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Top 10 Lesser Known Tour-de-Force Performances
- Published June 14, 2009 by sammysunset - 111 Comments
I frequently find myself looking up past films of my favorite actors when I run out of things to watch – and it almost always provides me with a great playlist. Quite often this can lead us to films we are not so familiar with in which a great actor gives an amazing performance. This list looks at 10 of these lesser known performances of some great actors.
The name Rainn Wilson may not sound familiar to the average person, but the character of Dwight Schrute from NBC’s The Office sure will. Before Dwight was brute forcing us with his tremendous comedic abilities in an office setting, he was playing as Lahnk, the Requisition Officer in Galaxy Quest. You can catch him the most in the first quarter of the film or so.
Another actor that is better known for his lesser roles than his major ones, Seth Green overshadows every role he’s ever taken in this movie. The budget is low, the demands are high, and although Macaulay Culkin may have been the driving force behind this flick it’s Seth Green that really steals the show. His rendition of James St. James is a role to remember.
A lot of people really don’t like Hayden Christensen, most of which claim his acting lacks depth and that he whines a lot. Well, if that’s the case, then this movie may very well be his one chance to actually pull it all off. Hayden plays in Broken Glass, a movie based on the real events surrounding the conviction of Stephen Glass (the notorious lying journalist from The New Republic magazine). If you’re not much of a Hayden Christensen fan, I think you’ll be surprised by how well he does in this flick. [JFrater: I have never liked Christensen but I really enjoyed this film and thought he was excellent in it.]
Jason Schwartzman is known only by two roles, at best: The main character in Rushmore and the guy from I Heart Huckabees. Well, before he popped his head up in a handful of cult films, he delved into the realm of popular, Hollywood movies. Unfortunately for him, one of these movies was (by some people’s decree) a poor man’s rip off of Requiem for a Dream. I, for one, am not one of these people. I much prefer Spun to Requiem for a Dream (which are compared to each other because of the large amount of drug content and similar filming style) for three simple reasons: Jason Schwartzman, John Leguizamo and Mickey Rourke. It’s a three-way-punch to the face, and in the center of it all is Jason Schwartzman — who managed to completely own this movie. As an additional interesting fact, Jason Schwartzman is a cousin of Nicholas Cage and a nephew of Francis Ford Coppola.
This movie can be hard to find, but if you can get your hands on it it’s well worth the price. The movie premise itself is somewhat interesting: it is about a man (Paul Rudd) who has a film crew documenting the last two days of his life before his planned suicide. In the film, Paul Rudd displays some stunning and moving acting. This is a more dramatic role, and it shows how well Mr. Rudd can hold his own as a dramatic lead.
Sam Rockwell managed to catch Hollywood off guard with his role in this movie (which was also George Clooney’s directorial debut). It showcases the life of Chuck Barris, infamous host and creator of The Gong Show. It gets even better, as it also shows the disputed “double life” of Mr. Barris, where he works as an assassin for the CIA. Furthermore, it’s all allegedly based on a true story (by Chuck Barris’ own decree). The disparity and melancholy that Sam Rockwell portrays is downright haunting.
Talk about a story that wont give up. The Singing Detective has been a BBC Mini Series, a stage play and even a 2003 Feature Film (which is the feature in question). Rober Downey Jr. takes the lead wheel on this one, and manages to steer wonderfully as he takes you into the hellish depths of insanity and then back again (with a wink a smile). As an added bonus, you also get to catch lesser known roles of some famous actors such as: Adrian Brody, Robin Wright and Mel Gibson.
First off, this is a very sad movie. It’s about a man who’s wife has just committed suicide and has left her “suicide note” under the main character’s pillow. Upon finding it, while still in the thick of shock, he immediately pockets it and spends the rest of the movie avoiding opening and reading the letter. Toss in some huffing to cope with depression, a co-worker who’s in love with him (and has no tact) and a whole lot of Remote Control enthusiasm and you have Love, Liza. It also features (for the first time that I’ve ever seen) a main character who is also a web developer / designer. All of these aspects of this great film result in huge shoes to fill — which only Philip Seymour Hoffman could have done the way he did.
This is a movie from the great Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogy Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood) but the real power behind this throne is not the writer/director, but Adam Sandler (playing the lead). The depth he shows in his acting ability is unbelievable, and even Roger Ebert himself said: “Sandler, liberated from the constraints of formula, reveals unexpected depths as an actor. Watching this film, you can imagine him in Dennis Hopper roles. He has darkness, obsession and power.” (Wikipedia) Gone are the days of Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison. It’s official.
Many people know Sean Connery as Agent 007, James Bond. However, he has had several other roles that have really established him as an actor. Roles in movies like The Hunt for Red October and The Rock. He has really established himself as a classic actor, and could happily die knowing that he is burned into the collective consciousness of America for generations to come. In the midst of all that, though, he managed to do some side-gigs that really worked out well. One of these gems is Playing By Heart: An Ensemble Dramedy based around the various facets of love. Our man Sean plays an older husband who is suspected of cheating on his wife twenty some-odd years prior. He manages to pull off being funny and incredibly endearing at the same time.
June 14th, 2009 at 1:38 am
Sean Connery is a good call; he was a well respected actor before Bond took him over. Michael Caine tells a nice story, the last time Caine was in an unemployment queue – queuing for benefits – two people in front of him was Connery.
June 14th, 2009 at 1:42 am
Roles, for God’s sake, not rolls.
June 14th, 2009 at 1:43 am
Apart from that, I haven’t seen any of these movies. Short clips would have been a useful addition.
June 14th, 2009 at 1:48 am
Only seen 2 of them
Thanks nice list.
June 14th, 2009 at 2:05 am
I love adam sandler. Good list
June 14th, 2009 at 2:06 am
Interesting list, though the “rolls” thing is quite distracting…
I’ve always liked Seth Green. He has played some ridiculous characters but he definitely is capable of some really nice acting.
June 14th, 2009 at 2:09 am
The Tour de France?!!? We just had a list about bicycle riders!!
Oops….I got it now.
Most of these titles are obscure to me, although I recognize all of the actors, and enjoy many,many of their other works.
Thank you SammySunset for your list, and now…
Off to netflix.
June 14th, 2009 at 2:33 am
The first movie I saw Hayden Christensen in was “Life as a House” he was absolutely brilliant in that movie, but that’s because he played an unfeeling whiny teenager, a role that fit him perfectly.
I really liked Adam Sandler in “Reign Over Me”
June 14th, 2009 at 2:37 am
@apepper (1): We don’t do “first post” comments here
It makes more work for me if I have to edit comments or delete them for that reason.
Everyone: The rolls/roles error is fixed – I didn’t notice it as I was editing; accept my humblest apologies
June 14th, 2009 at 2:38 am
i’m pretty sure number 8 is supposed to be “shattered glass” not broken glass.
June 14th, 2009 at 3:09 am
It’s definitely Shattered Glass not Broken Glass.
June 14th, 2009 at 3:29 am
Boring!.. Im a Listverse fan for life tho
June 14th, 2009 at 3:34 am
“punch drunk love” is so good.
I love the bed scene with him and his romantic interest (which I apologize, can’t remember her name right now.)
June 14th, 2009 at 3:36 am
re:#8 i thought adam sandlers’ acting in reign over me was awesome..seth green is a genius when given freedom to act and dont you dare diss sean connery…great list
June 14th, 2009 at 3:42 am
great list, ive always been a fan of paul rudd. im gonna have to go to the video shop in the next few days i think!
June 14th, 2009 at 3:50 am
Leonardo di Caprio should be on this for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? Amazing film, don’t think I’ve ever seen him act so well. I hate pretty much all his other films. Good list!
June 14th, 2009 at 4:11 am
Colin Farrell/In Bruges–Hilarious, yet poignant. Highly under-rated.
June 14th, 2009 at 4:39 am
when i first saw the title, I almost skipped this list since i have no interest in the race (tour de france LOL)
Good list though, I would have added, but maybe just kuz im a trekkie, Patrick Steward which at least my immediate circle know him as professor X in the Xmen series, but had awesome success in star trek yrs before that
June 14th, 2009 at 5:13 am
Great list as always
I agree with Maximuz04 about Patrick Stewart as he also did many roles including the more famous ones in Star Trek Next Generation, x-men and a few older films.
Plus he can sing!
June 14th, 2009 at 5:20 am
I love Spun and Party Monster. I watched them last night. I’m interested in finding this Paul Rudd movie now, as well.
Btw, that Patrick Stewart video cracks me up!
June 14th, 2009 at 5:26 am
This term, tour-de-force, I do not think it means what you think it means.
June 14th, 2009 at 5:36 am
Great list! I love Sean Connery…to me, he is in the top 5 male actors.
Also love Seth Green and Philip Hoffman (loved Hoffman in Twister) but hate Adam Sandler. Sorry people, he doesn’t make me laugh. Just not as funny as everyone thinks he is.
@Shurnui (19): Great addition! Stewart is an excellent actor and all around funny guy!
June 14th, 2009 at 5:38 am
It means actually what he implied it meant. What are you, a raving lunatic?
Good list, you weren’t kidding about ‘lesser known’, I haven’t seen any of them.
June 14th, 2009 at 5:41 am
i agree with jos, other than schwartzman none of these roles are considered tour de force, look up the term before you decide to use it again…
June 14th, 2009 at 5:47 am
@jos (21): In the English language – because you have to remember that with a majority of the sheer amount of things that have been “borrowed” that we do *not* use the meanings word for word from their origins – tour-de-force is commonly used to refer to an outstanding display of skill, or brilliance in a field.
Although in the original French I believe it meant more along the lines of an exceptionally creative or difficult achievement.
However – yes, there’s more – I agree with you that tour-de-force shouldn’t technically be used in that context. It’s a noun, Jamie, I’m disappointed that you didn’t pick that up
Nouns can’t be used in place of adjectives – duh! – and there is no adjectival form of the term tour-de-force. So I think that the list might need some title tweaks.
[/bitching session]
Nice list, I’m going to have to have to have some serious film-watching sessions when I go home for the holidays. Can’t wait to check out the Hayden Christiansen one, he almost made me cry in that “Anesthesia” crap.
June 14th, 2009 at 5:48 am
@deeeziner (17): I highly agree what a brilliant film, if you like the film then you would enjoy the plays written by the same script writer, Martin Mcdonagh.
The picture of Robert Downey Jr. is from “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” which is my favorite film, I would recommend it to all those who have not watched it.
June 14th, 2009 at 5:56 am
Personally I am turned off by all the hype of “The Office” isn’t there a movie, a British T.V. show and a U.S. T.V. show all called the “The Office”. I just avoid all of it by not watching any of them. I am turned off all pop culture things that are over-hyped. I have not seen the new “Star Trek” movie because of this, all the B.S. about how great it is makes me want to see it even less. As a matter of fact, I have only seen the “Lord of the Rings” movies about a month ago. Seeing movies and T.V. shows once the hype dies down is cheaper to. I got the extended versions of all 3 “Rings” movies at a place that sells used DVD’s and the like for $20.
June 14th, 2009 at 5:58 am
@Someonelse (27): I still haven’t seen the LoTR Trilogy yet ^_^
June 14th, 2009 at 6:10 am
Just to add to Jason Schwartzman’s famous family, he is also Talia Shire’s son ( you ADRIAN from “Rocky”)
June 14th, 2009 at 6:11 am
edit
I meant “You KNOW” Adrian from Rocky”
June 14th, 2009 at 6:19 am
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood
Ellen Burstyn – Requiem for a Dream
Val Kilmer – Tombstone
Phillip Seymour Hoffman – Owning Mahoney
Gary Oldman – The Professional
Ryan Gosling – The Believer
Guy Pierce – Memento
Naomi Watts – 21 Grams
Diane Keaton – American Beauty
Johnny Depp – Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
June 14th, 2009 at 6:22 am
A good, thought-provoking list, with great comments, that’s got me hunting out older movies. (Time to watch them, now, that’s something else…) My favourite moment of unexpected acting glory is from Jurassic Park: the moment when the camera holds Sam Neill’s face, wearing a look of pure, childlike wonder, before panning around into the first huge vista of living dinosaurs.
June 14th, 2009 at 7:09 am
@Someonelse (27): @Mark (28): I haven’t seen any of the LOTR either. I’m with Someonelse on the hype thing but can’t really explain why.
Nice list sammysunset.
June 14th, 2009 at 7:11 am
Patrick Stewart as Julius Caesar in “I Claudius “.
Sean Connery is the only person (besides Stewart) who should be on this list. The rest of them simply can’t make up for all the disgusting pathetic crap they have done.
June 14th, 2009 at 7:49 am
I have seen most of these with the exception of two days and the singing detective. I absolutely loved the movie Love Liza as well as Punch Drunk Love. It was great to see Adama Sandler in such a different role. I love the scene where he is talking to his brother in law about his crying problem.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:21 am
faketree78: most of those are very well known performances (though I love every single one of them).
Great list. Can’t believe I haven’t seen any of these movies yet. Normally I greatly dislike Sandler, but I will check Punch Drunk Love out.
Sean Connery is a hero by the way.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:25 am
I think you’re confusing ‘tour-de-force’ with ‘pretty good.’
While there are some good performances here, I’m not sure there was much of a reason to write this list. Tour-de-force implies exceptional or unlikely to be matched by someone else. Hayden Christianson was good in Shattered Glass, but I wouldn’t say he was exceptional.
There are a lot of performances that could be categorized as a tour-de-force but not known by everyone, so why do these stand out, why did you pick them? I could take the rest of the afternoon and think of good performances that some folks don’t know about.
Nicolas Cage and Elizabeth Shue in ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ comes to mind. Both of those performances were certainly exceptional, and it’s true that Cage won his only best actor Oscar for that role, but that movie wasn’t seen by a wide audience. Bruce Campbell in ‘Bubba Ho-Tep’ was a very low release movie, but his performance as Elvis in a rest home was over the top. Ulrich Muhe was fantastic in ‘The Lives of Others’ yet that movie made only 11 million dollars in the US. How about older movies like ‘Paths of Glory’ where Kirk Douglas was outstanding.
See what I mean? I hate being overly critical of another author’s lists because I know how difficult they are to write. But I think a little more thought could have gone into these choices.
Just my opinion.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:40 am
@faketree78 (31): A lot of times someone will make a comment and then be criticized, so here goes: I don’t think the performances of Daniel Day Lewis in There will be Blood nor Johnny Depp’s in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas would be considered “lesser known performances.” Also American Beauty was a well known film, although you’re probibly correct in that Diane Keaton’s role may not have received a lot of attention.
June 14th, 2009 at 9:00 am
Also try these:
Seth Green as the little brother in “Cant buy me love”
Sean Connery in “The Untouchables”
Robert Downey Jr in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”
Sam Rockwell in “Charlies Angels” (his ‘other’ movie with Drew Barrymore)
June 14th, 2009 at 9:07 am
Interseting list. It gave me a few additions to my list of movies to see. One good performance I thought to add, although he’s on the list already would be Phillip Seymour Hoffman for Synecdoche, NY, the best film of 2008 in my humble opinion.
June 14th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Hey, nice list – I haven’t seen any of these flicks. I used to be dubious about adam sandler too, until I saw ‘Click’. I agree with the hype thing; and the cgi-takes-over-the-world thing – although I have to say the LOTRs movies are the exception.
June 14th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I think you would definitely need to include Nic Cage for “Adaptation.” Just a great performance from a terrific actor who rarely shows it. Also, Diane Keaton wasn’t in “American Beauty.” Also, couldn’t agree more about Ryan Gosling in “The Believer.”
June 14th, 2009 at 10:49 am
how come there are no women in this list? interesting though
June 14th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Paddy Considine in Dead Man’s Shoes…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vAk3Og3HLA&feature=related
I cannot recommend this film highly enough.
June 14th, 2009 at 11:01 am
What a great list. The only movie I have seen is Galaxy Quest, and I thought it was a lot of fun. I will see some more of these movies now, plus some recommended in the comments.
I will NEVER EVER watch another Adam Sandler movie!!!!
June 14th, 2009 at 11:58 am
I’m racking my brain–what was Diane Keaton’s role in American Beauty? I don’t remember and can’t find her listed in the credits anywhere. . .
June 14th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
@ac (46): I don’t remember Diane Keaton being in that film – the main female character was Annette Benning.
@Brandon (43): Hopefully we will eventually do a similar list for women
June 14th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
@astraya (2):
MMMMMMMMMMM ROLLS
June 14th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
Diane Keaton’s role in American Beauty is overlooked because she isn’t in it. I think you are thinking of Allison Janney, or Anette Bening.
and #31, Day-Lewis won an Oscar for that role, and Burstyn was nominated for an Oscar for hers. How are these lesser-known roles?
One role I would have added here would be Mark Wahlberg for Boogie Nights.
June 14th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
jfrater and gremlinmiller: That’s what I was thinking–Annette Bening or Allison Janney in American Beauty.
June 14th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
i love spun! it was a very interesting movie. billy corgan from the smashing pumpkins did the music for the movie. it was great.
June 14th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
It kills me that Sandler has gone back to generic comedy movies. “Punch Drunk Love” was amazing, and Ebert nailed it by saying his performance was like early-Hopper.
June 14th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Two minor roles that were worthy of the highest acclaim:
*Keith David as “King” in Platoon – a great minor role in a film filled with fine supporting acting
*Don Cheadle as “Mouse” in Devil in a Blue Dress. Dripping evil, Cheadle’s part was worthy (but sadly overlooked) of an Oscar.
June 14th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I’m really not surprised to read that Jason Schwartzman is related to Nick Cage- he looks like his cuter little brother. Thanks for the list- now I’ve got to see these movies, because I love me some Sam Rockwell and Robert Downey, Jr.
June 14th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Ok humor here, my dyslexic brain was thinking this was about Tour de France performers. My observant brain said, “Hey something is not right here, these are actors!”
However the pictures are really great, and that was fun.
I like the comments too. No wonder this post was on the opening page when I logged into my WP account.
Now, where did I put my bicycle, I mean my bifocals…
June 14th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
Some good examples of women who could’ve easily been included in this list.
Madeline Kahn – Blazing Saddles or Young Frankenstein
Emily Watson – Red Dragon
Miranda Otto – LotR Trilogy
Juliette Lewis – Kalifornia
Beverly D’Angelo – American History X
Julianne Moore – The Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio
Parker Posey or Catherine O’Hara for any of Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries.
Kirsten Dunst – Interview with the Vampire
Thora Birch – Ghost World
Patricia Clarkson – The Station Agent
Erykah Badu – The Cider House Rules
Sissy Spacek – The Straight Story
Ellen Page – An American Crime and Hard Candy
Emily Perkins – Ginger Snaps
Ruth Gordon – Harold and Maude
Julie Hagerty – Airplane!
Cher – Mask
Laura Linney – The Squid and the Whale
Alfre Woodard – Passion Fish
I am sure there are a million more, but that’s all I have time to think of right now.
June 14th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Whoever mentioned Colin Farrell (sp?) in “In Bruges”… kudos. That movie is incredibly funny in a very strange, twisted sort of way. My favorite line is… well. I don’t remember the line, but it’s when Ken jumps of the tower, then says something like “Take my gun”. The gun has broken apart from the impact of Ken’s body hitting the ground, and Ray sits there for a second with a look of disbelief. Yeah… couldn’t find the actual quote on IMDB, but if I did, you’d know what I was talking about.
June 14th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
Damn… sorry to double post, but I’m very particular about typos and misspelling, and since there is no edit button, I will announce this: OFF. There. Fixed. OCD? Maybe.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:21 pm
9 jfrater: RE roles not rolls
Pobody’s nerfect.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
16 Beki710
June 14th, 2009 at 3:50 am
“Leonardo di Caprio should be on this for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? Amazing film, don’t think I’ve ever seen him act so well. I hate pretty much all his other films. Good list!”
I liked “This Boy’s Life.” He was pretty good in that.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
19 Shurnui: Patrick Stewart clip
ROTFLMAO!!!! Oh that was FUNNY!
God, I love Patrick Stewart. I bet working on Next Gen was FUN.
June 14th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
RE: #58. Yeah that’s a little twisted. That part was horribly disgusting.
June 14th, 2009 at 11:02 pm
Al Pacino was great in The Panic in Needle Park
I thought the movie was great. One of those lesser known underrated movies.
Raul Julia and Paul Sorvino also had parts in the movie.
June 15th, 2009 at 1:08 am
@merrychristmascharliemanson (58):
I’m not a Colin Farrel fan but “In Bruges” was really spectacular. I didn’t even consider it a weak point that I guessed what the end would be.
BTW list writer, maybe you didn’t hear but they’re letting women and even minorities act in movies now! It’s kind of a new trend in Hollywood.
It gets a little tiring seeing yet another “10 white guys do something” type list that doesn’t reference the fact. If it’s going to be all male, at least call it that so it leaves the door open for an all female list.
June 15th, 2009 at 2:19 am
I’ll follow on a little bit from sarsmi – Farrel was tremendous in ‘In Bruges’. Also, I’d develop the next point – not a lot of ‘international’ actors or women. Here are a few performances that I’d rate as good as anything ever seen in Hollywood.
Klaus Maria Brandauer – Mephisto
Meiko Harada – Ran (as Lady Kaede a kind of Lady Macbeth figure)
Lee Young Ae – Sympathy for Lady Vengeance
Isabel Adjani – One Deadly Summer
Choi Min Sik – Oldboy
June 15th, 2009 at 3:59 am
WOW! I didn’t expect Adam Sandler!
June 15th, 2009 at 4:46 am
Interesting list but I hated “Playing By Heart”. It’s got a terrific cast (kinda why I went to see it) but I thought that it was terribly written and directed. It’s one of the only films I’ve ever walked out of.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:48 am
I have only seen a very small part of “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”, but it was riveting…to say the least. Sam Rockwell has always been one of my favorite actors. First noticed him in “A Midsummer nights Dream” as Francis Flute. Then of course in Charlie’s Angels. Which I know wasn’t the greatest but Rockwell did a wonderful job, then another wonderfully quirky job in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide…”.
Jason Schwartzman is a very good and FUNNY actor. Great List will have to check out some of these.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:59 am
Good list, nice that you’ve picked up on these films.
I still can’t stand Darth Vader.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:12 am
The role by Seth Green in Party Monster is crap, the whole movie sucks. The only inspired part is Caulkin’s freestyle rap.
Darth Homo sucked in Broken Glass, he just sucked to a lesser degree than he usually does so it looks like he’s an acting superstar compared to his usual self. Broken Glass is very overrated.
June 15th, 2009 at 8:25 am
Jim Carrey – Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
June 15th, 2009 at 8:34 am
This was my first list, so thanks for the suggestions. It’ll help if/when I post another one!
Sorry for the rolls (I almost expected a Rick Roll reference or two in the comments) and the Broken Glass instead of Shattered Glass. My mistake(s).
June 15th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Chiwetel Ejiofor in Serenity as the The Operative. I was really cheering for me since he did not play the evil, just as a man on a quest and our heroes seemed to be in the vay. Also a nice and beilevable turn.
June 15th, 2009 at 11:12 am
My Sam Rockwell moment was from the movie “The Green Mile”.
Such an excellent portrayal of guttertrash mentality.
June 15th, 2009 at 11:41 am
Haha, a co-worker of mine, who’s main job is being an actor, was in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, he was the Bachelor with the frizzy hair (name in the credits). I think he has one line. I still haven’t seen it yet!
June 15th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
***Shattered Glass
ooops
June 15th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
ugh now i have to rent all of these CURSE YOU LISTVERSE!!!! oh well…
great list btw
June 15th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Great list, though I personally didn’t really like spun… though I watched it with my father, his gf, my brother and his 15yr old gf lol.
I agree with “Guy Pierce – Memento” though. Also ‘The life of David Gale’ is a fantastic movie with Kate Winslet, Kevin Spacey and Laura Linney.
June 15th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Sam Rockwell OWNED “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”.One of my all time FAVORITE movies and EASILY one of the most brilliant performances by Sam.Why are we not seeing MORE from this guy???
June 15th, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Okay, uh, most of you are naming very well known performance from very well known movies.
I’ll go ahead and echo In Bruges and Dead Man’s Shoes. Great movies with great performances from Farrell and Considine, respectively.
I’ll add Joseph Gordon-Levitt in The Lookout, Mysterious Skin, or Brick. Take your pick.
June 15th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
Daniel Day Lewis – In The Name Of Our Father?
June 15th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Jack Black in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer
June 15th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
This list is too arcane to be interesting.
June 15th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Interesting list.
I’ve often noticed a lot of otherwse big-box office actors who get a brief opportunity to really act, but otherwise play the same character over and over in different settings.
Examples: Will Smith: Best acting so far: I Am Legend.
Billy Bob Thornton: Sling Blade.
Robert Duvall…er…actually anything he ever does.
Sean Connery: The Rock.
Sylvester Stallone: Copland, where he took a apy cut just to take on the role.
Then there are the series acotrs that for one brief moment blow you away: Omar Epps, in the episode where he was dying.
June 15th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Did anyone glancing over the title quickly read Tour de France? Haha, now that would be a terrible list (to me anyway).
June 16th, 2009 at 11:01 am
What about Val Kilmer in Tombstone? He was utterly brilliant.
June 16th, 2009 at 11:05 am
#87- The Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday role was very well known and made him even a bigger star. It gave him more credibility as an actor. This is list is for the lesser known roles for the big stars.
June 16th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
I bought Punch Drunk Love for the girlfriend, due to her love of Adam Sandler. She hated it.
June 16th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Sean Connery best role(in my opinion) was The Untouchables. I’m not even a Sean Connery fan.
June 17th, 2009 at 6:58 am
Heath Ledger – Two Hands, though not sure how available it is outside of Australia
June 17th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Donna, I cosign, Two Hands is great.
But to the author of this list… Really?
Spun is complete garbage, so is Party Monster. These are two terribly acted, terribly written, contrived, wanna-be indie/art-house flicks. So I can only assume the same of Two Days, Broken Glass, etc. Given the source.
In your defense, Love, Liza is often overlooked.
June 17th, 2009 at 9:23 am
I had forgotten how much people on the internet like to state their opinions as fact — I’ll have to remember that next time!
Thanks for the critique, folks. I hope those of you who rent some of these movies will grow to love them as much as I do.
June 17th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
you’re the one who published the list, sammy.
June 18th, 2009 at 3:02 am
Jay Poe(88)This is list is for the lesser known roles for the big stars.
Sorry but half of those on the list do not make my criteria for *big* stars, or even little ones.
I would second (4th?) In Bruges. Another that would qualify is Christian Bale in The Machinist. And for those outside Australia Eric Bana in Chopper.
BTW no rolls
for Keanu or the scientoligist 
Cheers
Lee
June 18th, 2009 at 7:52 am
No offense to you, sammysunset, but NONE of these performances rank as “tour-de-force”. To list Robert Downey Jr’s performance in “The Singing Detective” as “tour-de-force”, and fail to mention Michael Gambon’s performance in the same role in the BBC miniseries is a travesty; Gambon’s performance is far superior and worthy of a tour-de-force recognition.
I recommend you broaden your scope; you’re focusing too much on relatively well-known actors. Anyone who studies and loves film will no doubt point to Maria Falconetti’s performance in “The Passion of Joan of Arc” – which is a stunning performance considering it’s a silent film – as a true example of what a “tour-de-force” performance really is.
The performances you list are good roles performed by good actors, but certainly not “tour-de-force”.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:21 am
No offense taken.
Seeing as though this is a social website, I feel my decision to feature a list of actors that average viewer will recognize, in moves that the average person may *not* recognize was appropriate.
I could cater to the hundreds of true film aficionados and have a list that the average person would scroll through and say, “I don’t know any of these. Oh, well… next list!” or I could cater to the other hundreds of thousands (millions?) and have someone say, “Wow… my favorite actor is in a movie I’ve never seen? Netflix!”
It seems your scope is quite broad, though. Maybe you should post a list of, “10 more *unknown* Tour-de-Force Performances”.
I would, however, recommend that you use a word other than Tour-de-Force. It seems the average person doesn’t like that phrase as much as I do.
June 18th, 2009 at 9:42 am
@sammysunset (97): I respect the fact that throughout this list of comments you have not been swayed by the masses to recant your original list.
I do not think that has been true of some of the other list submitters here.
June 18th, 2009 at 10:15 am
>>80 BlueCadet>>
How did I not notice this question before??
If you like Sam Rockwell in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, then check out Moon:
This movie was quite literally written as a vehicle for his acting talent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_(film)
Just thought I’d throw this out there
June 18th, 2009 at 10:20 am
@Chuck717 (85): You’re referring to the episode of ER where Omar Epp’s character died in the first season? Right there with you. Some amazing acting work there.
Shoot, I really shoulda put Noah Wyle’s role in Pirates of Silicon Valley on here.
Alright, alright, I’ll stop commenting on my own list. I just like to reply to people’s comments!
June 19th, 2009 at 9:58 am
@ac (46): Oops. Yes, I meant Annette Benning. People don’t look at her role in that as much as Kevin Spacey’s but she plays her part to perfection. The scene in the house she is trying to sell when the day is over and nobody has bitten is incredible. You really believe that her whole life is dependent upon making a sale.
June 19th, 2009 at 10:05 am
@uscbadfish (89): That’s a shame. It really is a wonderful movie and seeing Adam Sandler doing something besides comedy is refreshing.
June 19th, 2009 at 10:07 am
@sammysunset (99): I can’t wait to see this. Unfortunately its only limited release at the moment but it looks amazing.
June 19th, 2009 at 10:37 pm
Great list. Playing By Heart was such a fantastic movie. You have reminded me that I need to find that on DVD
I’d like to nominate Allison Janney from Juno and Dan Hedeya in Marvin’s Room too.
June 21st, 2009 at 6:09 am
danny huston in ivans xtc, laura linney and mark ruffalo in you can count on me, tom noonan in manhunter, phil daniels in meantime
June 21st, 2009 at 7:10 pm
What about Sean Connery in Zardoz? Yummy, running around with long hair and a loincloth. . .
Bill Paxton is an actor I’ve been seeing in many small movie roles. He, the muscular woman and the artificial man from “Aliens” were in a great B-movie about vampires, “Near Dark”. The artificial guy was in the “PunkinHead” movies as well, and the woman was in “The Citidel with Sean Connery again..
As you can tell, I’m not too good with names, but I sure remember the actors.
June 22nd, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Playing By Heart is one of my all time favorite movies. And Sean Connery’s not the only big name with a lesser known role in it, check out Angelina Jolie, Gillian Anderson and Ryan Phillipe, just to name a few. Awesome list, so glad you included this movie!
June 22nd, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Party Monster is a great movie!! I watched it a couple of times before I bought it, whenever we have a movie night and someone hasn’t seen it, it has to go on!
I agree with the writer, Seth Green definatly steals the show from MC.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:55 am
I’ve picked up 2 Days at the video store maybe 10 times and still haven’t seen it. I think you have me convinced, though!
Can anyone tell me how violent The Singing Detective is?
July 24th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
2 Days – BORING
August 9th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Hi! I’m looking for some news about Annette Bening?
January 28th, 2010 at 8:19 am
OK. This was already mentioned but hasn’t been acted upon yet. Number 8 should be SHATTERED GLASS, not Broken Glass.