WHAT OTHERS SAY
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Featuring a tour-de-force performance from Damian Lewis, Keane is an intense study of a schizophrenic man who desperately seeks to find out what happened to his daughter, who disappeared when he was distracted at a New York bus terminal. Lewis is extraordinary in a hugely demanding role, and the audience is often in doubt as to whether his view can to be trusted. Little Miss Sunshine's Abigail Breslin is also superb as the daughter of a woman whom Lewis befriends.
-- [article author unknown], Movie Mail, early January 2007
Damian Lewis, who plays Keane, really makes the movie and without his exceptional performance, Keane may not produce the effect it does. ... His American accent is indistinguishable from any other American actors I know, and he has a way of captivating the audience by playing the character as a tormented and disturbed man, yet sympathetic at times, as well. ... Keane is unlike any film I have ever seen and I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who wishes to see a powerful psychological thriller.
-- Christopher Ott, Spaces Live, January 13, 2007
[In Much Ado About Nothing, Sarah] Parish, all bouncy hair and forked tongue, is a delight. ... Lewis is equally impressive as the smarmy ladies' man who turns all gooey when fooled into thinking Beatrice loves him rather than loathes him. The pair have a sizzling chemistry and milk the comedy -- and there's plenty of it -- for all it's worth.
-- [article author unknown], Sydney Morning Herald, January 14, 2007
Sarah Parish and Damian Lewis bring subtle flavours to every role, but here [in Much Ado About Nothing] as perfectly drawn two-dimensional TV "personalities" duped into falling for each other, they've thrown in the entire spice rack. They're funny. They romp. ... As Lewis sweats and chats to himself through sit-ups on an enormous blue Swiss ball, it is almost possible to forget his thoroughly grim Soames in The Forsyte Saga.
-- Ruth Ritchie (article author), Sydney Morning Herald, January 20, 2007
[Keane] is a strong character piece that is a precise examination of the nature of guilt and loss. This is very much to Lewis who carries the entire movie on his shoulders with aplomb.
-- Laurence Boyce (article author), Netribution, January 29, 2007
The fifth episode [of Band Of Brothers] is called "Crossroads" and is, in my eyes, the best episode of the series. This excellent episode is directed by Tom Hanks (whose presence behind the camera becomes apparent) and is focused entirely on Capt. Dick Winters, played brilliantly by Damian Lewis, who has always been good as the steadfast officer in previous episodes. Now, given the task of carrying a whole hour by himself, Lewis proves to be more than up to the task with the microscope placed on him.
-- E. Levi (article author), C.L.A.C.P. For Me Only, February 8, 2007
Keane is played by Damian Lewis, and the performance is nothing short of incredible. This is a particularly challenging role, and director Lodge Kerrigan gives Lewis nowhere to hide, fixing the camera on his face for roughly two-thirds of the movie. Lewis' ability to exude anguish makes Keane's suffering palpable to the audience, but when he has his more tender moments with Kira, we can let ourselves believe that he had a daughter, so at ease are his interactions with the young girl. How this performance was not recognised on a wider scale is beyond me. ... The performance from Lewis is as good an acting job as you will see, and Keane is definitely worth seeing. ... Lewis' performance is magnificent.
-- PaddyC (article author), PaddyC's Movie Reviews, February 9, 2007
RR: Good work [in The Situation] from Damian Lewis, who I think is always an interesting actor.
LS: Yes, always great to see him.
-- Richard Roeper (reviewer) and Lisa Schwarzbaum (guest reviewer), Ebert & Roeper, February 10, 2007
I don't think anybody could deny that Damian Lewis' performance is anything less than world class. Playing a troubled loner with serious mental problems is not easy. Making that character sympathetic and conveying the pain and misery of mental illness, in the way the actor does in Keane, is nothing short of astounding.
-- Ian Smith (article author), Ian Smith's UK DVD Review, February 11, 2007
Should have been a contender [for Best Actor in the Academy Awards]: Damian Lewis for Keane. A powerful, painful, deeply exposed performance.
-- Peter Bradshaw (article author), The Guardian, February 22, 2007
The latest to do a [performance as] Tony [Blair] was Damian Lewis in the telly drama Confessions of a Diary Secretary. ... Viewers could be forgiven for thinking the real Blair had taken up acting.
-- Ian Robson (article author), The Sunday Sun, March 4, 2007
[Keane wouldn't] work without a brilliant actor. And oh man -- either Damian Lewis was born for this role or he has the potential to be one of the greatest actors working today. No joke, Lewis previously shined as ... Winters in Band of Brothers but his portrayal of William Keane is relentless and beyond painful. His range here is simply brilliant -- the side glances, mumbling like he's receiving orders from aliens. And of course, his freakouts. The camera is very similar to the Dardenne Bros. (almost no cuts, camera so close it threatens to bore into Keane's skull), so every minutia of his steady boil is caught with unflinching insight. Writer/director Lodge Kerrigan ... has finally made his masterpiece. Every bit as unyielding as his previous portrayals of marginalized street dwellers, but more intimate and ultimately more cathartic.
-- "Eliot" (article author), Cinemania, March 13, 2007
Lewis is awesome [in Life], even in the brief preview clip [shown during the NBC fall-preview presentation], and he gets a rare roll that allows him to be a little less serious than he usually is on-screen.
-- "Kim" (article author), TV Filter, May 15, 2007
I'm declaring my new favorite low-profile series, sight unseen. It's NBC's "Life," about a cop who spent years in prison for a crime he didn't commit, and now he's back on the force. It's an intriguing premise, actually, but that's not why I'm an instant fan. It's because it stars Damian Lewis, the squad leader in HBO's "Band of Brothers," a good guy and a great actor. NBC entertainment president Kevin Reilly compared him to Hugh Laurie of Fox's "House" and called him charming, funny and the "kind of guy who can just bring it all together." All that's good. More fun is that, like Laurie, Lewis is British, yet he sounds better speaking Americanized English than most of us do. And he's just always watchable.
-- Rick Kushman (article author), Sacramento Bee, May 18, 2007
Damian portrays the mentally disintegrating Keane with an exactitude of shattering dimensions.
-- Adam Thursby (article author), Cambridge Film Trust, May 2006 (published May 30, 2007)
The charisma of Damian Lewis as Charlie Crews [in Life] is undeniable.
-- Ron Martin (article author), 411 Mania, June 10, 2007
Lewis ... should've become a big star on these shores after playing Maj. Richard D. Winters, the quintessential American hero, in HBO's "Band of Brothers." That performance would've been the highlight of many careers, but he followed it up with a poignant performance as the cold, abusive Soames Forsyte in PBS' "The Forsyte Saga" -- a turn so brilliant that it totally reinterpreted the story. You have to be a very good actor indeed to do that.
-- Georgette Gouveia (article author), Remote Access, August 7, 2007
I just love Damian Lewis, he has such a strong presence when he is on-screen. I really hope Life makes it big.
-- [article author unknown], Daemon's TV, August 30, 2007
It's Lewis's taut, entrancing performance [in Keane] that makes this nearly unmissable.
-- [article author unknown], Radio Times, September 7, 2007
I was really impressed with Lewis' turn in HBO's monumentally terrific series "Band of Brothers" back in 2001.
-- Stuart Levine (article author), Variety, September 7, 2007
I think the best thing out of the show [Life] is Damian Lewis; he is absolutely phenomenal. Talk about great acting. I already knew he was good, but this is just proof of his greatness. He just has every single moment down. In every scene, you can feel all these years of prison weighting on his shoulders, brilliant! I think he is one of the main reasons why I loved the show so much. Apart, from Damian Lewis' great performance, Life benefits from a good concept. I think they can keep people interested by having different cases getting solved each episode, and having the overall arched storyline of Damian Lewis' character, Charlie Crews, trying to find out who framed him, spread out throughout the season. The writing is smart and funny. You get attached to the characters (especially Charlie Crews, did I mention I love Damian Lewis?) and get emotionally involved with what is happening to them. ... I definitely recommend Life as one of the new TV shows to check out this Fall 2007.
-- [article author unknown], Daemon's TV, September 8, 2007
[In Life,] Lewis is aces as an LA cop who was framed for murder and then exonerated and is now back on the force. ... Before the American accent, the facial stubble, and the limp, Hugh Laurie was "that guy from Blackadder" (and, to audiences under age five, Stuart Little's father). Now, Hugh Laurie is House and House is Hugh Laurie, and the networks are hoping lightning strikes twice. The best chance of that lies with Damian Lewis's magnetic turn as the eccentric, damaged -- and very House-like -- cop on Life.
-- Joyce Millman (article author), The Boston Phoenix, September 10, 2007
Not your usual cop show, Life has a toxic tone and an abiding skepticism about police work. Central character Charlie Crews -- brilliantly played by English actor Damian Lewis -- a good cop, was jailed for a crime he didn't commit. Now, exonerated and given a big cash settlement, he's back at work, but with a dissenting attitude. In the pilot, he says to a criminal, "Do you hate cops? Because I hate cops too." Rich enough not to care about his career, he's a cop-philosopher, a one-man crusade against ineptitude. And he wants to find out who framed him. There is nothing by-the-book about Crews or this series.
-- John Doyle (article author), Globe And Mail, September 14, 2007
[Life] was the last pilot I watched, and it was definitely the best. Damian Lewis's Charlie Crews is a wrongly accused cop who spent 12 years in prison before being exonerated and compensated with an undisclosed amount of settlement money. He returns to the force as a detective after he's released because the only thing that kept him going on the inside was that he was "a cop." The cast includes several interesting, complex characters. Lewis does a marvelous job of keeping Charlie's mannerisms and habits seem genuine rather than affected. The way he is no longer normally socialized or his delight in eating fresh fruit could have been annoying and overdone. ... You'll like this show.
-- Dee Stiffler (article author), Gapers Block, September 16, 2007
The characters [in Life] -- especially Crews -- won me over. Crews is played by the great Damian Lewis, and he brings an innocent likeability to the detective.
-- [article author unknown], TV To Me, September 18, 2007
And the fourth [new drama on NBC this fall], well, it has Damian Lewis. 'Nuff said! ... Damian Lewis' Charlie has got a Dr. Gregory House sort of sexiness about him (though Lewis' honorable, clean-living non-House-y character in Band of Brothers was damn sexy, too). He carries the show with ease. ... Bottom Line: Can we get a life sentence with Damian Lewis?
-- Kristin Dos Santos (article author), E! Online, September 21, 2007
[Life] is anchored and brilliantly balanced by the nuanced lead performance of British Band of Brothers break-out Damian Lewis.
-- Rob Salem (article author), Toronto Star, September 22, 2007
The primary reason I watched the pilot for Life was that the show's star is Damian Lewis, who played Dick Winters in HBO's epic Band of Brothers. I've never seen him in anything else (until now), but Band of Brothers was enough to make me watch anything that Lewis is in at least once, no questions asked. ... Damian Lewis does a fantastic job, and his character is fun to get to know.
-- Matthew Rogers (article author), RogersMJ.com, September 22, 2007
[In Life,] Crews [is] played with striking authenticity and a perfect American accent by British actor Damian Lewis.
-- Barry Garron (article author), Reuters/Hollywood Reporter, September 24, 2007
[Life] stars Damian Lewis (he was the magnetic lieutenant in Band Of Brothers) as a cop returning to the force after serving a dozen years in prison for murders he didn't commit. Now he's been cleared, but he's different, part Zen-like, part hardened, and very rich from the settlement. Other cops don't know what to make of him, and he's not sure what to make of his returned life. It's all done with an energetic sense of originality. Lewis is compelling in his mix of earnestness and quirkiness, the writing is muscular and swift, and it adds up to a new twist on the old cop show.
-- Rick Kushman (article author), Houston Chronicle, September 25, 2007
[In Life], the actor [Damian Lewis] has a still, enigmatic center, one he doesn't try to fill up with busy gestures. And his quiet charisma is well-suited to his role as Det. Charlie Crews, who took up the study of Zen Buddhism during his years in the slammer for a crime, it later emerged, he didn't commit.
-- Maureen Ryan (article author), Chicago Tribune, September 25, 2007
As anyone who saw him in Band of Brothers or The Forsyte Saga can testify, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better actor or more engaging performer than Damian Lewis.
-- Robert Bianco (article author), USA Today, September 25, 2007
Familiar from "Band of Brothers," Lewis is an impressive and nuanced actor (check out the indie "Keane" on DVD). ... Lewis shows Charlie's wide-eyed appreciation at merely being a part of the outside world, but he's as smartly intuitive and hard to double-talk as the eponymous leads in "House" or NBC's somewhat similar and cancelled-too-soon "Raines."
-- Daniel Fienberg (article author), Zap2It, September 25, 2007
Lewis turns Crews into an amusing figure - almost as comic as Tony Shalhoub's Monk, as he pronounces Zen platitudes to no one in particular and constantly munches on fruit. In between bites of an apple, he blithely admits to anyone who'll listen that he hates cops. And he is helpless when it comes to all the technological advances that occurred while he was in jail. But throughout all the silly quips and nonsensical exclamations, Lewis makes it subtly clear that Charlie's daffiness sits on top of a gusher of emotion. The guy spent more than a decade in prison among inmates who don't exactly take kindly to cops; we can tell that his lightheartedness is but a thin veneer. And when he's interrogating suspects, his fury clearly rears its head. Is Charlie about to go off the deep end? Lewis, with his red hair, pale face, and nonchalant expression, is compelling as he toys with Charlie's balance. The actor, who uses a flawless American accent, makes "Life" worth a gander.
-- Matthew Gilbert (article author), Boston Globe, September 26, 2007
[Damian Lewis] came to prominence playing Major Winters on "Band of Brothers," but fans of imported British TV are likely not only to recall, but continue to rave about his starring performances in the "Forsyte Saga" remake and in "Friends and Crocodiles." ... Lewis is commanding, and draws your attention without saying a word. ... Unlike many new shows this season, "Life" doesn't squander the talents of its cast. The mysteries are solid, the characters multilayered, and Crews is given a bigger mystery about which to obsess - finding out who framed him. And in the process, "Life" may even turn eating fruit into a trendy new craze.
-- David Bianculli (article author), New York Daily News, September 26, 2007
I've just always been a huge fan of Damian. And when I was finished writing [Life] I thought of him for the part, and I was lucky enough to get him in the time when he was willing to come over here and do American television. ... Damian has the unique ability, which I'd wanted in this character, to ultimately be a tough guy because of his time in prison -- you know, having really seen serious things, but also not being afraid to be warm and open; and I really want those two sides in the character and in the stories he embraces. It was very difficult to find. It's very difficult to find an actor like Damian, who has that ability to embrace both those parts of his personality.
-- Rand Ravich (Creator, Writer, Executive Producer of Life), Inside Pulse, September 26, 2007
NBC's new drama "Life" is the sort of show that makes a person want to write things that will be picked up for ad copy. Like: "If you only watch one new show this fall, watch 'Life.' " Or: "Terrific cast, terrific writing, and even when simply eating a pear, Damian Lewis sets a whole new standard for the broken hero genre." Not for the ad, but because they're true. And since "Life" has gotten zero buzz, there's a chance it will have a hard time finding an audience. Which would be terrible, since it promises to be such a great show. Playing it long and lugubrious but with a tantalizing twinkle, Lewis (last seen in the States as the hateful husband in "The Forsyte Saga") may well wrest the mantle of sexiest troubled American played by a Brit away from Hugh Laurie. Like House, Crews has been damaged by the profession he serves; like House, he sees things that other people miss. But Crews is working toward transformation. His serenity, however, is obviously self-imposed and at times, barely there, a thin mask of hard-won wisdom veiling the pain and anger within.
-- Mary McNamara (article author), Los Angeles Times, September 26, 2007
Charlie [in Life] is played by the British actor Damian Lewis, an Old Etonian whose television credits include a role in the BBC production of "Much Ado About Nothing." There is nothing patrician about Mr. Lewis's ruddy, almost dockworker look, but he wears an aristocrat's sense of entitlement with an ease that suits his character perfectly.
-- Ginia Bellafante (article author), The New York Times, September 26, 2007
Life is my other Must Watch of the night and is also on of my Top 5 new TV shows this season. I feel there hasn't been enough praise about the show. After watching the pilot I was blown away by how good it was. I was even upset that I didn't have the second episode to watch. Trust me, you don't want to miss the phenomenal performance of Damian Lewis. Read my Life review here.
-- [article author unknown], Daemon's TV, September 26, 2007
The pilot episode [of Life] succeeds with an unusually intriguing antihero, smart writing and an arresting star in Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers). ... Life breathes new life into cop drama.
-- Frazier Moore (article author), Associated Press, September 26, 2007
Another strong new entry on a night with the most new series is "Life" (NBC, 10 p.m.), a police drama starring the always good Damian Lewis ("Band of Brothers") as a detective recently released after being wrongly imprisoned for 12 years, who returns to the force in part to try to find out who framed him. Adam Arkin, Sarah Shai and Robin Weigert are part of the strong support cast.
-- Roger Catlin (article author), Hartford Courant, September 26, 2007
NBC's Life is a multi-layered original in its own right, though, largely because star Damian Lewis plays detective Charlie Crews with such distinctive precision. ... Moods range from whimsical to dark. Crews is both a poignant, compelling figure and an unconventional crackerjack cop. ... NBC has the fall season's most interesting and involving new drama. ... Grade: A.
-- Ed Bark (article author), Uncle Barky, September 26, 2007
If you have not yet seen Damian Lewis lead the 101st Airborne Division's Easy Company from the beaches at Normandy to the Eagle's Nest in Nazi Germany in HBO's 10-part miniseries Band Of Brothers, you must go -- go now. It's quite simply one of the finest stories ever put to film, due in no small part to Damian's performance as Capt. Richard Winters. You must not die without seeing it -- and for all you know, you could be hit by a truck tomorrow morning, so you better get your Band of Brothers viewing in now.
-- Kristin Dos Santos (article author), E! Online, September 26, 2007
Damian Lewis is reason enough to watch NBC's Life. ... Lewis is such a commanding presence. ... Life is good, well worth experiencing.
-- Tom Jicha (article author), Sun-Sentinel, September 26, 2007
"Life", and its male lead Damian Lewis, are goddamn fantastic. ... The pilot works because Damian Lewis as Charlie Crews works. ... Rand Ravich's script pops, and co-stars Lewis and [Sarah] Shahi bounce off each other effortlessly.
-- Nix (article author), Beyond Hollywood, September 27, 2007
Undoubtedly this character [Charlie Crews in Life] is going to go on a roller coaster ride of emotions as the series progresses, but I'm sure Damian Lewis will play that beautifully (you may remember him from his leading role in Band of Brothers). ... Damian Lewis is an amazing actor and a strong (but subtle) lead, and all the supporting actors are great.
-- "Kamikazewaffle" (article author), LiveJournal, September 28, 2007
[In Life,] Crews could've been a collection of quirks rather than a character, but Lewis humanizes him and makes him identifiable as someone trying to get a second chance at life. I liked this character a lot.
-- "Tom the Dog" (article author), Blogspot, September 28, 2007
Damian Lewis, who I loved in Band Of Brothers, is intellectually arousing and throughly eccentric in the delivery of his character, Charlie Crews [in Life].
-- "Bacchus" (article author), Vevmo, October 1, 2007
[Life] is structurally sophisticated ... and surprisingly complex in tone, mixing humour with dark drama. Much of the credit must go to Lewis. He plays Crews with a mix of childlike wonder, bruised melancholy and ruthless determination, helped along by a smart, witty script. ... Combining elements of crime-of-the-week procedural, buddy flick, psychological study and revenge drama, this is an ambitious cop show that deserves to succeed.
-- Greg Hassall (article author), Brisbane Times, October 3, 2007
Life: If you give it a shot, you will likely fall in love ... with Damian Lewis.
-- Korbi (article author), E! Online, October 3, 2007
"I've been a big fan of Damian Lewis for a long time, certainly since Band Of Brothers, and he had never wanted to do television. When we first started the process with NBC we had talked about it but he said he wasn't interested. We came to him later when we got further down the road and he seemed interested and was at a point in his life when he wanted to move to California. It all came together in a Zen-like way. He's perfect for the role. He can be both warm and tough and he's smart, but accessible and obviously very handsome so I could not imagine another Charlie Crews."
-- Rand Ravich (Creator, Writer, Executive Producer of Life), Buddy TV, October 3, 2007
I'm sticking by Damian Lewis as the major selling point of the series [Life]. He's just so damn good.
-- Korbi Ghosh (article author), E! Online, October 4, 2007
At the center of [Life] is extraordinary British actor Damian Lewis of Band of Brothers fame. His American accent is once again flawless, his witty Zen wisdoms are dryly delivered and his goofy smile sums up the person Charlie Crews has become in twelve years in maximum security prison. ... Lewis has the power to blow most other actors (not only in TV) out of the water. The show is sleek, funny and full of dark secrets lurking under the shiny exterior. ... In the midst of all the procedural shows Life brings with it a fresh breath of air in form of Charlie Crews, who is convinced that the universe is making fun of us all because it is insecure. ... All in all it is a fully recommendable show.
-- Phoebe Raven (article author), CC2K, October 4, 2007
Damian Lewis is great in the lead of this drama [Life] about a wrongly convicted cop back on the beat.
-- Richard Huff (article author), New York Daily News, October 17, 2007
[Life is] a really fun show thanks to Lewis' loopy cool performance.
-- Mike Duffy (article author), Detroit Free Press, October 17, 2007
I've enjoyed "Life" so far, mainly because of Lewis, who was so memorable in "Band Of Brothers" and whose performance in "Life" is so cool and detached that one friend of mine recently pegged him as the new Steve McQueen.
-- Adam Buckman (article author), New York Post, October 17, 2007
The dazzlingly brilliant Damian Lewis ... can do absolutely anything, from naughty comedy to definitively nailing Soames Forsyte. On Life, Lewis is highly watchable and entertaining.
-- Ruth Ritchie (article author), Sydney Morning Herald, October 20, 2007
Lewis shoulders the duties of a series leading man as if born to the job. It's no mean feat, but after his performance at the centre of Lodge Kerrigan's Keane I'm prepared to believe that he's capable of anything. See it, he's awesome.
-- Stephen Gallagher (article author), Blogspot, October 22, 2007
English actor Damian Lewis gives an astonishing performance in independent filmaker Lodge Kerrigan's mesmerizing Keane. ... I usually try to avoid hyperbole, but it's no exaggeration to say that Lewis' acting in Keane is among the most brilliant I have seen in a film: a staggeringly detailed portrayal of a complex, confused, sad, angry, fragmented soul.
-- Paul Clarke (article author), Blogspot, November 6, 2007
Life: This is a gem. Damian Lewis and ... Sarah Shahi excel as mismatched cop partners in NBC's best new fall series.
-- Ed Bark (article author), Fort Worth Star-Telegram, November 7, 2007
Life. It's a true shame that more people aren't watching this show. Damian Lewis continues to crackle as the wrongly convicted cop who solves crimes and works on finding out who set him up. And Sarah Shahi, as his sidekick, is fantastic. Watch, please.
-- Richard Huff (article author), New York Daily News, November 7, 2007
If you haven't tried Life yet, you have only yourself to blame. Lewis [has a] gift for nuance and knowing when to dial it up by underplaying rather than going big. Life is well worth living.
-- Alex Strachan (article author), CanWest News Service, November 7, 2007
Life works for me because I'm loving Lewis and Crews more and more as the season progresses. Crews is strange, he's suave, and he means business, despite the timidity that his laidback attitude might indicate. Don't be fooled. ... I'm not kidding or committing hyperbole when I say that Life is the best new show on TV that nobody's watching. Please, do it and yourself a big favor: tune in at least once and just give Life a chance. You'll laugh a lot and come away entertained.
-- Chandra L. Williams (article author), TV Jots, November 8, 2007
[In Life,] Damian Lewis delivers the witty eccentric charisma as maverick Los Angeles police detective Charlie Crews in this underrated fall season rookie.
-- Mike Duffy (article author), Detroit Free Press, November 14, 2007
Lewis [is] certainly one of the five best actors on TV at this moment.
-- Daniel Fienberg (article author), Blogspot, November 14, 2007
[In Life,] Damian Lewis makes his Zened-out Crews one of the most fascinating and unformulaic detectives we've seen on TV.
-- Kristin Dos Santos (article author), E! Online, November 14, 2007
I love Damian Lewis's slightly amazed deadpan delivery. I think Charlie Crews might just be the least boring man on TV.
-- Joel Shepherd (article author), JoelShepherd.com, November 23, 2007
Rand Ravich, Far Shariat and their team have re-invented the cop show genre with 'Life.' With the pitch-perfect Damian Lewis at the center of a brilliant cast, each week this show has quietly built since its premiere into the little engine that could. We have every confidence that this drama will continue to impress audiences and critics with the quality of the acting and the writing.
-- Katherine Pope (President of Universal Media Studios), NBC, November 26, 2007
It can't be said enough how much I enjoy watching Damian Lewis work. He's so at ease with himself that you understand why [in Life] those runaways might talk to Crews even without the offer of the fruit, or why Reese would agree to give him back the knife and side with Charlie against her father. But then there are those moments when he gets his back up -- either with the kidnapper dad in the apartment, or when he sees Jack Reese enter the station with the manila envelope -- and you understand perfectly what prison did to him. I almost don't care about the plots anymore -- even though they've gotten much better since the first few episodes when I was ready to punt the show -- because I just want to see what Lewis is going to do next.
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), New Jersey Star-Ledger, November 29, 2007
Now a word about Damian Lewis' performance as Charlie [in Life], which looks all the more remarkable when you have the pleasure of contrasting it -- as I did over Thanksgiving weekend -- with his turn as Soames Forsyte on WNET-Channel 13's marathon airing of "The Forsyte Saga," part II. Soames Forsyte -- the constricted, possessive scion of a wealthy British family at the dawn of the 20th century -- would so hate the free-wheeling Charlie Crews, even though they have more in common than meets the eye. (Watch Charlie interrogate a suspect. Like Soames, he has a killer instinct.) Soames' dark secret -- the thing he can scarcely bring himself to discuss, he's so ashamed -- lies with the cruelty he visited on the wife who betrayed him. Yet such is the genius of Lewis' performance that he makes the sometimes villainous Soames totally intelligible. Indeed, it's worth watching the entire series on DVD to revel in the stiff way Lewis' Soames comports himself -- speech clipped, shoulders hunched, arms close to the body. His Charlie has a whole different verbal and kinetic rhythm -- looser but still edgy. Like an Olivier, Lewis can create a character from the outside in. But like a good Method actor, he can also express the internal, as in that scene with that lost boy, in which he says and does little and yet conveys so much compassion.
-- Georgette Gouveia (article author), Remote Access, November 29, 2007
Damian Lewis' tour-de-force as Keane is stunning.
-- [article author unknown], ExBerliner.net, December 5, 2007
Lewis ("Band of Brothers") has such control of his acting instrument. ... Crews is such a finely-delineated character by this point -- and Lewis such a commanding, quixotic presence in the role -- that I never knew exactly what he would do in any given situation. Lewis is a Brit who does the best American accent this side of Hugh Laurie. And like Laurie, he's so assured, so deft at the comedy and the drama, and at finding ways to make Crews' least appealing qualities seem like his most charming, that he'd be worth the tune-in even if the show around him hadn't improved so much. But improve the rest of "Life" has. ... I AM getting attached to this show. I am getting attached to this show. I am getting attached to this show. ...
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), New Jersey Star-Ledger, December 5, 2007
Damian Lewis was so insanely good in this episode [of Life, season 1, episode 11, entitled Fill It Up] that I felt compelled to put some of my thoughts on the show into column form. ... In the moment, watching each scene, I believed Charlie Crews to be capable of anything, both emotionally (I would not have been the least bit shocked had he killed Hollis) and physically (I was not the least bit surprised that he was able to kill two men while trapped upside down in the second of his three cars in this episode). Lewis makes me believe in both the hard and soft parts of Crews' fragile psyche, the guy who can prepare himself for a suicide mission to find Hollis and the man who could lend the girl enough willpower to make it until the paramedics showed up.
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), New Jersey Star-Ledger, December 6, 2007
[In Brides,] Damian Lewis has never been stronger, a gorgeous leading man who gives his character, Norman, such a natural on screen presence that there appears to be nothing artificial about him.
-- [article author unknown], Brown Country (Blogspot), December 6, 2007
I liked [Life] right off, especially Damian Lewis who plays the lead role of Charlie Crews. His personality and delivery are top notch and highly entertaining. They couldn't have cast someone else for that role and given the show the same feel or flavor. No way. ... The show just has it's own way of doing things. From the way scenes are shot, and the music, and the writing, and the acting from Damian Lewis, this show is one of the better additions this season.
-- Mike (article author), A Mike Life, December 7, 2007
[Michael C.] Hall [in Dexter], [Hugh] Laurie [in House], and [Damian] Lewis [in Life] preside over their shows like conductors directing an orchestra. They don't just set the tone, they provide the moral tensions that drive the entire series forward. ... And the actors have made [their respective] heroes worth following, and quite unimaginable in another actor's hands. ... Hall and Lewis play recessive figures who say more by what they don't say. They both cultivate shy, childlike demeanors, masking the dark cogitations within. ... Lewis, a British actor who has done memorable work in "The Forsyte Saga" and "Band of Brothers," expertly walks the balance beam on this show [Life]. Charlie seems so composed at all times, so Zen, so preternaturally calm; and yet Lewis quietly makes it clear to us that he is deeply rattled. Charlie has been freed from jail, but he has not been liberated from years of righteous anger. Every glance from his watchful blue eyes, every seemingly involuntary tic, speaks of discomfort and paranoia. Lewis even makes Charlie's consumption of fruit - he had no fruit in jail - into a private pep rally, a touchstone of fury. ... Charlie caught the man who committed the murders he was jailed for. How did Charlie get a confession? By forcing the murderer to watch him dig a grave, shovel load by shovel load, still wearing his shirt and tie, with supreme deliberation. And, once Charlie got his confession, he performed a typically Charlie Crews task of eerie serenity; he re-filled the hole before taking his prisoner in. Lewis makes these mad gestures almost comic, although not exactly funny, either. "Life" is a good show getting better with each episode, and NBC has wisely given it a full-season order, once the writers' strike ends. ... As long as the writers can keep Lewis busy with subtext and secrecy, they will continue to distinguish "Life" from the rest of the procedural pack. Give actors such as Lewis, Hall, and Laurie the chance to build psychologically faceted characters, and we will watch.
-- Matthew Gilbert (article author), Boston Globe, December 9, 2007
Lewis and the reliable Scott Thomas are particularly good [in Chromophobia].
-- David Quinlan (article author), Pictures That Talk, December 12, 2007
Damian Lewis was a great casting decision to play the role of Charlie Crews [in Life], and he's the reason I keep watching.
-- Mike (article author), A Mike Life, December 13, 2007
[In Chromophobia], Lewis, an actor who has already proved his mettle playing a schizophrenic in Keane and here doesn't strike a false note. A genuine Everyman, Lewis never overplays the drama. ... Certainly, whenever Lewis is on screen, the film clips along agreeably, and he manages to elicit some genuine feeling when we discover his life is imploding. ... Aided by Damian Lewis's strong turn, it ... manages some unexpectedly poignant moments.
-- James Mottram (article author), Channel 4, December 14, 2007
Every cast member [in Chromophobia] plays it perfectly, most notably the central duo of Lewis and Scott Thomas, each a contradictory bundle of confidence and self-doubt.
-- Rich Cline (article author), Real Movie News, December 14, 2007
Life, NBC's new show about Charlie Crews, a cop sprung after 12 years in the pen for a frame job, is the best new show of the season. Balancing Zen and vengeful rage, Crews (Damian Lewis) is the most interesting quirky cop since Columbo.
-- Mary McNamara (article author), Los Angeles Times, December 14, 2007
Characters [in Chromophobia] are brilliantly observed, aided by some stunning performances. Lewis, Holm and Scott Thomas stand out for me.
-- Rachel Millward (article author), The Guardian, December 18, 2007
Sometimes when life seems the most confusing, I ask myself how Charlie Crews would handle it. The main character in NBC's new police drama "Life," Crews is one of the best characters on television. ... British actor Damian Lewis, who stood out in HBO's "Band of Brothers" as Lt. Winters ---- is the biggest hook in "Life." ... Don't let this "life" pass you by.
-- Ann Zivotsky (article author), North County Times, December 19, 2007
Breakout star: Damian Lewis, "Life." American audiences first got introduced to Lewis in HBO's miniseries "Band of Brothers" and "Life" gives him an opportunity to be suave, strong and a guy who you want to see get his revenge.
-- Stuart Levine (article author), MSNBC, December 19, 2007
I'm drawn to this show because Damian Lewis does a thoroughly convincing job of portraying a peculiar character who (1) genuinely appreciates every little thing in life following his time in prison, and (2) seeks a religio-philosophical path to mitigate a barely visible but driving anger.
-- Colin Foote Burch (article author), LiturgicalCredo.com, December 20, 2007
Life: My second favourite new show of the season, largely because of the strength of its main character and his portrayer, Damian Lewis.
-- Emma (article author), MuchMusic, December 20, 2007
[Life is] a procedural with intricate and unusual cases and a compelling lead character, rivetingly played by Damian Lewis.
-- Joel Keller (article author), TV Squad, December 25, 2007
Best British import (in a season of British imports): Damian Lewis, the offbeat cop who puts the life in "Life."
-- Chuck Barney (article author), Inside Bay Area, December 27, 2007
As the talented Mr. Lewis portrays [Charlie Crews in Life], he's an enigmatic and seductive figure, with interesting shades of sexiness that fall away too quickly to grasp. All of which is to say that Mr. Lewis has succeeded in imparting an improbably powerful allure to this cop story.
-- Dorothy Rabinowitz, The Wall Street Journal, December 28, 2007
Life: The pilot was brilliant, and ... you have to admire the concept, characters, format, dazzling cinematography and Brit Damian Lewis's riveting lead performance as the wrongly incarcerated L.A. cop, Charlie Crews.
-- Rob Salem (article author), Toronto Star, December 29, 2007
Charlie Crews (Life): This one is all about Damian Lewis. I saw him the first time in Band of Brothers and I was tremendously impressed. That increased when I discovered that he wasn't an American but was in fact British. Then I saw him as Charlie Crews and it clicked for me that this guy is a tremendous actor. It's not just the accent although that can be harder than you might think. ... Charlie is a character so full of emotional tics that one might doubt his sanity. It is a masterful job of acting.
-- Brent McKee (article author), Blogspot, January 1, 2008
[In Life,] Damian Lewis plays Charlie Crews as a peculiar guy who is inquisitive yet wise. He's an interesting character who's quirks never overwhelm the character. He's much more a character with quirks, rather than a collection of quirks in the form a character. He's the star and he makes watching mesmerizing.
-- Mathan Erhardt (article author), Prime Time Pulse, January 28, 2008
[In The Escapist,] "Rizza," a violent hood who essentially runs the prison, is played by Damian Lewis with a cold, quiet charisma that may be the closest thing to Steve McQueen since Steve McQueen. (Keep your eyes on this one.)
-- Chris Orr (article author), The New Republic, January 31, 2008
On the back of such television dramas as Band of Brothers, The Forsyte Saga and Stephen Poliakoff's Friends and Crocodiles, Lewis has become one of our most highly sought-after actors, both here and in the US. In person, it's easy to see why -- he has the magnetism of a natural-born star. Intellectually self-confident, he possesses an effortless charisma that works just as well in comedy as it does in drama.
-- James Rampton (article author), The Independent, February 26, 2008
[In Life,] British actor Damian Lewis has Crews' offbeat character perfectly pegged, with an edge of eccentricity that belies the traumatic times he endured while wasting away in prison (for a crime he didn't commit).
-- Lara de Matos (article author), Tonight (Johannesburg, South Africa), March 28, 2008
Acting on the show [Life] has been a lot of fun, primarily because most of the acting I get to do is with Damian, who I have felt a great deal of camaraderie with and I like to think we have similar approaches to the work. We are serious about the work but we don't take it seriously, which translates to being able to relax, have a good time, and get the work done.
-- Adam Arkin (co-star on Life), Comedy Centric, April 25, 2008
Damian Lewis is really terrific in "Life."
-- Ed Bark (television critic and writer), Hollywood Reporter, June 12, 2008
I love "Life." Lewis is great.
-- Matthew Gilbert (article author), Boston Globe, June 12, 2008
I've always thought it was a great shame that the powers-that-be overlooked Damian Lewis (aka The Best Looking Ginger Man On The Big Screen) as a controversial Red Bond when casting the lead in Casino Royale. But The Escapist suggests the Band Of Brothers star's true forte might actually be in the field of the villainous, as opposed to the heroic. Lewis is not the central character in director Rupert Wyatt's fourth feature, but, as Rizza, the prison kingpin who's the bane of Brian Cox's fading existence, he dominates every scene he's in.
-- Tom Cox (article author), Daily Mail, June 19, 2008
Damian Lewis does an amazing job pulling this character [Charlie Crews in Life] together. His ability to make this zen-seeking crime-stopper funny, open-minded and razor sharp is uncanny. It is his constant inner struggle in combination with the exterior conflict in every show that keeps an audience coming back for more.
-- Jenna Bensoussan (article author), Aced Magazine, September 1, 2008
Lewis as an actor has an appeal that is hard to ignore.
-- Mike (article author), Pop Critics, September 2, 2008
There will be comparisons to other quirky leads such as Greg House and [Adrian] Monk ..., but I feel like Damian Lewis (Dreamcatcher, Band of Brothers) has etched out his own niche in the form of Detective Charlie Crews [in Life]. It’s not the idiosyncrasies that make the character of Charlie work, it’s his constant battle with his feelings. He’s a detective, but he’s been treated like a criminal for over a decade. When he sets himself on the path of revenge, you don’t know where it’s all going to fall. It’s that razor’s edge that gives Lewis’s performance, hate to say it ... life.
-- Nico (article author), Collider.com, September 4, 2008
Life -- a terrific vehicle for Damian Lewis, a terrific actor.
-- Dave Walker (article author), The Times-Picayune, September 7, 2008
This show [Life] is all about the charisma of actor Damian Lewis. Falsely imprison me for years and I’d be out with a chip on my shoulders. As Charlie Crews, Lewis channels that into some of the best character acting I’ve seen in a long time.
-- Phil Parr (article author), phillparr.com, September 9, 2008
Lewis is terrific [in Life].
-- Lisa de Moraes (article author), Washington Post, September 12, 2008
Because of Lewis' brilliant portrayal of the eccentric Charlie, the show [Life] is perfectly enjoyable.
-- James Poniewozik (article author), Time, September 18, 2008
Mr. Lewis has plumped out his character [of Charlie Crews in Life] so fully that it hardly matters whether Crews is in one of his Zen moods, eating fruit -- or enjoying the fruit of his $15 million wrongful conviction award from the city of Los Angeles in an obscenely expensive and roaring car. Every flicker of his face, every shift of mood, from dark to almost infantile bliss, keeps us fixated.
-- Nancy DeWolf Smith (article author), The Wall Street Journal, September 26, 2008
I am fascinated by Damian Lewis' performance as a cop getting out of jail after being wrongly convicted of murder and trying to do his old job. While never addressed all that directly, Lewis does an amazing job of showing Charlie's Zen philosophy as well as the memories of atrocities that lie beneath.
-- Al Norton (article author), 411 Mania, September 26, 2008
[In Life,] lead actor Lewis impeccably encompasses doe-eyed naiveté, childlike wonder, bemused ambiguity, keen intelligence and steely, tragedy-tinged resolve -- a man as drawn to joy as he is driven by darkness.
-- Rob Salem (article author), Toronto Star, September 29, 2008
Charismatic actor Damian Lewis is certainly a draw [in Life] as he portrays Charlie Crews, a cop who was jailed for a crime he didn’t commit.
-- Jessica Banov (article author), Fayetteville Observer, September 29, 2008
What really makes this show different from other crime dramas on TV is Damian Lewis’ unique performance as Detective Charlie Crews. He is positively delightful -- smug without overdoing it.
-- Amy Amatangelo (article author), Zap2It, September 29, 2008
Life -- created by Rand Ravich and starring the superb Damian Lewis, the wonderful Sara Shahi, and the enchanting Adam Arkin -- is one of the most consistently enjoyable, electrifying, clever, creative, original, and just plain amazing television shows I’ve ever seen. Ever. And I watch a lot of TV. ... Damian Lewis especially is a revelation as Charlie Crews.
-- Cameron Cubbison (article author), Poptimal, October 1, 2008
Damian Lewis plays Charlie Crews with aplomb.
-- Jeff Swindoll (article author), Monsters & Critics, October 3, 2008
Damian Lewis is a terrific lead actor and the stories [in Life] are compelling.
-- Tom Jicha (article author), Sun-Sentinel, October 7, 2008
The key to [Life's] creative success, we are convinced, belongs to its stars. Damian Lewis ("Band of Brothers") stars as Charlie Crews, bringing many twists to what might otherwise have been just a traditional tough-cop role. While Lewis is a handsome guy, he's not one of the rugged-though-bland, cookie-cutter Hunks of the Moment that might otherwise have been placed in a starring role on a cop show (as in, oh, say, the new "Knight Rider"). He's tall and lanky, with radioactive red hair and eyes that can pierce or sparkle, depending on the scene. What makes Charlie Crews most intriguing is that he might just be insane. Lewis understands that, and knows precisely when to evoke that possibility.
-- Michael Alan Harvey (article author), Pfunn, October 10, 2008
Damian Lewis is always terrific.
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), New Jersey Star-Ledger, October 12, 2008
[Charlie Crews is] the name of the wonderfully complex and entertaining cop played masterfully by Damian Lewis in the wonderfully complex and entertaining Life.
-- Cameron Cubbison (article author), Poptimal, October 12, 2008
What makes Damian Lewis' performance [in Life] so good is the way you never doubt the anger/darkness that rises to the surface on occasion.
-- Al Norton (article author), 411 Mania, October 16, 2008
If he can be tempted back to TV, let's hope it's to guest present Have I Got News for You again. He did it superbly in 2006 (making an impressive off-the-cuff pun about Friesian cows); team captain Ian Hislop says Lewis was one of the panel show's best hosts.
-- Michael Deacon (article author), The Telegraph, October 25, 2008
Damian Lewis is kind of brilliant at the action hero stuff. I may be going overboard in my praise here, but between "Band of Brothers" and this show, he looks as good with a gun in his hands as any actor since Steve McQueen. ... Dammit, Damian Lewis is mesmerizing.
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), New Jersey Star-Ledger, October 27, 2008
Damian Lewis is one hell of an actor and his portrayal of Detective Charlie Crews is one of the most engaging depictions of a complex human being on television today.
-- Scotty (article author), ComicDorksCast, October 29, 2008
As played by Damian Lewis, Crews is one of the most compelling main characters on any TV drama today. ... Lewis is still mesmerizing as Crews, a cop who spent 12 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit, then won a $50 million lawsuit against the LAPD that included getting his badge back. Whether he's calming strangers in their moment of panic with absolute truths, confusing partner Dani Reese (Sarah Shahi) with his latest philosophical musing, or showing you just how much prison hardened Crews (few actors on the big or small screen are as convincingly dangerous with a gun in their hand as Lewis), he always commands attention. And, in addition to running neck and neck with fellow Brit import Hugh Laurie for doing the best fake American accent in primetime, Crews is closing in on Dr. House as the funniest main character in an otherwise dramatic series. ... So long as Lewis is around, "Life" will be several steps above those cookie-cutter police procedurals.
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), New Jersey Star-Ledger, November 4, 2008
Lewis gives off such an interesting energy as an actor that he raises the entire show [Life] up.
-- Maureen Ryan (article author), Chicago Tribune, November 5, 2008
Damian Lewis is wonderful, particularly in those moments [in Life] where Crews has to speak the absolute truth to a stranger.
-- Alan Sepinwall (article author), New Jersey Star-Ledger, November 5, 2008
Damian Lewis' Charlie Crews is quickly becoming one of the better "new" TV detectives. ... I love how Lewis can make Crews goofy and serene in one scene, and then in the very next scene scary intense. I think that intensity, if enough people give the show a chance, will keep them coming back week after week.
-- DC Perry (article co-author), 411 Mania, November 7, 2008
[In Life,] Crews [is] superbly played by British actor Damian Lewis.
-- Andrew Murfett (article author), The Age, November 27, 2008
"Life" is terrific. Damian Lewis, so great in "Band of Brothers", makes Charlie Crews the best TV character going.
-- Fred Kerber (article author), New York Post, November 27, 2008
If I was filling out my [Screen Actors Guild Award nominations] ballot I'd have Damian Lewis (Life) over Hugh Laurie.
-- Al Norton (article author), 411 Mania, December 19, 2008
[In Life,] Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) turns out the most underrated performance on television as the fruit loving, falsely imprisoned, Zen master Charlie Crews who simultaneously tracks down weekly criminals and the people who framed him. Stop wasting your time on crap like Heroes. Watch Life.
-- Matt Norris (article author), Cinema Blend, December 28, 2008
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