Best acting performances you have ever seen in a film?

Brockovich

Brad Pitt - Fight club & 12 Monkeys
Robert de Niro - Brazil
The Rock - Be Cool (comedic value)
Uma Thurman - Kill Bill Vol 1 & 2
 
Just like to add another Jack Lemmon performance - Some Like it Hot. And, yes, Jaccobabe you're spot on with the female performances you've nominated. Must say I hadn't thought of them.
 
:)
I have seen that as wel.
Must admit I wasnt that"taken" by Bette in this movie, but have only seen it once.

Wonderful quote, though, something like

"lets not reach for the moon. We've got the stars"

It WAS a good movie...
 
He is a great actor when he does Drama

Check out Man On The Moon if you havent seen it he gives an even better performance in that film
 
Emma Thompson in"Howard's End". There is a scene where she learns her husband has had a fling with a lower class totty, but keeps her composure until the last car is waved away, then she crumples.....it is magnificent!

Jack Nicholson was the greatest actor Hollywood ever produced. When I saw him in "Five Easy Pieces" his performance just blew me away. I think he's still capable of wonderful performances (About Schmidt) but too often he's sending himself up.
 
Leonardo Dicaprio- whats eating gilbert grape
Kevin spacey- American beauty

They're too I thought were particularly good, Jack nicholson and Meryll streep are always great too.
 
River Phoenix in 'My Own Private Idaho'
and bizarrely, years later...
Joachim Phoenix in 'Walk The Line'
Sean Penn in 'The Falcon & the Snowman'
and
Debra Winger in 'Terms of Endearment'
Tom Hanks - 'Philidelphia AND Forrest Gump'
Matt Damon 'Good Will Hunting' AND 'the Talented Mr Ripley'
Daniel Day Lewis - 'Gangs of New York'

All modern film actors... i am actually more a fan of old school, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Katherine Hepburn.. but I would say these are steller performances!! :D
 
Take some thinking about ! .... off the top of my head though

Frederick March - Best years of our lives

Humphrey Bogart - Key Largo

Brando - The Godfather and On the Waterfront

George C Scott - Patten

Paul Scofield - A man for all season

.... and Burl Ives in The Big Country

( oh, and Olivier in ANYTHING, naturally )
 
Scofield has done so comparatively few films its such a shame.

A Man For All Seasons is a tour de force. Robert Bolt screenplay/Fred zinneman directing/Paul Scofield leading, how could it fail?

i also enjoyed his performance in The Train.

and for anyone who hasn't seen it there was a nice cameo in Quiz Show

(oops ramble over :o )
 
Back
Top