Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

Best performance by a bad actor?


Reed

Recommended Posts

I would never call Heath Ledger bad exactly, but outside of terrific performances in Brokeback Mountain and The Dark Knight, he was a very average actor. I find him very uninteresting on-screen apart from of a couple of roles.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ha I got the winner.

 

Michael Chiklis in The Shield. In everything else he's a cringey awful actor, ruining everything with his total inability to sound like he isn't acting. In The Shield he's an absolute gem.

He actually was good in The Commish, but if we're going strictly by post-transformation-from-chubby-comedian-to-buff/fat-tough-guy Chiklis then I'd agree. He was also pretty awful as the bad guy in Parker opposite Jason Statham.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

After watching Furious 7, I have to include Vin Diesel in this. 

 

My God, that speech at the end. I don't even like this franchise all that much but, Jesus, that got to me. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

After watching Furious 7, I have to include Vin Diesel in this. 

 

My God, that speech at the end. I don't even like this franchise all that much but, Jesus, that got to me. 

I think Vin Diesel is in the same category of Stallone.  Neither guy is someone people think of as a good actor, but every once in a while they'll have a scene that makes you ask, "Wait a minute, is he actually good?" 

 

Exhibit A:http://youtu.be/UN4Y6WSzS1Y

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

After watching Furious 7, I have to include Vin Diesel in this. 

 

My God, that speech at the end. I don't even like this franchise all that much but, Jesus, that got to me. 

I think Vin Diesel is in the same category of Stallone.  Neither guy is someone people think of as a good actor, but every once in a while they'll have a scene that makes you ask, "Wait a minute, is he actually good?" 

 

Exhibit A:http://youtu.be/UN4Y6WSzS1Y

 

 

Yeah, that's a good comparison.

 

Diesel and Stallone aren't "good actors" in the sense they have massive range or could play a lawyer or an 18th century gay prime minister or whatever. They're not technically good. But occasionally they step into a role where you know no one else could do it better and you realize they have something quite special.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

After watching Furious 7, I have to include Vin Diesel in this. 

 

My God, that speech at the end. I don't even like this franchise all that much but, Jesus, that got to me. 

I think Vin Diesel is in the same category of Stallone.  Neither guy is someone people think of as a good actor, but every once in a while they'll have a scene that makes you ask, "Wait a minute, is he actually good?" 

 

Exhibit A:http://youtu.be/UN4Y6WSzS1Y

 

 

Yeah, that's a good comparison.

 

Diesel and Stallone aren't "good actors" in the sense they have massive range or could play a lawyer or an 18th century gay prime minister or whatever. They're not technically good. But occasionally they step into a role where you know no one else could do it better and you realize they have something quite special.

 

Seriously, Stallone was a force in Rocky Balboa.  Sometimes it's best to know who you are and what you're good at, and just do that.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Stallone has aged so much better than Schwarzenegger it's not even funny.

 

Like, Stallone's face is all fucked up by the botox and face lifts and all, but his eyes still show regret, loss and a willingness, despite everything, to believe in the world. He's an ageing lion. 

 

Arnie, eh...he's still trying to get by on the screen presence he had in the '80s and '90s.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dude, Arnie lost something with age.

 

Wrecking California's economy and being an inept politician didn't help. 

 

But, yeah, mainly the getting older and wrinkly and not having any decent acting skills to fall back on. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just watched Maggie last night, and I think he's aged really well. The people I watched it with actually had a conversation about how much more range Schwarzenegger has than Stallone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is Arnold's best performance though?  I can't think of a single movie where his acting was actually impressive.  Stallone, while limited, is really good at acting in that limited range.  He's not not Michael Jordan, he's Dennis Rodman.  He only really does one thing, but he's really fucking good at it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is Arnold's best performance though?  I can't think of a single movie where his acting was actually impressive.  Stallone, while limited, is really good at acting in that limited range.  He's not not Michael Jordan, he's Dennis Rodman.  He only really does one thing, but he's really fucking good at it.

 

True Lies, no question. OK, so you could make an argument for Terminator. But True Lies is the only film I have ever believed "Yes, you are a human being with real-life problems!"

 

The thing is: Arnie tends to reek of this alien other worldiness, no matter what he does. He's ethereal. He never quite belongs. 

 

Stallone, meanwhile, is all too human. You can relate to him. A little, anyway.  

 

Perhaps that's why he's aged a lot better. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

True lies was fucking awesome.  I remember when it came out my Hallmark channel watching mom wanted to go see it, which made me not want to see it.  I had to be begged to go see one of my favorite action movies, by someone who thinks Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman is the prototype of action packed cinema.  I'm kind of ashamed of myself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I love True Lies, but it's T2 and its not close.

That is Acting with a capital A, and its an amazing, subtle performance. The way he slowly lets more and more humanity into the character (it's more pronounced in the extended cut) eventually playing it in a completely different space than he started is mesmerizing. It's a legit, no qualifications needed, great acting job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...