Robert Downey Jr. gives Favreau's 'Iron Man' mettle

By Steve Persall, Times Film Critic
In print: Thursday, May 1, 2008

In Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark, who discovers the idea for a superhuman metal suit while being held captive in Afghanistan.
	[Paramount Pictures]

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Titanium hands down, the coolest superhero alter ego is Tony Stark, who moonlights as Iron Man when he isn't being the man many red-blooded American males want to be.

Tony's exorbitant wealth is surpassed only by his confidence that the world is his to enjoy. He is Bruce Wayne without manners, Clark Kent without conscience and Peter Parker's id, able to pay for his indulgences plus generous tips.

Casting Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man puzzled people since he isn't a macho persona. All doubts should end now. The armored suit and CGI do all the necessary acting when things are blowing up. The moments when Tony is being Tony — the role Downey excels at playing — are what make Iron Man such a hoot.

Director Jon Favreau builds a sturdy foundation for a franchise, an origins story that isn't as familiar as Batman's or Spider-Man's and unburdened by the angst of murdered relatives and messianic guilt. There isn't a downer scene in Iron Man, only a shift in Tony's priorities.

That's where Downey's casting pays off. There are faint parallels between his well-documented substance abuse and Tony's addiction to making weapons. Downey's rehab and Tony's change of heart — literally, with a new pacemaker — inform the performance at every turn.

Watch Downey's final expression when Tony declares "I am Iron Man," a marvelous mix of pride, uncertainty and defiance that may be what the actor sees in the mirror each sober morning.

Iron Man, which opens today, begins with a bang, as Tony rides with a troop caravan through Afghanistan after demonstrating a horrific new weapon. We learn a lot immediately as he flirts with a female driver while steadying a shot of booze, cracking wise until a mortar attack by insurgents.

Tony is captured, and the action flashes back 36 hours to Las Vegas where a craps table distracts him from accepting an award from his Army buddy Jim Rhodes (Terrence Howard). We meet Tony's assistant, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow, looser than she has performed in years), and his late father's partner, Obediah Stane (Jeff Bridges). That's a lot of Oscar-level talent for a comic book flick, and it's never wasted.

Back in Afghanistan, Tony is held captive by terrorists who want him to build a super missile. He awakens to discover that shrapnel near his heart requires an electromagnet installation to keep him alive. That invention leads to construction of a crude armor suit, enabling his escape. It's a rough draft later developed into a prototype, then the familiar red and gold armor.

The sole problem with Iron Man is watching all this construction before Iron Man squares off with a supervillain, an even larger copy of himself. Favreau needs more action and a worthy opponent in the inevitable sequel. And pay Downey whatever he wants for an encore.

Steve Persall can be reached at persall@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8365. Read his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/movies.