Don't forget to check out Kyle's blog for his list, too!
1. John Goodman in The Big Lebowski
John Goodman has long since been one of my favorite character actors. I first saw him in the television series Roseanne and his Dan Connor is still one of the best sitcom characters of all time. Since then, I've seen him in countless films and shows, but his very best work is in one of my favorite films, The Big Lebowski, the comedy masterpiece from Joel and Ethan Coen. Goodman plays Walter Sobchak, a Jewish Vietnam vet with anger problems and an affinity for bowling. Walter is an outrageous character - he's opinionated, violent, verbose, and aggressive, but also very loyal. Goodman absolutely nails every moment, every line of dialogue, and every bit of physical comedy. One of my favorite Walter moments (and there are a bunch!) is when he interrogates a high school kid ("Is this your homework, Larry?") and then proceeds to smash the hell out of a car parked on the street. Goodman can swing from calm and collected to out of control with the best of actors and in The Big Lebowski, he gets to show it.
2. George C. Scott in Dr. Strangelove
Another list, another Dr. Strangelove appearance. Can you tell I love this film? This time it's to single out the magnificent performance of George C. Scott as General Buck Turgidson. His performance is dynamic and hilariously over the top. It's been rumored that Kubrick tricked Scott into giving this performance, reportedly telling the serious actor that he wouldn't use these comical takes. If that's the case, it only further cements Kubrick's genius in my mind. He got the exact performance he wanted and it turned out to be one of the best I've ever seen. Scott's facial expressions are a highlight of the performance as he sells the character perfectly - he's on edge and just a bit out of his mind. Scott was a remarkable actor - I also loved him in Anatomy of a Murder, The Hustler, and 12 Angry Men (1997) - but I'll always remember him for General Turgidson.
3. R. Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket
R. Lee Ermey gives the single greatest performance by an amateur actor that I've ever seen in Full Metal Jacket. Ermey, a retired Marine drill instructor, was hired by Stanley Kubrick to be a technical adviser on the film, but quickly worked his way into the cast and stole the entire first half away from all the more experienced and trained actors. His Gunnery Sgt. Hartman is such a great character because of Ermey's influence. He came up with most of his own dialogue and informed Kubrick how a man in his position would carry himself. Hartman is a hard, rough man who only cares about one thing: producing the best Marines possible. He uses his intense attitude and loud, booming voice to make his points and keep his men in line and his tactics work beautifully... up to the point until they don't. Ermey made the most of his opportunity in Full Metal Jacket - he's had a long and prosperous acting career since - and I'm grateful for that. He's just a great performer.
4. Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting
Most people love Robin Williams for his comedic roles, but when I think of him, my mind always comes back to his finest piece of acting as Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. That's not to say Williams isn't funny in the role - at times it's a laugh out loud type performance - but his best moments are the quiet, more subdued ones. Sean is a listener and Williams always had a knack for listening and reacting to his fellow cast mates. Sometimes people seem like they're only waiting for their turn to talk and aren't really listening, but Williams was never like that. Something about his face and eyes showed you he was completely locked into whatever was happening. There are some very intense moments in Good Will Hunting and Williams performs wonderfully. His monologue on the park bench is a particularly good representation of what Williams was capable of. Sean is a complex character and Williams really sunk his teeth into the role, winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Acting that year.
5. Brad Dourif in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was Brad Dourif's first credited role. What a way to start a career! He's gone on to some great projects (HBO's Deadwood is his finest work since Cuckoo's Nest) and a lot of dreck, but even if he'd only made this one film, he'd be remembered today. That's how good his work as Billy Bibbit was. Billy is a mental patient admitted to Nurse Ratched's ward to overcome his nervousness, social anxiety, and stuttering, but when he finally does start to overcome some of these things, Ratched breaks him back down again. Dourif performs with the stutter amazingly well - it seems natural and not forced in the least - and imbues Billy with a hopelessness and naivety that really help sell the character. While watching the film, it always seems like Billy could be one of the many actual mental patients that the film used as extras, that's how believable Dourif's performance was.
6. Jason Robards in Magnolia
Jason Robards probably has the slightest role of the ten men on my list. Slight in screen time and physicality, but definitely not slight in emotional charge. Robards plays Earl Partridge, a man dying of cancer who doesn't leave his bed at any time during the film. Robards performance is the most realistic depiction of someone who is near death that I've seen. Earl reminded me a lot of my own father when he was dying - the same slack jaw, with his mouth hanging open. The same wheezing and coughing. The same far away look in his eyes, which are sunken and dark. It's a chilling sight to behold, that level humanism in a film. Robards has one scene in particular that illustrates how immensely talented he was: a nearly nine minute monologue where Earl tells about his mistakes in life and how much he regrets abandoning his sick wife and only son. When he gets excited and angry, he gets short of breath and has to pause to recover. It's these types of little moments that elevate a performance from "good" to "all-time great" and Robards has many of them.
7. John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon
John Cazale appeared in only five films before his untimely death, but all five of those are considered classics to this day. The best of them, and the only one I truly love, is Dog Day Afternoon and a big part of this film's appeal is Cazale's performance as Sal, a bank robber who gets trapped inside a New York City bank on a very hot summer day. Cazale and Al Pacino - who plays Sonny, his partner in crime - are magnificent together. It's two great actors at the top of their game. Sal is a very memorable character because he's a fully developed and nuanced person. He's dumb, nervous, emotional, and constantly on the edge of a breakdown and Cazale conveys all of these emotions (and more), sometimes with just a look or how he hangs his head.
8. Joaquin Phoenix in Gladiator
Gladiator is in my Top 5 favorite films for a multitude of reasons, but one of the major ones is Joaquin Phoenix's wonderful performance as Commodus, the petty and insecure emperor of Rome. Commodus is a sniveling, conniving, murderous little weasel of a man and Phoenix makes him into one of the best film villains of all-time. The true genius of his performance, though, is that he also has the ability to actually make you feel sorry for Commodus, especially in the scenes towards the beginning when you see his own father pass him by in favor of Russell Crowe's Maximus. This role gives Phoenix the chance to do a little bit of everything, from physical action to slight comedy to deeply emotional scenes. It's a very showy role, but Phoenix never goes too far and keeps Commodus from becoming just another villain. Phoenix has since matured into, quite possibly, the best actor of his generation, but I think he delivered one of his best performances in Gladiator.
9. Billy Bob Thornton in A Simple Plan
Billy Bob Thornton is one of the best and most interesting actors of the last twenty years. He's able to play a wide range of diverse characters and often times disappears into the role. His best work is probably Sling Blade (a lead role in a film he wrote and directed), but I think his performance in A Simple Plan is nearly as good. Jacob is a slow, well meaning guy who has never caught a break in his whole life, so when he and his brother, Hank, find a bag filled with cash, he doesn't know what to do. They get drawn into an escalating conflict and Thornton shines throughout. There's a scene where Jacob tells Hank how he's never had a real girlfriend or even ever kissed a girl and it's simply heartbreaking. Thornton doesn't oversell it, he just lets everything flow naturally. His restraint is what makes the role really work. The novel by Scott Smith, on which this film is based, is one of my favorites and Thornton doesn't physically resemble the Jacob described there at all, but he makes the character his own.
10. Nick Nolte in Warrior
The character of Paddy Conlon in Warrior would have been a great role for any actor in his 60's or 70's - it's just so well written - but Nick Nolte was the best choice possible, I think. His gruff exterior and sandpaper-like voice perfectly fit Paddy, a recovering alcoholic looking for redemption with his family. Nolte looks like an ex-athlete because he is one. He can expertly pass as an addict because he was one. The role seems to have been written specifically for him and he doesn't disappoint. Warrior is an excellent film for several reasons, but I think Nolte's performance is the best part of the whole thing. It's intense, emotional, and physical yet also mostly quiet and reserved. The balance that Nolte strikes is very impressive. One of my favorite moments of the film is when Paddy goes to his son's house to talk, hoping to join him and his family. Because of his past mistakes, Paddy has been cut off and doesn't even know his grandchildren. The desperation and sadness on his face and in his eyes is profound.
Well, there's my list. What are some of your favorites? Do you love any of mine? Or absolutely hate any of them? Thanks for reading and I look forward to any and all comments!
Next week's list: Part 8 of my Favorite Films.
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