Skeleton Crew Episode 4 casually presents the French film legend “Star Wars”.
Contains the following spoilers for Star Wars: The Crew Season 1 Episode 4, “Can’t Say I Remember It’s Not In Atlin.”
“Star Wars: Crew of Skeletons” 4 series once again brings Jodh Na Navod (Jude Law) and his crew of shipwrecked teenagers to a new planet where we meet so many new faces that they get a chance to make an impact. One of the key figures on the episode’s planet, At Achrann, is Troik clansman Haina (Hala Finley), who soon gains respect for Neal (voiced by Robert Timothy Smith) and his penchant for violence. While Finlay has several projects on her acting CVmoviegoers may prick up their ears even more when they see her father, Troika leader General Strix.
If The Strix sounds familiar to you, you’ve probably been paying attention to international cinema in the 1990s and 2000s. The general, who likes to teach child soldiers, is played by none other than actor and filmmaker Mathieu Kasowitz, a three-time winner of the César award. Seeing a name like Kasowitz pop up in an episode directed by Daniels (“All At Once,” “Swiss Army”) brings to mind the director couple’s history of casting some truly inspired actors for audiences, and that it will be interesting to see if “Skeleton Crew” intends to use this character more going forward.
Maciej Kasowitz left his mark on both sides of the camera
Although you might not notice it thanks to the graying features and bushy beard that Mathieu Kassovitz stars in as Skeleton Crew, chances are you know him best from Jean-Pierre Genet whimsical French indie rom-com “Amelié” (2001). In the film about the titular eccentric cafe waitress (a career performance by Audrey Tautou), Kassovitz plays Nino Quincampua, a mysterious passport photo booth repairman who turns out to be Amelie’s soul mate. Of course, that’s just one bullet point on Kasowitz’s long acting resume, which includes projects like Steven Spielberg’s Munich (2005) and Robin Williams’ war comedy-drama Jacob the Liar (1999). As a film director, it is probably his most famous work The Hate, also known as La Haine, is an acclaimed 1995 social thriller starring Vincent Cassel, written and directed by Kassovitz.
Although primarily known for their work on more artistic and serious projects, Skeleton Crew isn’t as much of a departure from Kassovitz’s career as one might think. In fact, he’s been known to take on major sci-fi projects from time to time. He had small roles in The Fifth Element and Luc Besson’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, and he even wrote and directed Vin Diesel’s 2008 sci-fi film Babylon of the A.D.
New episodes of “Skeleton Crew” are released every week on Disney+.