As someone who has to strategically style their fringe in order to hide a rapidly receding hairline, I take particular exception to Mark Wahlberg’s new film, Flight Risk. In it, the actor plays a pilot tasked with transporting a US marshal and a government witness to a trial, only for him to eventually turn on the pair, take off his cap and reveal himself as a murderous villain. A bald murderous villain. Yes, it’s not often that we get to see Wahlberg portray a weirdo brute, but the second we do, someone (presumably director Mel Gibson) immediately deems it necessary to give him a Mr Burns haircut.
Ever a fan of authenticity, Wahlberg actually decided to shave his hair off for the role, rather than opt for a bald cap. Although the actor has shared a clip of his bonce being mowed on social media, it’s not entirely clear why such an extreme transformation was needed, creatively speaking. Unless, of course, the film is subscribing to an age-old and troubling notion: that traditional heroes typically have a healthy head of hair, while villainous creeps do not.
