When I wrote the following to the production company of The Harbinger about my discovery of their leading actor and asked what he is doing next, they requested I post this "review" of his performance on IMDb as well. Here is what I wrote (edited for length/clarity):
"None of the above actors listed, nor your lead, look anything alike. But there is something about their personalities & mannerisms - qualities. There's an honesty in their performances.
Klipstine is intense at times but through it all looks relaxed, focused and if the scene calls for it, as cool as the other side of the pillow. It's not just about being comfortable in front of the camera. He plays sadness, unabashed joy (actually all of his performance is unabashed), confusion, secretiveness, fear, shame, guilt, vulnerability, pitiable, heartbreaking loss, helplessness, silliness, suspicion, being suspicious of others, zealousness, and the fearless martyr charging forward with reckless abandon (I'm sure I'm missing others) - all with complete believability.
Your film is entertaining. I humbly say you may have been constrained by budget but boy did you smash it out of the park with the storytelling and the acting (the whole cast). And when it comes to Klipstine's performance, I see at least five other critics noticed the same thing: In particular writing about his 'gravitas' and 'a strong lead being able to eclipse a film's minor flaws.'"
I rambled on, I finished by writing that he is a great find, I look forward to his future work, and that I thought the movie was a fun, interesting watch.
One thing I'll add that I didn't write to them: A couple critics compared him to Nicholas Cage. I see other reviews mentioning Sam Rockwell, Keanu, Luke Wilson, Josh Hartnett, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, etc.. I'm not saying I disagree, he does have moments like some of those, but I strongly encourage watching Tracy, Fonda, Stewart and Clift. I'm confident they will see what I refer to. In addition to being authentic, there's a fearlessness accompanied with an earnestness or endearing quality that emanates. I'm not sure which one leads to the other. It doesn't make a difference, I just sometimes wonder what makes someone so talented and maybe it's less of a science than just whatever "it" is. They have "it."
It's a star quality and I think it's cool to watch someone like that before the rest of the world learns who they are.
Dean Billick.
