r/moviecritic • u/uhad_time_2_waste • 3d ago
What actor’s performance far surpasses the quality of the movie they’re in?
For your consideration: Dave Bautista in Knock at the Cabin
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u/Delta_Hammer 3d ago
One review of the 90s Robin Hood said that Alan Rickman acted like he was in a different and much better movie.
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u/WizardButtholes 3d ago
someone said it's because he was the only one who understood what kind of movie it was so he just had fun with it
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u/Chicago1871 3d ago
Same with Dennis Hopper in waterworld
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u/Delta_Hammer 2d ago
So many actors look like they're having a ball as villains. Frank Langella said he played Skelator specifically for the cheesy, over-the-top lines like "I dare anything, I am Skelator!"
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u/Holymaryfullofshit7 2d ago
I remember him somehow being in a comedy whilst the rest tried to keep a straight face. "And cancel Christmas". I died laughing.
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u/Independent-Try4352 2d ago
Apparently a lot of Rickman's stuff was cut, as he completely outshone Costner.
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u/Savagemandalore 2d ago
To be fair he didnt use a spoon.
Honestly his scenes were art and the his lines were amazingly well delivered.
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u/Kimboleperd 3d ago
He was the only fun or good thing about that movie.
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u/RecycledThrowawayID 2d ago
Ahem.
"Fuck me, he cleared it!"
Second best use of an F-bomb in a PG 13 film, ever.
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u/DingusKhan9164 3d ago
That movie kicks ass shut up
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u/Adorable_Challenge37 3d ago
... Because of Rickman and a few jokes.
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u/sasssyrup 3d ago edited 2d ago
Shooting two arrows at once is pretty cool 🤣
Rickman is good. Morgan Freeman did well also thoEdit: spelling
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u/Ed_Trucks_Head 2d ago
Michael Wincott, Sheriff cousin, was great in it too. He always gets overlooked when this movie is discussed.
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u/Ed_Trucks_Head 2d ago
I love this movie. Lot's of great acting. Kevin Costner was good. He played it square. His accent doesn't bother me. No one spoke with an English accent anyway.
Plus he'd joined the crusades as a young man and spent years in a foreign land. So he's going pick up local accents and mannerisms.I remember Carrie Fishers had an English accent in Star Wars because she hung out with the Rolling Stones for a week.
And the soundtrack is awesome. Great pacing, action, fight scenes. And Michael Wincott was amazing too.
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u/Ridgestone 2d ago
It's one of those movies that i saw as a kid and liked, but found out much later from the internet that it's supposed to be a bad one.
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u/EasternWork7056 2d ago
Dave Bautista was genuinely incredible in Knock at the Cabin, he brought so much depth and emotion to a role that could’ve easily fallen flat.
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u/rangoon64 2d ago
It’s been said and it’s true, Dave is the actor the Rock wishes he was and will never be.
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u/WorldEaterYoshi 2d ago
It's so obvious, especially after he started slimming down right after Bautista did it and got such a great reaction.
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u/Wompie 2d ago
I genuinely think he is one of the top actors in Hollywood. He has been cast as a large bulky “dumb guy” at times and excelled at those, but he excels when playing intelligent characters as well. Incredibly good guy from what it seems like. I’m extremely interested to see how his career unfolds in his new thin body as he gets more serious roles in his middle/later years.
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u/kaelcarp 2d ago
I agree. Even I small parts, like Blade Runner 2049, he shines. I had thought he was a one trick pony with Drax, but I was wrong. He has far more range than I expected, and he challenges himself.
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u/BigPapaPaegan 2d ago
It's insane that a guy whose best public speaking work for years was yelling "GIVE ME MY SPOTLIGHT" in the middle of a wrestling ring has such depth and nuance in cinema.
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u/Shower__Farts 2d ago
Casting was excellent here too. He completely fit the role from how his character is described in the book.
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u/GodFlintstone 3d ago
Raul Julia in Street Fighter(1994).
It's a really dumb but fun movie. But he's operating on a completely different level than all the other actors in that film.
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u/OGChemBreath 3d ago
"The day Bison came to your village was one of the most important moments in your life. For me, it was a Tuesday."
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u/megamanx4321 3d ago
He said something along the lines of "Star in bad movies, but never give a bad performance."
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u/goatbusiness666 2d ago
That was Christopher Lee! “Every actor has to make terrible films from time to time, but the trick is never to be terrible in them.”
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u/linfakngiau2k23 2d ago
The fact that he was dying of cancer and this is his last movie always gets me😭
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u/Savagemandalore 2d ago
That he did it for his sons, who loved the game, and he was able to bring his family to a nearby hotel for a long vacation with him.
Also they made an inflatable air suit for him because of the disease and they made it into a bit of gag on the set was just perfect.
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u/tupperneep 3d ago
Christian Bale in Thor
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u/bullevard 3d ago
Also Christian Bale in Amsterdam. That movie is such a bizarre mix of directing and acting choices for otherwise very competent actors... but it all fell bizarrely flat except for Christian Bale.
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u/DrunkenWarriorPoet 3d ago
Your question reminds me of an old Roger Ebert review for a pretty crummy movie starring Morgan Freeman (who pretty much always has a good performance in everything he’s in) called Along Came A Spider:
“I’m wondering, since Dr. Alex Cross (Freeman) is so brilliant, how come he doesn’t notice yawning logical holes in the very fabric of the story he’s occupying?”
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u/goatbusiness666 2d ago
Morgan Freeman is a great actor who LOVES to do a bad movie. One of my favorite genres of actor!
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u/queazy 3d ago
Tim Curry has been in a lot of 1-star movies, but without him those movies would have been 0 stars
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u/Redbeardthe1st 2d ago
Not just film, so many cartoons from the 80s, 90s, and 00s feature Tim Curry chewing the scenery.
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u/Melenduwir 2d ago
Jeremy Irons as the villain of Dungeons & Dragons (2000).
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u/BasterdMalloy 2d ago
In a similar vein, Michael Ironside as Katana in The Highlander II: The Quickening. They both knew it was gonna be a stinker so they just had fun with it. When they finished chewing the scenery, they turned on the bones.
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u/BrandonStRandy1993 3d ago
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u/somuchforsubtlety656 3d ago
Crazy thing is he's in great movies. He's just the best part of all of them.
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u/PostMatureBaby 3d ago
Name a bad DDL movie. Stars and Bars was pretty shitty but even what are considered bad ones of his weren't that awful
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u/DingusKhan9164 3d ago
How does he far surpass the quality of that movie it’s a fantastic movie
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u/paintedflags 3d ago
Leo was meh. Diaz was in a different movie altogether. The side actors (Reilly, Gleeson, Neeson) were fantastic, but that 2 of the 3 main leads are meh means you gotta do a lotta heavy lifting. DDL carried that movie, start to finish.
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u/spencerasteroid 3d ago
Plus I find it incredibly bloated and could easily loose a solid 30 minutes.
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u/yveshe 3d ago
Honestly, Josh Hartnett in Trap.
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u/Year2020MadeMe 3d ago
I’m so happy to see him having a bit of a come-back. He was so popular in the late-90’s/early-00’s and then…. Nothing.
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u/KookySurprise8094 2d ago
No matter how shitty the script is, Martin gives everything.
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u/Uter83 2d ago
First off, The Jerk is a treasure, and not just for Steve Martin. Pink Panther 2 is the epitome of this.
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u/nOotherlousyoptions 2d ago
Can we just say The Thirteenth Warrior as a whole cast?
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u/hallmonitor4u 2d ago
Omg, thank you for mentioning, I'm going to rewatch now. It is one of my all time favorites that I grew up on, with the AMAZING cast and all its flaws. I constantly, randomly say "Is there a cave?" and my husband finally understands it after I made him watch it.
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u/No-Locksmith-9377 2d ago
I use, "when you die, can I give that to my daughter" weekly.
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u/Ryans4427 2d ago
That and "I'd have preferred a dragon" get used frequently in my gaming sessions with my brothers. We watched that movie a bunch of times growing up.
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u/PostMatureBaby 3d ago
Rutger Hauer in Hobo With A Shotgun! Yay Canada!
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u/Werevark 3d ago
His monologue to the babies is legit one of the finest of his career.
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u/PostMatureBaby 3d ago
I only saw this as a Trailer Park Boys fan and it was great, exceeded expectations
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u/Dense-Menu6115 3d ago
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u/Ohdibahby 3d ago
I enjoyed Backrooms as a whole, but he definitely elevates that movie, and it isn’t as strong when he’s not on the screen.
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u/AJ_Topp_Up 3d ago
It just needed a far better 3rd act. There wasn't enough time spent on exploration, imo. There's room to grow in another film, but the ending was kind of a dud for me.
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u/CelticSnakes 2d ago
Best part was him playing a pirate in what’s supposed to be a cheesy commercial, but he puts on a bravura performance worthy of a Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera.
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u/CFCentral 3d ago
To be fair you could say that about a lot of the movies he’s in. Not sure why, but Four Brothers comes to mind specifically for me.
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u/Cyouinhellcandyboyz 3d ago
That movie had Markie Mark and Andre 3000 carrying the load. The fuck you on?
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u/kfergthegreat 3d ago
He needs another Oscar vehicle. He should have won for 12 years a slave.
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u/tristanitis 3d ago
One of my favorite actors and often the best part of anything he's in, even when the rest of the movie is also great.
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u/Eldant 3d ago
I love chiwetel in the life of chuck as well. He’s such a good actor
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u/StHankyCranky 2d ago
Yes! And his performance in 2012 was also way above what was needed for that movie , he blew everyone else out of the water.
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u/Ill-Combination-9320 2d ago
Who'd thought that Batista would become the best actor out of the WWE
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u/Odd-Spread-1247 2d ago
His range is impressive for someone that never grew up acting
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u/SnapshotHeadache 3d ago
He makes the movie.
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u/Nellancher 3d ago
13th Ghost?
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u/harleyqueenzel 2d ago
No I love this movie so much. I've always said that I wanted a prequel done of all of the ghosts' backstories that made them so important to the home. Apparently there were talks of a tv show or something that would do this but nothing has happened yet.
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u/thelostuser 2d ago
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u/goatbusiness666 2d ago
There was a firefight!!! 🙌🏻
(I still say this every time I walk into a room and find a mess my cats made)
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u/Sorillion 2d ago
Also great intro to Love Lost in a Hail of Gun Fire by Bleeding Through.
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u/toastwasher 2d ago
Boondocks saints is loved by all, idk if this fits the script
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u/Mayonaigg 2d ago
Not around reddit these days. Somehow every week I see a post where a bunch of twats are like "ehrm well that movie DID NOT age well... Can't believe I ever liked that." And shit like that.
I just watched it last week and it's still fucking awesome
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u/MrWonderz 2d ago
Nicholas Cage, all of his movies
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u/lowercase_underscore 2d ago
He brings his all no matter what the situation and it's awesome.
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u/king-cardboard 3d ago
I don’t expect anyone to pay this comment any attention, but by god Angus Macfadyen in Warriors of Virtue is the absolute peak of this.
such a fever dream level of terrible 90’s wannabe action kids movie epic, but Angus may have delivered the most interesting chaotic villian performance i’ve ever seen on camera.
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u/Infamous_Payment4608 3d ago
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u/catmanten 3d ago
She really did do the psychopathic Stockholm syndrome maniac that Harley Quinn is very well
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u/straydog1980 3d ago
Her physical performance as Harley is really underrated, same as Hardy in Venom
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u/_otisreddit 3d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/eHRwLGsS6QDViZhp2P
I’ll die on this hill. Joker was such a mid movie, nowhere near as deep as everyone pretended it was.
Great performance though.
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u/PriorPeak1277 3d ago
Every movie with the joker in it is cursed with having the joker in it. Like you have one of the greatest characters ever that is like an S+++ tier acting role but every second he’s not on screen the movie is just way worse.
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u/MonkMillar 3d ago
Naomi Scott, Smile 2.
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u/Ok-Physics9906 3d ago
Smile 2 was...fine. Her performance, and the guy at the opening had me hooked to the end.
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u/TrumpsColostomyBag99 3d ago
I loathe what they did to Luke Skywalker but Mark Hamill did an incredible job putting Jake Skywalker on the screen in The Last Jedi.
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u/penalty-venture 3d ago
Another vote within the franchise is for Donald Glover in Solo.
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u/TotalACast 3d ago edited 3d ago
He says in several interviews that he hates what Rian Johnson did with his character. He says he had to stop thinking of himself as George Lucas' Luke Skywalker, a hopeless optimist who never gives up, even against impossible odds: Instead, to accept Disney's vision he thought of himself as "Jake Skywalker." A man who has given up hope and exiled himself after his actions turned his nephew to the dark side.
It really boggles my mind that so many people defend Jake Skywalker and try to argue that this interpretation of the character is compatible with the hero we know from the original trilogy.
The reason why I don't buy it, can't buy it, is because in order to accept Jake Skywalker as canon, we have to accept that all of Luke's progress, his growth, his hero's journey in 4, 5, and 6 is inexplicably undone and that he also pulls a lightsaber on his own nephew...while he's sleeping.
This is not the Luke Skywalker we know, this is the antithesis of the Luke we know in every meaningful way.
And the argument we're being asked to accept is that the Jake Skywalker from the sequel trilogy, who is the opposite of Luke in every conceivable way, is the natural progression of his character. Nope, that's gaslighting.
All the evidence points to Disney having no idea what they were doing, not that Jake Skywalker was some sophisticated take on a beloved character.
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u/defiancy 3d ago
I mean I think the temptation to kill Ben in his sleep is obviously the biggest issue, that is way out of character for who Luke us at the end of Return of the Jedi.
Him becoming a cooky hermit? I actually think that is well in line with the character, especially considering it is exactly what happened to Obi-wan and Yoda before him. The reason for it happening is what is so far astray from the character.
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u/BDSMChef_RP 2d ago
Legends Luke, fought bled and nearly died to redeem every single one of his students from the darkside. He never gave up on a single one.
Now like Jake Airjogger he did have some issues with his nephew. This is after his Nephew Jacen has nearly corrupted Luke's son to the darkside, murdered Luke's wife and plunged the galaxy into a new galactic war. Luke wasn't entire sure if his son's dad, his wive's pissed husband or Master Skywalker was going to show up for that fight and if he didn't know, he didn't think he hsould be the one in that fight. ANd that was like 30 years into the EU and we have books from the day after Endor to over 100 years after Endor.
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u/jfstompers 3d ago
Is knock at the Cabin any good, read the book recently and didn't love it.
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u/WitchyVeteran 3d ago
My opinion is just just 'okay' but Bautista was acting his ass off. Almost carried the movie.
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u/NarrowCarpet4026 3d ago
I watched it on a plane and it sufficed, which I think answers the question of whether spending time and money is worth it.
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u/MIKEl281 1d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/NYB4ar5PdCysBW8dnx
Christian Bale as Gorr the god butcher was an absolute masterclass. His performance was so superior to the movie that it’s often asked “what movie did he think he was making?”
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u/Nikolai-_-0 2d ago
Christian Bale in Thor: Love and Thunder, what a fucking stupid film i hate it
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u/ADeletedUser2 2d ago
Ralph Fiennes as Francis Dolarhyde in Red Dragon (2002) I don't like this movie very much but Ralph Fiennes' performance as Dolarhyde/The Tooth Fairy is easily the best part of the movie and is the only reason I'd ever watch it again
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u/Mandatoryreverence 2d ago
Alfred Molina in Chocolat. It's a silly, fluffy, fun movie but Alfred Molina is giving waaaayy to much hubris and pathos into it. Great performance for a movie that didn't need it.
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u/Scudz323 3d ago
Eragon - the movie was dog shyt, but Jeremy Irons was so good.
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u/Hollowbody57 3d ago
See also, Jeremy Irons in Dungeons and Dragons. I don't think he ate anything the entire time he filmed that movie, he just survived off of chewing the scenery.
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u/Distraction86 3d ago
Here we go… Jeremy irons in:
The beekeeper
Eragon
Batman v Superman
The Time Machine
Beekeeper 2
Red Sparrow
Correspondence
Justice League
Assassin’s Creed
Pink Panther 2Just look at his filmography. That guy is always working whether it’s a great project or not.
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u/barry_vyolent 3d ago
THANK YOU!
His performance in Knock at the Cabin was PHENOMENAL. The movie itself was okay but Dave Bautista absolutely blew me away. This is definitely my answer.
I knew him first as Batista from the WWE and watched all of his movies, like I did with all of the wrestlers that made the jump. It was really cool to watch his progress as an actor but I did not expect such a stellar performance, especially in a role like that. Honestly, one of my favorite overall performances in all of film history. I've rewatched Knock at the Cabin 5 or 6 times now, not because I necessarily love the movie but just to watch his performance.
Kind of the same as John Cena in Peacemaker. Don't get me wrong, I really loved those two seasons on every level... the cast, the writing/story, all of it was great. John Cena specifically was perfect in my opinion. Cena and Bautista in those two roles made me forget that I was watching some of my favorite wrestlers and just delivered top level art.
I think from the wrestlers that have made the jump into movies, John Cena and Dave Bautista are at the very top of that list. The Rock could never.
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u/AuthorBrianHunter 3d ago
John Cena carried both seasons of that show. If he didn't have muscles, he'd be considered a serious actor. Fun and surprisingly good series for sure, but would have been a train wreck/joke with Dwayne the Mock Johnson.
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u/mourningreaper00 2d ago
Michael Fassbender in the Alien prequels: Covenant and Prometheus. Also, a good movie, made even better by his performance: X-Men: First Class
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u/mrcrazymexican 2d ago
Raul freaking Julia.
The guy was dying from Cancer and he still acted amazing in a film he did for his sons.
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u/Itchy-Technician-433 3d ago
I mean the quintessential example of this is Michael Caine in A Muppet Christmas.
Michael Caine absolutely plays this role like he's trying to win an Oscar, not doing a scene with a rat puppet. It's gold and I love this movie
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u/TheFerricGenum 2d ago
I absolutely agree Michael Caine’s performance here was top notch. But OP asked about a performance surpassing the rest of the movie and the rest of the muppet christmas carol is also top notch.
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u/thehublebumble 2d ago
Nah, Muppets Christmas Carol is goated all around. Caine playing it serious is just part of what makes it great. It's peak Michael Caine but its also peak Muppets and I fucking love it all.
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u/Melenduwir 2d ago
Are you suggesting that Rizzo isn't a worthy companion for Michael Caine?
ARE YOU?
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u/TopRevenue2 3d ago
Cassandra Peterson in the new R.L. Stien Pumbkinhead movie on Tubi
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u/ExtremeAlternative0 3d ago
Raul Julia as M Bison in the first live action street fighter movie
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u/JimHeckdiver 3d ago
He was acting in an entirely different film than everyone else.
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u/garrettj100 2d ago
Peter Stormare.
I don’t need to be specific about the movie. He’s better, in every non-Coen brothers movie, than that movie deserves.
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u/ComaOfSouls 3d ago
Great example. Bautista is the only good thing about Knock at the Cabin. My submission is Matthew Lillard in Five Nights at Freddy's.
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u/truckturner5164 3d ago
I could just say Rutger Hauer, Sir Christopher Lee, or Tim Curry in literally anything. I'll be more specific and say Sir Christopher Lee in The Man With the Golden Gun.
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u/Azureknight205 3d ago
Frank Langella as Skeletor in the 80' Masters of the Universe. He's on a different plane of existence compared to everyone else in that flick.
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u/Phoenixio7 2d ago
Dave Bautista was amazing in Knock at the Cabin. He really conveys that he's kind and delicate, and that the situation he's in is absolutely beyond fucked up. And he really understands that nobody would believe him. He still does his absolute best to convince people about the situation. Super nicely done, whatever you think about the movie itself.
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u/Worried_Tangelo_3220 3d ago
I’ll probably get flack for this but Matt Smith and Jared Leto in Morbius. Granted I watched it on a flight but still. Every scene either one was in, they out-acted literally everyone else present. Their performance felt humorous because of how seriously they played the roles, becoming the characters, while everyone else was just “insert character type here”
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u/Blak_Box 3d ago
Jared Leto seems very much to be an insufferable douche bag. His band also hasn't released a good album in almost 17 years.
But I absolutely understand how and why he keeps getting roles. He is an excellent actor and he knows how to pick parts that suit him well.
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u/Melenduwir 2d ago
Poor Matt Smith, he just can't quite get the breakthrough he needs. And yes, I'm counting Doctor Who.
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u/penalty-venture 3d ago edited 3d ago
Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was a solidly “meh” movie…except for the scenes with Viola Davis. She was the bright spot of the film, and I want to see her play more villains.
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u/ActuatorFearless8980 2d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/YTKYY2opQvwfJ4ZbzI
Solid performance in a hammy but exceptional movie
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u/RecentRequirement568 1d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/12Rq9uCNxcxtjq
Richard Dawson in The Running Man.
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u/BadBueno60 1d ago
I will defend The Running Man as awesome despite it being one of Arnold’s cheesier 80’s outings, but no question that Richard Dawson knocked that role out of the park. Totally matched Arnold’s charisma and energy and so far as I recall he’s the only villain to ever one-up an Arnie one-liner.
“Killian - I’ll be back.”
“Only in a rerun.”
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u/zenigatamondatta 3d ago
Bautista was so good in that movie (a mediocre movie and was spoiled by the fucking trailer so you already knew the outcome)
Its unfortunate that his talents are wasted on marvel slop and this ended up being kind of a dud. I hope he gets better movies to be in
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u/PriorPeak1277 3d ago
He’s the best wrestler turned actor in my opinion. I personally think he’s got a lot of range.
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u/zenigatamondatta 3d ago
I love Roddy Piper in they live and it's always sunny and he was alright in hell comes to frog town but I don't think he's as good as Bautista. 1st Bautista, 2nd Roddy Piper and then there 3rd place is 200 miles away and it might be Andre the giant for the Prince's Bride lol
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u/LandauTST 3d ago
I would agree but once Cena took up the role of Peacemaker, he did an absolutely fantastic job at taking a goofy ass character and giving him a lot of depth and portraying his trauma. But they're both great.
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u/chillannyc2 3d ago
The opening scene of Blade runner 2049 was amazing with him
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u/RobertSchmek 3d ago
Bautista has done a lot of absolute hot trash direct-to-streaming movies, but in Bladerunner 2049 he absolutely was an A-lister. He nailed that role. Could his character have carried a whole movie? Unlikely, but his performance was fantastic for as much as he was in it.
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u/East_Highway_8470 3d ago
He gets wasted a lot, Hotel Artemis.
"Hey, you see that badge? That means I'm a health care professional. But that knowledge goes both ways. So if you tell anybody about the Artemis... I will hunt you down and unheal the shit out of you."
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u/Lopsided_Ebb_558 3d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/fxnF2NswlLlxvwGYEn