Ralph Fiennes Is Playing Robert Moses in ‘Straight Line Crazy’
A new movie from writer/director Michael Mann, who won an Oscar for Taxi Driver, is a biopic about Robert Moses. It’s called Straight Line Crazy, and it’s about how Moses created one of the greatest, most destructive urban planning projects in world history, and how he ended up a bitter, despondent man whose own ego and ambition blinded him to how destructive his actions had become.
Mann’s film centers on Moses’ son-in-law, a brilliant, charismatic, wealthy New York playboy, who winds up taking over Moses’ old job as a New York city planner.
Sidney Poitier plays Moses’ oldest son-in-law, who is also a playboy. Sidney would play another great character: Moses’ nephew, Robert, whose personal life is as complex and interesting as anyone’s had to be within any of Moses’ biographies.
Ralph Fiennes plays his nephew and also Moses’ successor as New York’s Parks Commissioner. He took on a lot of credit in his role as Moshe, but in the end, Poitier would take the lead.
There’s definitely a big difference between the two Poitiers, and they both make a big difference to each other.
Michael Mann: So now you’re making the story of a father and son.
Sidney Poitier: Yes, that’s correct.
Michael Mann: So you look up to your father. I’m sorry. The movie doesn’t say you look up to your father. You look up to your father. You also love your dad, and he shows it. You also feel very passionately for him. How do you deal with that emotion? You come from a family of great politicians. I’m a great man of business, and an old man of business, and I could never take a step in politics. I never had the interest, because it’s different between politics and business. It was always a business for me. But I’ve always