Dec 20, 2006 07:04 AM
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To comprise a list of my top 5 actors is equally as challenging as naming the top five women with one exception, this list is hard to narrow to just five. There are so many strong roles for men that just aren’t available to women in the same way. You may or may not agree with what I have for MY top five. The criteria to be in my select few are simple: Who can I watch in every role and consistently be impressed? Who can play a serious role and one that is more graphic, perhaps with a foreign accent, perhaps showing us something a new and different persona? Here are my top five:
*Al Pacino
*The Godfather, Any Given Sunday, Glengarry Glen Ross, The Devil’s Advocate, Dog Day Afternoon, And Justice For All, Insomnia, Scent of A Woman, Serpico
Without question, Pacino is one versatile actor who began as one of the most memorable villains ever, Don Michael Corleone. Although he began acting much sooner than this film was released, this was clearly the role that launched his career. One could argue that he frequently plays a “version of himself” but, no, he has much much more than that in each character. I applaud those juicy roles that offer an “aria, ” a soliloquy that just about sums up his perception of that character, showing equal brilliance as the Devil or as that of a down and out lawyer.
*Ben Kingsley
*House of Sand and Fog, Gandhi, Mrs. Harris, Death and the Maiden, Lucky Number Slevin, Schindler’s List
Kingsley has that gift of playing a foreign heart trodden soul with such magnitude, you just melt inside or a chill runs through your veins. He manages to make us believe that he is Gandhi so convincingly that I really felt the impact of the role and message he meant to deliver. He plays the really despicable character equally as well as one that we are to commiserate with. Amazing is his gift for the foreign accent, be it Arabic, French, Jewish, Indian.
*Edward Norton
*The Illusionist, American History X, Fightclub, Rounders, Primal Fear, Frida, Death to Smoochy, The Score
Norton is the one actor that plays both sides of the coin like no other of his genre. He is magical, bigoted, clever, schizophrenic, comedic without fault. When you witness his transformation into character for yourself, it is just a moment that is with you long after the movie has ended. He will undoubtedly be one of the greats of film excellence of the century.
*David Suchet
*Hercule Poirot, Foolproof, Falcon and the Snowman, A Perfect Murder,
Live from Baghdad
After seeing nearly every episode of the great Belgian Detective, Hercule Poirot, one is really in for a treat with the quite different personae of the great Suchet. This actor plays every role with great aplomb. Not only does he play the very sweet gentleman but also a very sinister villain to perfection. Suchet reminds me often of the great Ben Kingsley, both with his spoken words and those of his eyes, deep and deliberate.
*Ralph Feinnes
*Harry Potter IV (as Lord Valdemort), Strange Days, The English Patient, The Constant Gardener, Red Dragon, Schindler’s List
Sexy and versatile is Ralph and he is one that I look forward to any role. It does not matter what the movie is but I prefer him as a nasty villain because he is at his best. On the same note, he plays the love forlorn equally as well. He also have a gift for dialect and that makes him even more complex, versatile, transformed into the Nazi Officer was brilliant but even as detestable as he was in Red Dragon, he was captivating to watch. That is his gift, to be nasty and beautiful to look at. He is truly mesmerizing!
Honorable Mention:
Robert DeNiro, Michael Caine, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Spacey, Denzel Washington,
*Michael Douglas, Mark Ruffalo, George Clooney, William H Macy, Jack Lemmon,
Jack Nicholson , Tom Hanks, Nicholaus Cage, John Travolta
So that is it, MY top five. I know some of you are saying: “What about DeNiro???!” Well, although DeNiro has made some great movies and portrayed some memorable roles, he is has made some really poor movie decisions and in my humble opinion, does not have the range that my choices do. There are also quite a few of “honorable mentions” because there are so many incredible actors that I enjoy watching in virtually everything they do. There are also some that are not listed but that does not mean that they don’t necessarily belong. Who are YOUR top five? I bet you will have some hard decisions to make too!
