, doused only with 2010’s “Mother’s Day” (or MD): a remake of schlockmaster Troma’s 80’s horror; with a villainous Flueger giving gusto he’s otherwise been drained of in his last couple years of contract work.
Granted, MD’s synopsis – twenty-something siblings terrorizing a dinner party under the tutelage of their ebullient matriarch – doesn’t make it sound like high art, but MD explicitly achieves its goals, with a stacked supporting cast of pre-fame babies like Deborah Ann Woll & Kandyse McClure.
Thanks to their chutzpah, MD is elevated from its genre peers. Even if viewers boil each character down to their basic tropes, an urgent, underlying sense of self-preservation impels our compassion. Key narrative points are left purposely unresolved because they’re cut off by escape attempts.
But whether it’s seeing him out of his element, or just a natural charisma, Flueger steals his scenes: at one point going full Patrick Bateman during a ‘field trip.’ He looks like he’s having fun playing an unhinged psychopath, especially after four seasons as a hero on The 4400.
Still, this was before his damaged detective on PD, where every episode has him questioning whether he made the right call. And while an actor without a co-producer credit may feel they have no control, they should still be able to control themselves. Good luck, Patrick – I’ll be watching for you.
//wd 11.8.2025
“Mother’s Day” is pretty solid, with its previously-mentioned believability; intensity; and casting (including the odd but practicable interpretation by De Mornay) accentuated by precision horror direction. It’s a 4-out-of-5 for anyone not put off by excessive gore.
Poster sourced from moviepostershop.com. Publicity photograph property of Studio Canal. As of publication, Mother’s Day is available to watch in Western Canada on Amazon Prime (unsponsored).
theory of a daskeman 