RIP CP

Chris Penn died yesterday. He was only 43. The cause is still unknown.

He may have been overshadowed in life by his brother Sean, and even musician Michael, but he'll be remembered. He appeared in about 50 movies and lots of TV as well. The last performance I saw him give was as himself in a small part in the HBO series Entourage. But the one part that will live on for sure is his Nice Guy Eddie in Reservoir Dogs.

Reservoir Dogs is one of the most influential films of our time, but, as so often happens, the original magic is rarely recaptured. All the ensemble--Tim Roth, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen, Steve Buscemi--do great work. And Penn is right up their with them, as Lawrence Tierney's son--his character is a little less intense than the others, perhaps, but a perfect part of the mix.