Gurney Halleck/2021 film

Gurney Halleck is a character in the 2021 film Dune. He is a Warmaster in service of Duke Leto of House Atreides, and he trains the Duke's son Paul. Gurney Halleck is portrayed by Josh Brolin.

Character description[]

A defiant warrior with the soul of a poet, Gurney Halleck has watched over Paul Atreides since he was born. Although he would never say it aloud, he loves Paul as though he were his own son. As the Duke’s Warmaster, Gurney Halleck has been forged in battle, and will do whatever it takes to protect House Atreides — a people as dear to him as the family he lost to the Harkonnens.^[1]

History[]

Training Paul for Arrakis[]

Halleck briefly takes over the role of Duncan Idaho as Paul's trainer following the latter's departure to Arrakis. The two briefly practice duelling only days before Paul's departure to Arrakis, in which Halleck warns Paul about the dangers of letting his guard down, especially on a new and unfamiliar planet such as Arrakis. Eventually the duel between the two ends in a tie, and Halleck remarks that Paul would've killed him but died in the process.

On Arrakis[]

Little is shown about Halleck's time on Arrakis, but he is seen accompanying Paul, Leto, and Kynes on their tour of the spice harvesting operation. Halleck is among those who aids the crew of the harvester onto the ornithopter after the landing gear fails, but more importantly responsible for rescuing Paul from the desert when he becomes disorientated following the inhalation of spice.

Personality[]

Differences from the original character[]

Gurney Halleck is adapted from the character of the same name from the original Dune novel.

Much like in the original novel, Gurney has a traumatic past as a prisoner of the Harkonnens (including a distinct scar on the left side of his face). This is something he stresses rather furiously to Paul, stating emphatically "You've never met Harkonnens before. They're not human, they're brutal !". However, Gurney's deceased sister is not alluded to.

The film's Gurney is also somewhat more serious and stern than his book counterpart, who was known to be fairly cheerful around Paul, though still a strict mentor. (An early scene pokes fun at Gurney's seriousness, when duke Leto encourages him to smile just a tiny bit during the meeting with the imperial delegation. Gurney replies he is smiling, while his expression remains neutral.) Gurney's dry sense of humour is still the same as in the novel, such as when he playfully points out Paul's potentially fatal mistake during their practice swordfight. He also punctuates his criticism with a "I see you've found the mood..." jab at Paul's reluctance to practice.

Gurney's profficiency with the baliset and his interest in music is alluded to (Paul suggesting a song), but not shown. A scene of Josh Brolin as Gurney playing the baliset was filmed but not used, and might become a deleted scene in future releases.