Jamie Foxx is the master of brains and brawn. He's the Oscar winning actor who can slip easily from high-brow to low-life, from society to street, from art-house to action.
Foxx’s latest film Sleepless sees him at the top of his game, delivering a blistering performance as a man pushed to the edge in an action thriller that takes no hostages.
Of all we’ve learned from Foxx about how to mix smart talk and brutal force, we thought we’d present some lessons from the man himself. Here is our ‘How To’ guide from the screen’s most powerful, dynamic and double-fisted presence.
JAMIE FOXX’S ‘HOW TO’...
HOW TO: TREAD THE FINE LINE BETWEEN GOOD & BAD
Keep it real. As a homicide cop working undercover on the mean streets of Vegas, the line between right and wrong is always blurred. Sometimes you have to cross the line and sometimes you have to blow it apart. Foxx’s character, Vincent Downs, has connections to the city’s most powerful drug lords – but don’t judge a cop by his cover. When a huge cache of narcotics end up in Down’s hands, it’s hard to know whether he’s corrupt or playing a bigger game to bring down the drug establishment.
HOW TO: FIGHT AN ENEMY USING ONLY BARE HANDS & KITCHEN UTENSILS
When you’re caught without a gun to protect you and your son, use whatever is closest at hand and never surrender. In Sleepless’ most gripping man-to-man combat scene set in an industrial kitchen, Downs must resort to using whatever is at hand - meat cleavers, frying pans, saucepans, baking tins, raw fists and sheer desperation. Bloodied and bruised, this is Foxx at his bare-knuckle best... fighting until only one man is left standing.
HOW TO: BE A MASTER OF DISGUISE, WHILE ALWAYS BEING YOURSELF
Cap worn low, gangster scars, leather jacket; Suit, tie, briefcase; Cops uniform, badge, cuffs; Hotel worker overalls, all security pass - Foxx’s character Vincent Downs has many looks but only one face: vengeance.
HOW TO: KILL IT IN VEGAS
Behind the glittering facades of the Bellagio and Caesar’s Palace, there’s a whole lot of dirty stuff going on in the shadows: cops on the take, crims on the make, backroom deals, abductions, revenge killings and even tongues being cut out of hostages mouths while they’re hung upside down.
Can one man immerse himself in this filth, remain clean and walk out alive? Vincent Downs is about to find out.
HOW TO: WALK WITH SWAGGER, TALK WITH BRAVADO
Working undercover means you gotta make them believe - one false note and your cover is blown.
To pass as a dirty cop, you need to act like one, think like one and do the sh*tty stuff that dirty cops do. While Foxx’s character Downs can take on any man with his bare hands, it’s his mouth that really sets him apart.
This is one smooth-talking piece of work:
Kidnapper: “Officer Downs, we have your son.”
Vincent Downs: “You hurt him, I'm killing all of y'all.”
HOW TO: TAKE CONTROL
When you can trust no-one, only trust your instincts.
On his mission to get his son back from Vegas’ most ruthless family, Downs must work alone – especially after discovering his partner is crooked. No-one is who they say they are, no-one has his back, no-one is exempt from corruption. This is when taking control means taking your destiny in your own hands... and taking each man down, one by one.
HOW TO: TAKE NO PRISONERS
Hit first, ask questions later. With a price on his head, his teenage son abducted and rogue cops on his tail, Downs realises that he must act more like a vigilante than an internal affairs cop. He’ll bring the whole establishment down to bring his son home.
HOW TO: MAKE YOUR TRAILER ROCK
Get Drake to give your trailer a killer vibe – Drake’s song ‘Energy’ makes this trailer for Sleepless truly kick ass. See for yourself.
JAMIE FOXX’S ‘HOW TO’...
HOW TO: TREAD THE FINE LINE BETWEEN GOOD & BAD
Keep it real. As a homicide cop working undercover on the mean streets of Vegas, the line between right and wrong is always blurred. Sometimes you have to cross the line and sometimes you have to blow it apart. Foxx’s character, Vincent Downs, has connections to the city’s most powerful drug lords – but don’t judge a cop by his cover. When a huge cache of narcotics end up in Down’s hands, it’s hard to know whether he’s corrupt or playing a bigger game to bring down the drug establishment.
HOW TO: FIGHT AN ENEMY USING ONLY BARE HANDS & KITCHEN UTENSILS
When you’re caught without a gun to protect you and your son, use whatever is closest at hand and never surrender. In Sleepless’ most gripping man-to-man combat scene set in an industrial kitchen, Downs must resort to using whatever is at hand - meat cleavers, frying pans, saucepans, baking tins, raw fists and sheer desperation. Bloodied and bruised, this is Foxx at his bare-knuckle best... fighting until only one man is left standing.
HOW TO: BE A MASTER OF DISGUISE, WHILE ALWAYS BEING YOURSELF
Cap worn low, gangster scars, leather jacket; Suit, tie, briefcase; Cops uniform, badge, cuffs; Hotel worker overalls, all security pass - Foxx’s character Vincent Downs has many looks but only one face: vengeance.
HOW TO: KILL IT IN VEGAS
Behind the glittering facades of the Bellagio and Caesar’s Palace, there’s a whole lot of dirty stuff going on in the shadows: cops on the take, crims on the make, backroom deals, abductions, revenge killings and even tongues being cut out of hostages mouths while they’re hung upside down.
Can one man immerse himself in this filth, remain clean and walk out alive? Vincent Downs is about to find out.
HOW TO: WALK WITH SWAGGER, TALK WITH BRAVADO
Working undercover means you gotta make them believe - one false note and your cover is blown.
To pass as a dirty cop, you need to act like one, think like one and do the sh*tty stuff that dirty cops do. While Foxx’s character Downs can take on any man with his bare hands, it’s his mouth that really sets him apart.
This is one smooth-talking piece of work:
Kidnapper: “Officer Downs, we have your son.”
Vincent Downs: “You hurt him, I'm killing all of y'all.”
HOW TO: TAKE CONTROL
When you can trust no-one, only trust your instincts.
On his mission to get his son back from Vegas’ most ruthless family, Downs must work alone – especially after discovering his partner is crooked. No-one is who they say they are, no-one has his back, no-one is exempt from corruption. This is when taking control means taking your destiny in your own hands... and taking each man down, one by one.
HOW TO: TAKE NO PRISONERS
Hit first, ask questions later. With a price on his head, his teenage son abducted and rogue cops on his tail, Downs realises that he must act more like a vigilante than an internal affairs cop. He’ll bring the whole establishment down to bring his son home.
HOW TO: MAKE YOUR TRAILER ROCK
Get Drake to give your trailer a killer vibe – Drake’s song ‘Energy’ makes this trailer for Sleepless truly kick ass. See for yourself.
