Actors/Actresses: Their Best and Their Worst

[Bogey]

Due to a recent post by David on the movie thread:  What movie showed a performer at the top of their game and which one was their worst performance, in your opinion of course.

For example:

John Wayne
Top: Rio Bravo (IMO)
Bottom: The Conqueror

Tom Cruise
Top: Minority Report
Bottom: Days of Thunder

[toledobass]

Jack Black
Top: High Fidelity
Bottom: everything else

[M forever]

Mark Hamill
Top: Star Wars
Bottom: Star Wars

[Kullervo]

Mark Hamill
Top: Star Wars
Bottom: Star Wars

Not Corvette Summer? 

Harrison Ford
Top: Frantic
Bottom: Regarding Henry

Although I haven't seen the new Indiana Jones, I'm sure it's not one of his more shining moments.

[val]

Al Pacino
Top: The Merchant of Venice
Bottom: All his other movies

[vandermolen]

Frank Sinatra

Best: From Here to Eternity

Worst: Dirty Dingus Magee

[Sergeant Rock]

Brigitte Bardot

Top: Le mépris (Contempt, directd by Godard)

Bottom: Don Juan 1973 ou Et si Don Juan était une femme (Don Juan or If Don Juan Were a Woman, directed by Vadim...a low point for him too)


Diane Lane

Top: Unfaithful

Bottom: Judge Dredd (for the fact she agreed to do the film, not because of her performance, which is all one can expect given the dreddful script and dreddful leading man)


Natalie Portman

Top: Léon (or The Professional or Leon: the Professional)

Bottom: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace


Sarge

[Norbeone]

Al Pacino
Top: The Merchant of Venice
Bottom: All his other movies

Are you joking? Pacino's performances are almost always superb. Unless you mean that all others are just less great, and not that they're bad?

[M forever]

Pacino is what they tell you is "superb", but like a lot of other overhyped Hollywood actors, his acting is almost always about his acting, not about the characters. He was very good in the "Godfather" movies (at least in 1 and 2), and quite good maybe in a few others (like "Dog Day Afternoon"), but most of his performances are vain personality acts, not acting.

[Norbeone]

I suppose everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I must say I disagree completely on that one. I can't see anything vain in his performances in Serpico, Dog Day, Insomnia, Glenngarry Glen Ross, the Godfathers, the Insider, Heat etc. All great performances, and it isn't something I think because 'they tell you'. I'm actually very picky when it comes to acting, and I regard Mr Pacino to be up there with the finest.




EDIT - I forgot to mention Scarface and Carlito's Way.

[mn dave]

Mark Hamill
Top: Star Wars Batman: The Animated Series
Bottom: Star Wars

[Bogey]

the Insider,

That is a good call....very well done movie.

[Bogey]

Top: Star Wars Batman: The Animated Series

And an even better call.  Nicely done Dave.

[mn dave]

And an even better call.  Nicely done Dave.

[bhodges]

Funny, I was *just* thinking about this subject this morning, when I saw a preview for an upcoming (gulp) new release:

Meryl Streep
Top: Sophie's Choice
Bottom (potentially): Mamma Mia!    (this icon is the closest I could find to "horror")

--Bruce

[Don]

I suppose everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I must say I disagree completely on that one. I can't see anything vain in his performances in Serpico, Dog Day, Insomnia, Glenngarry Glen Ross, the Godfathers, the Insider, Heat etc. All great performances, and it isn't something I think because 'they tell you'. I'm actually very picky when it comes to acting, and I regard Mr Pacino to be up there with the finest.

My sentiments exactly.   

[rockerreds]

Eli Wallach
His Worst:Godfather 3
His Best:everything else

[val]

Norbeone
I suppose everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I must say I disagree completely on that one. I can't see anything vain in his performances in Serpico, Dog Day, Insomnia, Glenngarry Glen Ross, the Godfathers, the Insider, Heat etc. All great performances, and it isn't something I think because 'they tell you'. I'm actually very picky when it comes to acting, and I regard Mr Pacino to be up there with the finest.

I forgot Insomnia. It is a very acceptable remake of a scandinavian movie, and Pacino is very good in it. Regarding the other movies I saw with Pacino, the problem is that Pacino seems to perform always the same character. He is not what I would call a very diversified and subtle actor (except for his extraordinary performance in The Merchant of Venice).
To give an example of two actors that seem to me much more complete: A. Hopkins and M. Caine.

[vandermolen]

Brigitte Bardot

Top: Le mépris (Contempt, directd by Godard)

Bottom: Don Juan 1973 ou Et si Don Juan était une femme (Don Juan or If Don Juan Were a Woman, directed by Vadim...a low point for him too)


Diane Lane

Top: Unfaithful

Bottom: Judge Dredd (for the fact she agreed to do the film, not because of her performance, which is all one can expect given the dreddful script and dreddful leading man)


Natalie Portman

Top: Léon (or The Professional or Leon: the Professional)

Bottom: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace


Sarge

Totally agree about Natalie Portman. Leon was her outstanding performance; much better than anything else I've seen her in.

[vandermolen]

As for Al Pacino, like all the other actors, I thought that he was great in Glengarry Glenross.