[Tribute Column] RIP Ray Liotta's Watch ~Actor's Watch #70~

"Actor's Watch" focuses on watches worn by actors in movies, television, etc.
For the 70th installment, we will be looking at Ray Liotta's watch .

*Source: https://www.tcm.com/

On May 26, 2022, sad news came to my mind. Actor Ray Liotta, known for his roles in Goodfellas (1990) and Hannibal (2001), passed away at the age of 67. He was one of my favorite actors, so I'm still in shock.

He is outstanding when it comes to playing "tough guys hiding something deep in their hearts," and personally, I particularly like the many eccentric suspense thrillers he appeared in around 2000, such as " Unforgettable " (1996), " Identity " (2003), and " NARC " (2002).

As a tribute to him, we would like to take a look at the watches worn by Ray Liotta.

Good Fellows

GOODFELLAS (1990)

Henry ( Ray Liotta ), who had dreamed of becoming a mafia member since he was a child, begins working for a local mafia boss. Henry's sense of making money is recognized, and he is introduced to the most feared man in town, Jimmy ( Robert De Niro ), and he teams up with his protégé, Tommy ( Joe Pesci ). Eventually, Henry is arrested by the police for selling stolen goods, but he never speaks during questioning and is recognized as a man for protecting the organization, and after his release, big "jobs" come one after another. He gets married and eventually opens his own store with the backing of the organization, but when Tommy kills a big-time mafia boss who is celebrating his release at the store, the gears of his life start to go awry little by little.

*Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/

" Goodfellas " is a crime biopic directed by Martin Scorsese , based on the true story novel "Wiseguy," which depicts the life of real-life mafia boss Henry Hill. It is a mafia movie masterpiece that was nominated in four categories, including Best Picture, at the 63rd Academy Awards in 1991, and Joe Pesci, who plays Tony, won the Best Supporting Actor award. Ray Liotta, who plays Henry Hill, gives a great performance as a gentle and humane mafia boss who rises to great heights in the underworld but is eventually cornered by the law. It was his breakthrough film.

*Source: https://www.wristenthusiast.com/

*Source: https://www.rolexmagazine.com/

In this movie, Ray Liotta wears two watches: a Seiko Quartz SQ (Ref. 7813-8019) and a Rolex Day-Date . These are "gold-plated" watches that look like something a mafia member would like to wear, but it's quite unusual for two watches with such a large price difference to be worn by a single character in a movie. Based on the time period when the movie was filmed, the Day-Date is likely to be a Ref. 18038 (late 70s to late 80s) or a Ref. 18238 (1988 to 2000). The Ref. 18038 seems more likely, as the case looks thicker and it fits the era of the movie. What do you think?

Dumbo Drop Operation

OPERATION DUMBO DROP (1995)

In 1968, in the midst of the Vietnam War, Captain Doyle ( Ray Liotta ) of the US Army is assigned to a small village deep in the mountains of South Vietnam to monitor the transportation routes of the North Vietnamese Army. His predecessor, Captain Cahill ( Danny Glover ), who respected the villagers' customs and earned their trust, persuades Doyle of the importance of cooperation with the villagers, but Doyle, who puts his mission first, is not very enthusiastic. Meanwhile, the villagers' elephant, which they worship as a guardian deity, is killed in an attack by the North Vietnamese Army. Cahill, who believes that he will lose the trust of the villagers if this continues, comes up with a plan to obtain a new elephant by the day of the village festival, together with Doyle and the child who takes care of the elephant.

*Source: https://mashable.com/

This film is set during the Vietnam War, but as it is a Disney film, there are no war casualties, so don't worry. It is said to be based on a true story, but no one really knows if the elephants were actually parachuted down (lol). Rather than a war movie, it is better to call it a heartwarming story about soldiers, children, and elephants set in Vietnam. The highlight of the film is Ray Liotta playing the role of a good guy . This film allows you to experience a different side of him than his public image.

*Source: https://m.imdb.com/

Ray Liotta, who plays a duty-first soldier in the film, wears what appears to be a Rolex GMT Master with a colorful Pepsi-colored bezel. In the image, it appears to have a flat sapphire crystal windshield, so given the time of filming, it is likely to be a GMT Master (Ref. 16700) or GMT Master II (Ref. 16710) .

Speaking of GMT Masters in films set during the Vietnam War, the famous "Ref. 1675 without the bezel" worn by Marlon Brando in his role as Colonel Kurtz in " Apocalypse Now " (1979) is one example, and perhaps this watch was chosen as an homage to that character.

Marriage Story

MARRIAGE STORY (2019)

Charlie ( Adam Driver ), a theater company director, and his wife, Nicole ( Scarlett Johansson ), an actress, live in New York with their son. Although he loves his wife, they have many differences, and Nicole, who wants to live her own life, decides to divorce. After discussing it, Charlie and Nicole decide to have an amicable divorce, but their pent-up frustrations and feelings clash, and the two end up in divorce court, with each side hiring a lawyer ( Ray Liotta / Alan Alda )...

*Source: https://m.imdb.com/

Noah Baumbach directed, wrote and produced " Marriage Story, " based on his own experience in divorce proceedings. The film depicts a family that is in love but is trying to end their marriage, and has been highly praised as a "modern version of Kramer vs. Kramer (1980)."

In this film, Ray Liotta plays Jay Marotta, a combative lawyer who sides with Charlie. His character is a tough, pushy, and romantically gray " old man ," but he was surely what many fans had hoped for in the future of Ray Liotta's appearance and acting. His untimely death at the age of 67 is truly regrettable.

*Source: https://www.heraldscotland.com/

In this film, Ray Liotta, who plays a successful lawyer, wears a Cartier Tank Française . When viewed up close, the indexes at 4, 8, and 12 o'clock appear to be missing, so it is thought to be a Chrono Reflex (Ref. W51001Q3 ) with the chronograph counters and calendar located in those positions. Ray Liotta is actually left-handed, and in the film he mostly wears his watch on his right wrist. There are many images where the crown side is not visible, so it was difficult to identify the model this time (lol).

summary

What did you think?

Although the three films we have introduced are coincidentally all related to watches, they are all based on true stories .

As a fan, I strongly believe this is proof that Ray Liotta, despite having the distinctive features and "cinematic tough guy" that would look good on screen, also had the solid acting ability to not destroy the reality of the true story.

*Source: https://www.looper.com/

According to reports, he passed away in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was staying to film a new movie. This was sad news for all his fans, who had hoped that they would be able to enjoy Ray Liotta's new works in the future. Although we may not be able to see his new works, I would like to watch his past works for a while and reaffirm his greatness.

RIP Ray Liotta.
Thank you so much for entertaining us with your wonderful performance.

see you!