r/movies • u/Fun_Protection_6939 • 1d 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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231

u/TPowers16z 1d ago

Adrian Brody in "The Pianist", Robert Shaw in "Jaws" and Leonardo DiCaprio in "What's eating Gilbert Grape?"

42

u/ohwrite 1d ago

I done know how Leonardo did not win the Oscar

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u/Kotpenelopy 1d ago

I know, right? His performance was so good, that people at the time believed that he was a really disabled person who was exploited for the sake of the movie.

14

u/babypunching101 1d ago

never go...

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u/OkSpring8651 1d ago

He’s literally the only exception to that rule lmao he’s that good

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u/babypunching101 1d ago

Well he didn't win, so by definition, is not the exception to the rule.

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u/iateyourdinner 1d 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/EnkiduOdinson 1d ago

Now I really gotta see that movie. Damn

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u/iateyourdinner 1d ago

The movie is good, it’s not great. I’d give it a 7 out of 10. But that acting from Brody is really damn great.

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u/LABS_Games 1d ago

First half was 10/10, the second half was significantly worse.

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u/Tackit286 1d ago

Don’t. Honestly it’s a complete waste of 3.5 hours

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u/ejoy-rs2 1d ago

Don't. Waste of your time.

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u/wkwork 1d ago

Did not understand all the hype for that one. Just seemed ill-conceived on all fronts.

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u/Sh4kyj4wz 1d ago

2 torpedos slammed into our side chief!

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u/Suitable-Age3202 1d ago

I don’t even know if Brody’s performance was technically great, but ever since that street scene, he had me crying through almost the entire film. He felt so deeply human,like someone who’s just trying to survive.

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u/DexaNexa 1d ago

I know the film, but what "street scene" are you referring to exactly?

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u/Suitable-Age3202 23h ago

The scene where Szpilman walks alone down the deserted street, crying in despair after his family and fellow Jews are forced onto the train.

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u/pelicantides 1d ago

Definitely Leo's best performance, and because he's so young, very noteworthy overall

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u/X-Bones_21 1d ago

TPowers, you know film.