Film Acting that left you speechless.

YAMS49

Full Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2019
Messages
1,346
Location
Nottinghamshire
Hoffman in Rain Man is up there for me. Pesci in Casino as well, takes his menacing Goodfellas role to the next level.
 

Berbaclass

Fallen Muppet. Lest we never forget
Joined
Jan 23, 2010
Messages
37,981
Location
Cooper Station
Yeah its one of my favourite films. Just outstanding.
I've personally just always found Di Niro's character the most heartbreaking. The way he portrays the PTSD and things when he comes back I though was just outstanding. His scenes with Meryl Streep in particular I think are just amazing. His expression with his eyes is extraordinary in this. For me his best performance of all time.
 

2cents

Historiographer, and obtainer of rare antiquities
Scout
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
16,174
Shout out to Edie Falco:


 
Joined
Jun 26, 2014
Messages
21,608
Location
Behind the right goal post as "Whiteside shoots!"
Daniel Day-Lewis in 'My left foot' (though he rarely does a performance less than 8/10).

Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight'. The way his tongue flicks in and out, the laugh, the head out the car window (like a dog).... the 20 ish minutes from being in a police station interview room to the escape (the mobile inside another prisoners stomach, telling Batman the wrong address, etc).. brilliant film.

Geoffrey Rush in 'Shine'. FanTASTIC! The entire film, sad and wonderful.

Christopher Waltz in 'Inglorious Basterds'. The scene in the guys little wooden house... the pipe, the use of two languages, the complete disregard for some people's lives. Awful but the acting?!!!
 

Mystry

Friendship is magic
Joined
Apr 24, 2010
Messages
15,823
Location
You're...going to love me
I'll throw in Andre Royo/bubbles from the wire. There's tons of amazing performances in that show even from the smaller parts but there's always something about seeing Bubbles hit rock bottom and get some sort of redemption.
 

Paxi

Dagestani MMA Boiled Egg Expert
Joined
Mar 4, 2017
Messages
27,678
I've personally just always found Di Niro's character the most heartbreaking. The way he portrays the PTSD and things when he comes back I though was just outstanding. His scenes with Meryl Streep in particular I think are just amazing. His expression with his eyes is extraordinary in this. For me his best performance of all time.
Agreed. There are so many characters in the movie that evoke complete sadness. It's masterfully done by Cimino and well acted by an amazing cast. Lot of people find Deer Hunter boring but I say they just don't understand cinema.
 

cafecillos

Full Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2014
Messages
1,387
Claire Foy in The Crown, absolutely perfect and very restrained performance, I've always thought it's much more difficult to stand out when your character is not a histrionic. I can't speak for how she compares with the actual queen though.
 

Paxi

Dagestani MMA Boiled Egg Expert
Joined
Mar 4, 2017
Messages
27,678
@2cents Edie Falco is so so good in Sopranos but when she freaks out over finding out that Tony slept with Irina's cousin, that's just the cherry on top.
 

Sky1981

Fending off the urge
Joined
Apr 12, 2006
Messages
30,002
Location
Under the bright neon lights of sincity
Rambo in rambo 2 was very underated. Granted it'd a b action movie but stallone acting is quite good there

Tom cruise interview with the vampire

Chow yun fat in the god of gambler

Hans lamda off course

Hanks is saving private ryan

Pacino in heat
 

Organic Potatoes

Full Member
Joined
Dec 2, 2013
Messages
17,139
Location
85R723R2+R6
Supports
Colorado Rapids
Some really good shouts. Id say Christopher Walken and John Cazale pip De Niro for acting in Deer Hunter though. Of course that's not a slight in Di Niro he was still awesome but Cazale was especially good whist suffering from cancer.
Was brilliant in Godfather II and Dog Day Afternoon.
 

Solius

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Staff
Joined
Dec 31, 2007
Messages
86,294
It was the smallest of snippets but if you needed reminding that Tom hanks is a great actor watch the scene in Captain Phillips when he’s just been rescued and is being attended to by medics.
This one for me.
 

jem

Full Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
9,257
Location
Toronto
For me he’s the greatest actor of all time just for that role. There’s probably no one scene that captures the sad, emotionally broken feck-up that was Tony Soprano. But here he is in therapy, just after
murdering his best friend
, something he cannot discuss:

He is just so incredible - brought tears to my eyes in many scenes.
 

arthurka

Full Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Messages
18,668
Location
Rectum
Jim and Andy is a good documentary on Netflix about that if you've not seen it.
Seen it it's brilliant. Jim was so convincing as Andy they even let his family interact with him as Andy. Kaufman's daughter that was given away for adoption was even invited to spend a day with her"father"..

Jim even said he never wanted to go near this project ever again. Even 20 years after, Spike Jones didn't even know if Carrey would be ready to talk about it for the documentary.
 

Castia

Full Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2011
Messages
18,284
The Will Smith ‘why doesn’t he want me’ scene in Fresh Prince was brilliant.
 

arthurka

Full Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Messages
18,668
Location
Rectum
Ralph Finnes and Liam Neeson were brilliant in Schindler's List ..


Absolutely love Richard Dreyfuss in Jaws he was totally smacked out on drugs during that period.
 

Volumiza

The alright "V", B-Boy cypher cat
Joined
Jul 13, 2018
Messages
13,510
Location
Somewhere in the middle
Some of my favourites include:
  1. Daniel Day Lewis in There Will be Blood
  2. George Clooney in O Brother Where art thou
  3. Tom Cruise, William H Macey and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Magnolia
  4. Matt Dillon in Crash
  5. William H Macey in Fargo
  6. Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski
 

Eckers99

Michael Corleone says hello
Joined
Aug 9, 2014
Messages
6,117
I like it when actors play against type and showcase their range, like Hackman in The Conversation and Nicholson in The Pledge. Two unbelievably charismatic actors riven with rare uncertainty and both incredible in those roles.

Also Ellen Burstyn was sensational in Requiem for a Dream.
 

AaronRedDevil

Full Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2018
Messages
9,534
Samwise Gamgee is my favourite character from any book I've ever read. He is the ultimate hero and Sean Astin played him absolutely perfectly
Yeah hes just brilliant as Samwise. I was going to pick the other scene when hes trying to carry frodo, but this one is the best moment imo.
 

bsCallout

New Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2017
Messages
4,278
1. James Gandolfini in The Sopranos is just incredible

2. Denzel Washington in American Gangster

3. Russell Crowe in Gladiator

4. Cillian Murphy in Peaky

5. Joe Pesci in Goodfellas

Just some basic ones off the top of my head.

Feel bad not including some less masculine actors or roles but they just stick out.

Mentions for Heath Ledger and J Pheonix as the Jokers of course.
 

2cents

Historiographer, and obtainer of rare antiquities
Scout
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
16,174
Jon Hamm flawlessly portraying another sad, emotionally broken feck up:

 

bsCallout

New Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2017
Messages
4,278
Rooney Mara - Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
De Niro - Deer Hunter
Robin Williams - Good Will Hunting
John Turturro - Millers Crossing
Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook
Jake Gyllenhaal - Nightcrawler
Miles Teller - Whiplash
Al Pacino - Carlitos Way (My personal Pacino fave)
Edward Norton - American History X
Josh Brolin - Oldboy
Hugh Jackman - Prisoners
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises
Ryan Gosling - Fracture/Drive
Joaquin Phoenix - Her/Walk The Line
Logan Lerman - Fury
Colin Farrell - In Bruges
Sam Rockwell - Moon
Oscar Isaac - Most Violent Year/Ex-Machina (Alicia Vikander too)
Great list, love that you have Colin Farrell for In Bruges.