Top three actors in modern film

VII

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Spacey, Norton, Pitt, di Caprio. 4, I know.​
 

NoLogo

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Imo these three would be my top three not necessarily in that order.

1. Daniel Day-Lewis
2. Philip Seymour Hoffmann
3. Jeff Bridges

Of course Marlon Brando would also make that top 3 if he counts as an actor of modern film.
 

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Watch Unthinkable! Pulp Fiction isn't his only good film.
Almost everything I've seen him in has been truly terrible. Not sure if I've seen unthinkable. I'll have a look though.
I don't think he's all that great in Unthinkable. I think he's too over the top to the point where the character he is portraying just becomes too unbelievable.

The only really good acting performance in that film I would say is from Sheen.
 

Agent Red

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Very surprised to see Brad Pitt being named as a 'top 3' actor of all modern film. Really can't see how he can push out names like Pacino or Daniel Day Lewis.

From a British perspective I'd say Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes and Juliet Stevenson.
 

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Very surprised to see Brad Pitt being named as a 'top 3' actor of all modern film. Really can't see how he can push out names like Pacino or Daniel Day Lewis.

From a British perspective I'd say Alan Rickman, Ralph Fiennes and Juliet Stevenson.
I think by "modern film" the discussion has been centred around the last 10/20 years... and I'd say Pacino's last really good performance was probably in Insommnia, and that was over 10 years ago now.

Not that I'd put Brad Pitt in a top 3... whilst he can be very good when he tries (Moneyball, Jesse James) he is guilty of phoning it in (most recently in WWZ)... also he did Troy... fecking Troy.
 

RexHamilton

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The likes of De Niro and Pacino have turned out so much shit recently, it's such a shame.

While this may be true, it shouldn't detract from their earlier brilliant work. In my opinion, as good as the likes of Di Caprio, Pitt, Rockwell, Bale etc. have been, they can't yet compare to the likes of Pacino and De Niro. Each have had a few or even many top notch performances but Pacino and De Niro are still on another level in my opinion.

Pacino in The Godfather is a phenomenal performance. De Niro steals the show in part 2. And from there, their careers just exploded. Pacino played the over the top characters in the likes of Scarface and Scent of a Woman. He again stole the show in arguably his best preformance in Dog Day Afternoon. Carlito's Way, Heat, Donnie Brasco are all superb acting performances from Pacino also.

De Niro in my opinion has the more outstanding performances of the two but also has done an awful amount of sub par films. He was excellent in Mean Streets but his big break came in The Godfather part 2. His portrayal of young Vito Corleone is outstanding, and only made better when compared with Marlon Brando's performance in the first film. It's no easy task taking on a character that was made famous by Brando. While the film itself may not be everyone's cup of tea, I don't think there can be much argument that De Niro's Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver is a masterclass in acting. It's probably De Niro's best performance. In Raging Bull he brings the larger than life Jake La Motta to the big screen in another phenomenal performance. When you take into account how good he was in Goodfellas, The Deer Hunter, A Bronx Tale, Brazil, Casino, Heat, Sleepers and even Meet the Parents and Analyse This, then I don't think there's any actor can compare.

For my third choice, I'd find it tough to pick. I'd probably say Jack Nicholson or Daniel Day Lewis, but I could find an argument for Brad Pitt, Di Caprio, Sean Penn
 

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Ben Kingsley, Edward Norton and Daniel Day Lewis are currently topping my list. Brilliant actors regardless of movies.
 

RexHamilton

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I think by "modern film" the discussion has been centred around the last 10/20 years... and I'd say Pacino's last really good performance was probably in Insommnia, and that was over 10 years ago now.
Ah, well possibly best to disregard my last post then.

If we're talking about the last 10 or 20 years then Di Caprio has to be up there. He's just been great in so many really good films. Christian Bale deserves a mention considering his performances in the Dark Knight Trilogy, American Psycho, The Fighter, Th Prestige and The Machinist.

Brad Pitt, for Fight Club, Seven, Inglourious Basterds, Burn After Reading (which was very under rated) and The Assasination of Jesse James deserves a mention also. However I think he just does too many average performances in average films too.

Johnny Depp is one who I consider a great actor, but again, he can throw in some absolute muck too. Like, Captain Jack Sparrow is a good character, but I find it hard to consider it a good role from him. I just can't enjoy the Pirates of the Carribean films. He was excellent however in Edward Scissorhands, Donnie Brasco, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Public Enemies.
 

Agent Red

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I think by "modern film" the discussion has been centred around the last 10/20 years... and I'd say Pacino's last really good performance was probably in Insommnia, and that was over 10 years ago now.

Not that I'd put Brad Pitt in a top 3... whilst he can be very good when he tries (Moneyball, Jesse James) he is guilty of phoning it in (most recently in WWZ)... also he did Troy... fecking Troy.

Yeah, even with that definition I woudn't put Pitt near. I agree he's been in some very good films (Fight Club, Burn After Reading etc.) but I don't think that equates to him being one of the finest actors of his generation. I'm struggling to think of a performance of his where I've really been moved, rather than just enjoyed the film.
 

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I find that pretty harsh, there's loads of films with Pitt in it where he's brilliant in his own right despite the film being good or not: Se7en, 12 Monkeys, Fight Club, Basterds, Tree of Life, Benjamin Button, Jesse James, Burn after reading, Interview with a vampire, Sleepers, Babel, Snatch, Kalifornia, Joe Black...

This is from the top of my mind, and I may be forgetting some, but I think he's an actor with a wide range who's been really great in a lot of films. But of course, to each his own!
 

Agent Red

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I find that pretty harsh, there's loads of films with Pitt in it where he's brilliant in his own right despite the film being good or not: Se7en, 12 Monkeys, Fight Club, Basterds, Tree of Life, Benjamin Button, Jesse James, Burn after reading, Interview with a vampire, Sleepers, Babel, Snatch, Kalifornia, Joe Black...

This is from the top of my mind, and I may be forgetting some, but I think he's an actor with a wide range who's been really great in a lot of films. But of course, to each his own!
Yeah that's obviously it, personal preference. I love Burn After Reading but I didn't feel like his specific performance was what made it really great. I haven't watched a film of his where I feel he's been poor, he's just never done a performance where I've thought 'wow he is one of the best of his generation, his performance was really moving' but others have and that's fair enough, I am just surprised!
 

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Yeah that's obviously it, personal preference. I love Burn After Reading but I didn't feel like his specific performance was what made it really great. I haven't watched a film of his where I feel he's been poor, he's just never done a performance where I've thought 'wow he is one of the best of his generation, his performance was really moving' but others have and that's fair enough, I am just surprised!

Nah, you're right. He's not got much stage presence, sure he's been in some very good films, but they were good despite the fact he played a major role in them.
 

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Fassbender is my favourite of the newer ones.

He pretty much single handedly saved Prometheus...Well, he didn't. It was still shit, but he at least made it worth watching for reasons other than to take the piss out of it.
 

RORY65

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Sean Penn, Michael Fassbender and Daniel Day-Lewis are all great, I also really like DiCaprio, Edward Norton and Tom Hardy.
 

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Christian Bale, Di Caprio, Brad Pitt. And talking about the older generation Harvey Keitel, Al Pacino and De Niro.
 

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Edward Norton was amazing a while back, brilliant in American History X and playing the mentally handicapped guy in The Score with De Niro. First time I saw it I thought that was his proper role, so up there with Tony Kebbel in Dead Mans Shoes. But then he fell out with loads of people and now does bit parts or crap films, such a shame as he was top of his game once.

Kebbell, Paddy Considine and Tom Hardy are some of my favs, although still young with a lot to do to be considered best of all time or anything. Up there on talent though. I like De Niro but he is kind of the same in every film, just how Pacino has a big speech/rant in every film. Scarface top of the stairs, God Father on Fredo, Heat to that car theif Snitch or talking to the Casino guy, the end of SWAT with Colin Farrell, Carlito's way and loads more.

Day Lewis probably is the best ever, in performance and preparation. He does different roles, amazing as the Butcher in Gangs of NY. Sir Ben Kingsley in Sexy Beast is epic.
 

elisha27

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Excluding Daniel Day-Lewis (because he just reduces the list to a top 2):

Denzel Washington
Joaquin Phoenix
Philip Seymour-Hoffmann