r/movies • u/Fun_Protection_6939 • 18h ago
Discussion What is the single greatest acting performance you have seen?
What is the single greatest acting performance you have seen?
It's got to be Meryl Streep in Sophie's Choice for me. Such a heartbreaking and nuanced portrayal of loss and devastation, and doubly impressive because she had to learn two languages fluently and had to speak German with a Polish accent, when neither language was native to her.
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u/sauce07 18h ago
DDL in There Will Be Blood. It's an unhinged character that is fully formed and complicated. You believe everything he does.
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u/jjochems78 17h ago
The last scene with his son was incredible in a lot of ways that most people don’t realize. I grew up around the deaf and the way he treats his son in that scene hits a real nerve when he demands his son look at him rather than the interpreter. It showed that it was more important for him to dominate him one more time than to allow him to understand everything that’s being said.
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u/halloweenjon 17h ago
This is actually my answer. I can watch his baptism scene with Paul Dano over and over; it's just so insane. You can see the genuine rage just boiling under his face.
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u/Wyden_long 15h ago
IVE ABANDONED MY CHILD!!!!
Just brutal acting from both parties. Paul Dano went toe to toe with greatness playing two separate characters and was impeccable in both.
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u/maria_la_guerta 13h ago
What's absolutely insane about that movie is that if DDL wasn't in it, we'd probably be here talking about Dano instead. Both of their performances were generational, and it's a shame for Dano that he gets overshadowed by DDL but it's lucky for us that they both made that movie as good as it is.
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u/Wyden_long 12h ago
I could be mistaken, but I recall that Dano was only going to play the part of the brother who offers the tip and nothing more. But the actor who was playing the larger role dropped out just days before filming began and rather than recast, they just rewrote it for them to be twins. He had like 5 days to prepare for his expanded role.
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u/sightlab 18h ago
I can't pick a singular greatest, but that one in particular is easily in the "greatest" basket. Daniel Plainview is a real and genuinely awful human.
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u/ahorrribledrummer 17h ago
Plainview was an absolutely disgusting character, and DDL made it 100% believable.
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u/railwayed 16h ago edited 14m ago
The I drink your milkshake scene is two incredible actors completely complementing each other perfectly. A superb scene Edit:sp
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u/p4terfamilias 17h ago
I gotta say his performance in My Left Foot beats it. That being said, he was utterly fantastic in TWBB.
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u/CitizenHuman 16h ago
I would say My Left Foot as well. Saw it in high school and I didn't know DDL movies that well back then, so when he was in Gangs of New York I was very confused on how he was walking and talking normally.
I'm dumb and didn't understand that the actor was acting.
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u/MasterTeacher123 17h ago
I remember There was an Oscar prediction show in early 2008 and they were going over the potential winners once they got to best actor in a leading role that discussion lasted about 10 seconds lol.
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u/pbspry 15h ago
For me there is no other answer. I've never, ever, experienced anything like DDL's performance in this film. He absolutely inhabited every square inch of Plainview's bone and sinew, to a degree I didn't think would even be possible for an actor to achieve.
I have many actors I love, but DDL is on a tier all of his own.
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u/therealrickdalton 17h ago
I don't know that I could choose just one, but Kathy Bates in Misery is pretty high on my list.
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u/CaptainoftheVessel 16h ago
I just rewatched the Waterboy the other night and it’s kind of wild to watch her play a somewhat similar character in such an otherwise completely different setting.
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u/roostercrowe 14h ago
well, snakes don’t really have “parts”… but if i had to say - i’d say his knee
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u/Agrico 14h ago
Excellent choice. James Caan was a legend and he plays his role perfectly well, but we all remember that movie cause of her performance. I watch it at least once a year.
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u/EM_CEE_123 17h ago
Bruno Ganz in Downfall is definitely one of the greatest.
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u/chunga_95 15h ago
He got a lot of due credit for that performance, but his performance was so great - it's still not enough credit!
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u/alwayssausages 13h ago
Olivia Coleman in Broadchurch. The transformation when she finds the truth is too real.
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u/wewerelegends 9h ago
Broadchurch was the first place I saw both her and David Tennant. Always have a soft spot for them now and Jodie Whittaker.
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u/Federer91 17h ago
Al Pacino in The Godfather Part 2 ! The abortion scene still gives me chills from only his facial expression. You add all other moments from the film and it is the GOAT performance for me.
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u/_jump_yossarian 15h ago
I literally just wrote almost the same comment then started scrolling to see if anyone else mentioned it. You can see the anger building up until he just fucking explodes. Diane Keaton was amazing too.
Pacino was robbed of the Oscar!
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u/tommyjohnpauljones 13h ago
Maybe the worst snub ever. If they had given it to Jack Nicholson for Chinatown.... still a snub but it would hold up over time
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u/OctopusNoose 12h ago
This is my choice as well. The arc of him being the young veteran distancing himself from the family business to the ruthless, cold mob boss he ends up is just so perfectly acted by Pacino through both films. A true masterclass
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u/DarthReegs 17h ago
I thought someone would have already said this, but Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea. A performance has never broken me as much as that one.
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u/hurriedwarples 11h ago
He is also fucking phenomenal in Gone Baby Gone.
Those Affleck boys are undeniably talented, despite the general consensus. People love to shit all over Ben constantly, but one of my favorite acting performances ever, hands down, is the speech he gives Damon at the end of Good Will Hunting. I will defend that man’s talent until my dying days, I really don’t understand all the hate he gets.
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u/DarthReegs 9h ago
Yeah they are both very talented. I think Casey is the better actor, but I also really love Ben’s performance in The Town.
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u/TPowers16z 17h ago
Adrian Brody in "The Pianist", Robert Shaw in "Jaws" and Leonardo DiCaprio in "What's eating Gilbert Grape?"
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u/iateyourdinner 17h ago
I gotta hand it to Adrien in The Brutialist. That’s maybe the best acting I’ve ever seen.
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u/blackpony04 17h ago
Liam Nissen in Schindler's List, specifically the scene at the end when he breaks down for not saving two more lives with his gold ring. The entire movie is a roller coaster of emotion, but that specific scene hits extra hard because it is so relatable and makes you think about what you would have done if you were in his shoes.
For an entire role, Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goethe in that exact same movie is just chilling. Voldemort is a pussy compared to that psychopath.
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u/scottmacNW 14h ago
Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List is definitely in my Top 5. He was beautiful and disgusting and so repulsive that couldn't take my eyes off of him.
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u/Patman350 14h ago
“I could have done more.” I watched that movie in middle school as an adolescent kid that was too much of a tough guy to cry about anything. But that scene sticks with me for making me shed a tear in class. We all laughed when he dropped the gold ring that was mined and forged from the teeth of the people he saved. But I quickly realized the drop was from being overcome with emotion. I loved the juxtaposition with the lines from Kingsley’s character. “He who saves one life saves the entire world. You’ve saved 1100 people. There will be generations b/c of what you’ve done.” Well written and well executed all around.
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u/GravitationalConstnt 16h ago
Neeson*
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u/blackpony04 16h ago
So he's not the ramen noodle guy?
Thanks, mobile sucks sometimes. At least he's not a car company!
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u/Syelt 17h ago
"Damn ye! Let Neptune strike ye dead Winslow! HAAARK! Hark Triton, hark! Bellow, bid our father the Sea King rise from the depths full foul in his fury! Black waves teeming with salt foam to smother this young mouth with pungent slime, to choke ye, engorging your organs til’ ye turn blue and bloated with bilge and brine and can scream no more -- only when he, crowned in cockle shells with slitherin’ tentacle tail and steaming beard take up his fell be-finned arm, his coral-tine trident screeches banshee-like in the tempest and plunges right through yer gullet, bursting ye -- a bulging bladder no more, but a blasted bloody film now and nothing for the harpies and the souls of dead sailors to peck and claw and feed upon only to be lapped up and swallowed by the infinite waters of the Dread Emperor himself -- forgotten to any man, to any time, forgotten to any god or devil, forgotten even to the sea, for any stuff for part of Winslow, even any scantling of your soul is Winslow no more, but is now itself the sea!"
-Willem Dafoe in The Lighthouse
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u/lukneuns 16h ago
But you liked me lobster, didn't ye?
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u/TooOld2DieYoung 14h ago
Goddamn your farts! You smell like piss, you smell like jism, like rotten dick, like curdled foreskin, like hot onions fucked a farmyard shit house. And I’m sick of your smell. I’m sick of it! I’m sick of it, you goddamned drunk. You goddamned no-account, son-of-a-bitch-bastard liar! That’s what you are! You’re a goddamned drunken, horse-shitting, short, shit liar. A liar!
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u/immagetchu 15h ago
The fact that he wasn't even nominated for supporting actor in that one will always baffle me
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u/desertwastheapotheos 16h ago
Immediately my first thought. The character is interesting enough as it is but Willem Defoe really nailed it.
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u/Chopper3 16h ago edited 4h ago
I was blown away by the scene in “Captain Philips” when Tom Hank’s character sits with the nurse at the end and just comes apart.
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u/SDoller1728 9h ago
It’s not the best full movie performance but this scene in particular was what first came to mind. I felt that shit.
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u/Affectionate-Log7309 18h ago
Renee Jeanne Falconetti in Passion of Joan of Arc.
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u/Johnny1of3 17h ago
Tom Hanks trying to hold back from crying out loud in Saving Private Ryan.
Might not be the greatest for most people, but that scene still sticks with me.
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u/Zer0nyx 15h ago
Tom Hanks in The Green Mile.
Tom Hanks in Cast Away.
Tom Hanks in anything, really.
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u/PDQmix 17h ago
Jimmy Stewart in “It’s A Wonderful Life”
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u/DreamersNeverLearnnn 16h ago
The scene after he goes to see his mom. Woah. Top tier. Haunting and unforgettable.
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u/Calamari_is_Good 11h ago
I think this is an underrated performance for him. I love the close up shot of him when he realizes the scope of his situation. It's just everything- desperation, horror etc
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u/2347564 16h ago
I think Ralph Fiennes in Grand Budapest Hotel was out of this world. Loved every minute. But a close second is Toni Collette in Hereditary.
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u/stephenstephen7 14h ago
Ralph Fiennes has got to be one of the most versatile actors working today. Grand Budapest Hotel is one of my favourite performances of his.
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u/halloweenjon 17h ago
I don't actually think it's THE greatest ever but I have to acknowledge Ledger's Joker. Mainly because I've seen the movie like 25 times and I still can't "see" the Heath Ledger I know from 10 Things I Hate About You or Brokeback Mountain. He's so utterly transformed I only see The Joker.
Like, Leonardo Dicaprio has done some amazing performances, but I always can see Dicaprio acting his balls off. Same with Joaquin Phoenix, Adrien Brody, etc. Great actors. But Heath truly disappeared in that role.
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u/heyheyitsandre 16h ago
TDK is one of my favorite movies. Heath ledger is one of my favorite actors. I still barely connect the joker to heath
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u/MightBeAGoodIdea 15h ago
On that vein I nominate Gary Oldman. Hes such an amazing actor that he basically transforms into his roles so deeply that a lot of people go "Gary Oldman" was in that?? But instead of saying Gary Oldman they say Sirius or Gordon or Dracula etc. Like did you know Sirius was the bad guy in Leon the Professional?! (/s).
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u/PandaJesus 11h ago
I’m convinced Gary Oldman has some secret genetic quirk that inspires face blindness in people. I’ve seen him in at least half a dozen movies that I love and have seen countless times, and yet I’m not certain I’d recognize him waiting in line at a coffee shop.
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u/phroxenphyre 15h ago
The makeup is a big part of that. He looks different enough that the brain doesn't associate the character to the actor through visual recognition. That allows all the other things Heath is doing to stand on their own and they're different enough from every other character we've seen him play that the brain can't find any similarities. The result is the belief that it's truly a different person.
Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder is another one of these. His appearance is different enough that he doesn't look like Tom Cruise and his performance is substantially different from his typical roles.
And that's ultimately what I can consider to be good acting. It's not just about making me believe the character, it's also being a completely different character than other things I've seen that actor do. Cuz if an actor only does one kind of character, then that's just them being themselves. It's not really acting, no matter how well they fit the role.
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u/ilovelegosand314 15h ago
This was my first thought too! Love Heath in 10 Things and First Knight, but yeah you see him in it acting his ass off. But the Joker is just pure chaos. You don’t see Heath. Just a broken man loose on the city.
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u/cevaace 13h ago
You’re so right about Heath Ledger. I can’t see him AT ALL. I try, I really try, but everything is so different. The body language, the facial expressions, the voice and way of talking/expressing himself. One of the best performances ever, for sure. I can’t believe we lost such a phenomenal actor so young. He had so much in front of him, wish we could’ve witnessed it.
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u/WaterBearer21 17h ago
Jessica Lange in Francis. The portrayal of sweet, good natured girl and her experience in Hollywood having to deal with it's toxicity and manipulation gave us one of the greatest performances of all time. Some parts are so harrowing and it's because Jessica is totally convincing and makes the audience care. It's partially true too, this film will break people.
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u/Parking_Mall_1384 17h ago
This is my answer too. Her portrayal of Frances Farmer is devastating. And she’s the spitting image of her too!
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u/Deep-Recording-4593 16h ago
Sally Field - Steel Magnolias. The cemetery scene
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u/greyplains 14h ago
I mean the whole cast. Each of the ladies shine individually, but as an ensemble it's just magic!
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u/Scat_Olympics 18h ago
Inglourious Basterds opening scene
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u/I_FUCKIN_ATODASO_ 17h ago
Idk if you’re referring to just Christoph Waltz, but the actor opposite him in that scene is so good too. Really holds his own
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u/Extension_Device6107 17h ago
That guy is great, just a stoic French farmer who very subtly cracks under the pressure.
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u/MTonmyMind 15h ago
Denis Menochet. Just saw him in Monsieur Spade, which also has a wonderful Clive Owen in it.
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u/Scat_Olympics 17h ago
Absolutely! Well…both actors? The scene as a whole? The beginning of the conversation I was like “okay the farmers got this!” Then he just breaks and it’s absolute heartache on his face! Brilliant scene
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u/HailToTheThief225 13h ago
It’s probably some of the best acting in all of Tarantino’s filmography. Even his historic pieces break reality a little bit, but that whole scene I really felt like I was witnessing something that happened at that point in history. Same for Shoshanna at the cafe with Hans Landa
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u/hackyslashy 17h ago
"You are harbouring fugitives of the state are you not?"
That one line changes the entire vibe.
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u/halloweenjon 17h ago
My fingernails were digging into the arm rests during that scene, and all they were doing was talking.
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u/Scat_Olympics 17h ago
It has something to do with SHOWING the Jews hiding and holding their breath that made the scene unbearably tense!
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u/ChanandlerBonng 15h ago
But that's the thing: even before they actually show them hiding, the tension in the scene makes you (if even subconsciously) know that the farmer WAS hiding them..... so it's not even a huge surprise when.the camera pans down to them. It's just perfect filmmaking in every sense.
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u/Scat_Olympics 15h ago
Agreed, tension was already there. Maybe I was still believing that the farmer will come out on top. Like when the farmer pulled out his pipe; I believed he’d be successful. Then Christoph Waltz pulled out his pipe, I started getting nervous
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u/randomusername9284 14h ago
Wait, isn’t it “you are sheltering enemies of the state are you not?”
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u/ChanandlerBonng 15h ago
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I was essentially dragged to Inglorious Basterds against my will; I like Tarantino movies, but I usually dislike "alternate history" movies. So I was HEAVILY skeptical going into it.
That opening scene immediately changed my mind and I was 100% on board for the rest of the movie.
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u/philament 18h ago
Charlize Theron in Monster (2003)
Michael Fassbender in Hunger (2008)
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u/artpayne 18h ago
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler has to be up there.
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u/thePHTucker 17h ago
He's one of those actors who just was always playing himself. Not that he was type-cast but that he was always right for the part.
He had a rough life after early fame and went all-in on being an outcast, and he's just never stopped. He could've been Marlon Brando's Colonel Kurtz, but he ended up being Brando's Dr. Moreau.
I've enjoyed all of his roles in movies, though
Low-key, though, he was immaculate in Harley Davdison and The Marlboro Man (1991).
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u/DrJDog 16h ago
A completely self inflicted rough life.
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u/thePHTucker 16h ago
For sure. He decided to be a boxer and got his face all mashed up with cauliflower ears to boot. His face was a mess be the time The Wrestler came around.
Sin City was a good spot for him.
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u/shaft6969 18h ago
PSH and Joaquin in the Master.
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u/rwags2024 17h ago
I say PSH and Ethan Hawke in Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead
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u/southernfirefly13 17h ago
Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard or Bette Davis in All About Eve.
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u/jjochems78 17h ago
I don’t have a favorite but I watched Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh last night and it blows my mind everytime.
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u/corpulentFornicator 14h ago
You don't have a favorite, friend-o? Call it. I can't call it for you, it would not be fair.
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u/redditorrro 13h ago
Fun fact (though you may already know this) - An independent group of psychologists in the Journal of Forensic Sciences named Bardem's portrayal of Anton Chigurgh as the most realistic film depiction of a psychopath.
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u/CoolSeedling 13h ago
The scene in Mulholland Drive when Naomi Watts is auditioning for a role. Blew my fucking mind the first time I saw that scene.
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u/TripleSingleHOF 17h ago
Denzel Washington in Malcolm X.
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u/monsterlynn 16h ago edited 16h ago
His transition from Red, to Nation of Islam Malcolm, to how his Hajj opened his eyes to other ways of belief is just stunning.
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u/Jipptomilly 16h ago edited 16h ago
Single Scene - Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream (red dress scene)
Entire Movie - Clive Owen in Children of Men
EDIT: I noticed that in that red dress scene almost half of the comments are pissed she didn't win the Oscar (she was nominated but lost to Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich which in all fairness was also a great performance).
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u/PBandC_NIG 15h ago
Sean Astin as Sam in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Everyone's acting was incredible, but there's something about Astin's that's just perfect, especially at the emotional moments. When he's on the screen, I forget I'm looking at an actor and not the real character.
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u/chunga_95 15h ago
On the slopes of Mt Doom: "I can carry you" would be a Cheeto line delivered by anyone else, but he makes you believe because Sam believes and it's jewel.
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u/Grammey2 17h ago
There are so many but what immediately came to mind was Henry Thomas in ET. When ET needed to go home…gut wrenching. So well done and when ET was coming”back to life” marvelous.
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u/SweeterGrass 18h ago edited 17h ago
Marion Cotillard in La Vie en Rose or Toni Collette in Hereditary.
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u/InSeine4Paris 17h ago
Marion was SPECTACULAR in her performance as Edith Piaf. She deserved that Oscar.
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u/thewhitedeath 15h ago
Indeed. Marion in LA Vie was the very first performance that came to mind for me. Absolutely brilliant.
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u/anzyzaly 16h ago
Casey Affleck in Manchester By The Sea.
Not the most 'disappearing into a character performance' but I have never seen any character feel so raw.
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u/Silmarill 18h ago
Val Kilmers in Tombstone has a special place in my heart and deserves a honorable mention.
But if i have to chose one besdies DDL and Sophie's choice that were already mentioned i'd probably go with Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump.
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u/acatmaylook 17h ago
Yeah, I probably have not seen enough classic movies to say what the greatest ever is, but Val Kilmer in Tombstone is my personal favorite in a movie. I had heard he was good but I wasn't prepared for that level of charisma.
(And if I'm allowed to include performances not in a movie, my favorite overall is Carrie Coon's incredible work in The Leftovers.)
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u/scribbling_des 13h ago
I almost mentioned Val Kilmer in another comment about actors who disappear behind their characters. He didn't quite make the cut for me, while he does transform, Val himself doesn't quite disappear.
His Doc Holliday is an all time favorite of mine. And as someone that was a giant fan of The Doors in my younger years, his Jim Morrison is nothing short of astonishing. Not only do they manage to make the his physical resemblance uncanny, his vocals are spot on. (for anyone unaware, the songs in the film were recorded live, with Val singing) Supposedly Oliver Stone was going to pass on him for the role, but Kilmer called and left a message on Stone's answering matchine where he sang a Doors song. That's what is supposed to have sealed the deal.
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u/DarrenTheDrunk 17h ago
Bob Hoskins in the last few minutes of The Long Good Friday.
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u/Stevie272 16h ago
James McAvoy in Atonement. The tea room scene where he’s reunited with Keira Knightly’s Cecilia and the enormity of what he’s lost hits him. Powerful stuff.
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u/DeadlyDY 14h ago
Might not be the best of all time but James McAvoy deserves a shout out for Split.
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u/Empire-Carpet-Man 17h ago
Jack Nicholson The Shining. Seeing his descent into madness.
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u/firelights 18h ago
Christian Bale in American Psycho
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u/voivoivoi183 15h ago
I genuinely don’t think he gets much recognition for how fucking funny he is in this.
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u/_jump_yossarian 15h ago
It's such a dark moment when he goes on his shooting spree but I laugh my ass off how he used the revolving door to come back in and kill the janitor.
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u/Few-Improvement-5655 13h ago
I love the bit when he shoot's the police car and it explodes and he looks at the gun like "wait... what?"
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u/sky_lites 12h ago
"Patrick is that you?"
"No Lewis, it's not me, you're mistaken"
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u/J_Beyonder 16h ago
I didn't know Leo was acting in What's in eating Gilbert Grape until I saw him Titanic.
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u/AmazonCowgirl 16h ago
Ralph Fiennes performance in Schindler's List was a breathtaking portrayal of evil.
I've never understood how he lost the academy award to Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive. He was absolutely robbed
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u/JackieTreehorn79 13h ago
The single greatest performance is anything by Philip Seymour Hoffman and next to him is Daniel Day Lewis.
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u/CitizenHuman 16h ago
Probably overrated but Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane. He was also good in The Third Man, but Citizen Kane is more famous.
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u/JellyBlocks 16h ago
Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein is comedy perfection. And so gratifying to watch a master play the role they were born for.
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u/GhostWriter888 16h ago
Anthony Hopkins in The Father is mind blowing.
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u/chunga_95 15h ago
Him in a lot of things. I'm surprised no one mentioned him for Silence of the Lambs yet.
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u/Brackens_World 15h ago
Vivien Leigh in Streetcar. she seemed to disintegrate before my eyes.
Brando in On the Waterfront. He invented this character from scratch and brought every bit of his training and, by then, knowledge of screen acting to the table.
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u/gotcam189 18h ago edited 17h ago
Some comedic ones:
Michael Keaton in Beetlejuice
Anna Faris in Scary Movie(s)
Christopher Mintz-Plasse in Superbad
Kristen Wiig in Bridesmaids
Vincent D’Onofrio in Men in Black
John Goodman in Big Lebowski
Eddie Murphy in Trading Places
Marisa Tomei in My Cousin Vinny
Tiffany Haddish in Girls Trip
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u/VanessaClarkLove 16h ago
Legitimately so fun to see your diverse list that includes Anna Faris and Kristen Wiig. Unexpected but valid entries!
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u/gotcam189 16h ago
Thanks! Not fully comprehensive but these are just ones that I personally love that aren’t talked about much (outside of Keaton and Goodman).
I think Anna Faris is honestly one of the best comedic actresses we have and wish she had a stronger filmography that showed her talents more.
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u/GravitationalConstnt 16h ago
I’m shocked no one has mentioned Robin Williams and Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting.
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u/Stuckinaelevator 17h ago
My favorite will always be Harrison Ford in the Mosquito Coast.
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u/mtntrail 16h ago
Robert DeNiro in Cape Fear, was masterful as a violent ex con set on revenge. His portrayal was powerfully disturbing.
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u/rwags2024 17h ago
Ed Harris deserved an Oscar for Gone Baby Gone
“You beat a child?!? You molest a child?!? You see me coming, you better run, because I will lay you THE FUCK DOWN. shrugs Easy.”
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u/GreyFoxNinjaFan 16h ago
Maybe not that popular for this category but I'm going to say Alec Guiness in Star Wars.
Specifically when Luke mentions "Obiwan Kenobi".. that stare off into the middle distance as a thousand memories and traumas from the jedi order, Quigon's death, the clone wars and Anakin's fall come flooding back to him.
The reason I suggest it is circumstantial. Guinness cannot of had much direction from George Lucy's at all. This character is introduced late in the 1st act and doesn't even make it out of the 2nd.
Guinness reportedly called the script "fairytale rubbish" when he first read it.
Despite this ge was nominated for an academy award for supporting actor.
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u/cactusmaac 15h ago
Toshiro Mifune in Seven Samurai. He elevates that into one of the all time great movies.
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u/LiveJournal 10h ago
Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas. Most accurate portrayal of deep alcoholism I've ever seen.
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u/SaltySAX 17h ago
Renée Jeanne Falconetti. The Passion of Joan of Arc. Absolutely spellbinding.
Of recent years, Benedict Cumberbatch in Patrick Melrose.
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u/formerCObear 16h ago
Bjork in Dancer in the Dark.
Considering she never really went after a full acting career she had no right being that good or heartbreaking in it.
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u/sailorchihuahua 13h ago
Jennifer Lawrence in Winter’s Bone. I always gush about her performance in that role
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u/wewerelegends 9h ago
I know they’re YA books and movies, but her performance in The Hunger Games movies is also phenomenal.
The moment she goes in the enclosed tube to enter the games is one of the best portrayals of fear I’ve seen. The scene is only a few seconds, but she makes you feel the character’s terror.
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u/goettel 18h ago
Dennis Hopper in True Romance.
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u/destroys_burritos 17h ago
The scene with Walken and Hopper in the trailer is one of my favorite scenes of all time.
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u/Strung_Out_Advocate 16h ago
I never see Slater get props. He's a force I. Just about every role he's had. Even this movie when he's going after Oldman in this movie and yells at him to open his eyes. His emotion in this whole film is present in every scene.
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u/BatmansLarynx 13h ago
Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting.
Might be seen as controversial as Robin Williams is obviously phenomenal in that film but considering the difference in experience between the 2 of them, it was baffling how Matt could comfortably go toe to toe with Robin.
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u/LegitFitzer 16h ago
Paul Newman in the verdict. He plays alcoholic ambulance chaser Frank Galvin to perfection.
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u/KingRemoStar 13h ago
It’s not the best but the first actor or actress that came to my mind first is Denzel in Training Day.
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u/keeks85 7h ago
Matt Damon and Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Talented Mr. Ripley
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u/Nelsonthedogg 5h ago
The answer is obvious. Robert Downey Jr. as Kirk Lazarus acting as Lincoln Osiris. The dude disguised as a dude playing another dude.
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u/need-moist 17h ago
I was privileged to see the B&W film of Richard Burton's one-man performance of Hamlet, ca. 1964. Per Sir Richard's will, the film has been locked in a vault and showing it is forbidden.
I believe this performance is a treasure that should be considered to be the property of the human race, and that our collective right should take precedence over the will. I believe this performance should be made publicly available.
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u/Rook_James_Bitch 13h ago
Gary Oldman in everything.
He's so damn good YOU could be Gary Oldman and not know it!
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u/ShellsFeathersFur 16h ago
Not sure it would count as a film - the stage production was filmed. Jonny Lee Miller in Frankenstein as the Creature. It's hard for me to put into words the reasons why his performance is amazing.
I work with kids - from infants to teenagers, and many of them are neurodiverse and/or nonverbal (either too young for words yet or there's a speech challenge). Most of the time, I have to be able to assess how their day is going, and therefore the limits of what we can do together that day, through observation alone.
Miller's body language as the Creature had consistent physical tics (from the damage the brain and body went through in his creation) combined with moments that showed character development, like when he mirrored the gestures or phrases of other characters. His performance had a clarity that made the character's emotions and development very easy for me to read because of my work experience.
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u/honey_coated_badger 16h ago
Marlon Brando. A Streetcar Named Desire. A performance light years ahead of its time.
Naomi Watts for Mulholland Drive. She’s mesmerising in that.
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u/Romulus3799 17h ago edited 11h ago
F Murray Abraham in Amadeus will always be my #1. I watched the film when I was young, and the scene where Salieri reads Mozart's originals showed me what acting could be.