Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon.
Orson Welles in The Third Man
Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack
Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood
Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds
Samuel Jackson in Pulp Fiction
Gary Oldman in Leon (and pretty much anything else he’s ever done)
Heath Ledger in Dark Knight
Orson Welles in anything.
In The Third Man, he doesn’t appear until a third away through the movie, and can’t be on screen more than about 15% of the time. This may be the only example of a film dominated by the performance of an actor who doesn’t appear in much of it.
A year or two ago I saw A Man For All Seasons. The only part of it I remember is Welles, who was in it for about five minutes.
Knightoffaith pretty much covered every single performance I was going to mention.
There are always discussions about lead performers carrying a film and supporting characters coming in blowing everyone away then heading home for a glass of wine.
I’m not totally in love with Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood, but he WAS the film.
Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross is another performance that is dominating. When the film’s over what do you remember, well all the cussing (brilliant, brilliant, brilliant use of profanity) and Baldwin setting the tone.
For me, often the most outstanding performances are ones that take place in weak films. For instance, James Woods in John Carpenter’s Vampires (a film that I greatly enjoy but fully realize it’s many many flaws) or Warren Beatty in Bulworth (perhaps I’ll have to see the film again, because I have a few friends that are huge fans of the film, but as it stands now, I think it’s a pretty flawed film), those are performances that really transcend the quality of the material based on the performance of the lead actors alone. Also, I must add (since I’ve been uncharacteristically discussing Burton’s Batman films a lot lately, heh) Michael Keaton’s role as Batman in the first two Burton films is WONDERFUL. I’m a huge Keaton fan and regard him as a very underrated actor, but his portrayal as Batman is, personally, my favourite of all the Batman films.
I would also agree with the previous mentioning of Orson Welles … in ANYTHING. He’s a man that I greatly admire both in his directing as well as his acting (in general, in his sensibility) and it’s always a treat to see him act.
Daniel Day Lewis is another good example. I would also add John Huston to the mix (the mention of Day Lewis made me think of Huston actually, heh). AND Alec Baldwin. I know the Baldwin brothers get a lot of flack (as well they should), but Alec is the exception for me. He can make a TERRIBLE film like The Shadow kind of work … in a vague way.
Daniel Day Lewis as Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York.
The film would have simply been kind of a muddled mess had it not been for his mesmerizing performance.
I also have to mention Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men. As good as the rest of the film was, he dominated every scene he was in.
I think it would be safe to say Daniel Day Lewis in any of his movies. lol
This is an over-used example, but Renée Falconetti in La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc. She really does dominate the film with such a powerful performance, and such minimal distraction from her face. So many shots are close-ups, which exhibits her incredible ability to demand the viewer’s sympathy, and we absorb her emotions of both despair, but re-ensuring faith. It’s really an incredible performance.
I also admire Jana Brejchová and Jan Kačer in Courage for Every Day. Their relationship and comfortability with each other in the film is so natural, equivocally so in Scenes from a Marriage, with Liv Ullman and Erland Josephson, though that relationship is so much more flamboyant and demanding of powerful expression. Either way, Brejchová’s subtle performance, and Liv’s emotional performance are equally heartfelt and fitting for their respective roles.
Other performances, perhaps, are Mohsen Makhmalbad in Close-Up, Harriet Andersson in Summer with Monika, and Delphine Seyrig in Jeanne Dielman.
Is it said often that the eyes are a real test to how good a performance is, the times when there is no dialogue, obviously Falconetti is proof of this, her eyes tell us so much, and she never went over the top as seen in many, many, many silent film performances.
Another great example of the eyes working in the performace is Al Pacino in the Godfather, the scene when he has to kill Sollozzo and McCluskey.
And a good example of great non-verbal acting is Gene Hackman in the Conversation.
Michael Gazzo as Frank Pentangela (Frankie Five Angels) in Godfather I and II
dominates much of his time, most decidedly in the second film.
Claude Rains owns Casablanca, for my money.
I never tire of watching Ava Gardner take full charge of Night of the Iguana.
More actors today should study that trick.
I like most of what James Dean does in Giant, and much of what counts
in Giant is done by James Dean.
George Kennedy as Dragline simply takes over huge portions of Cool Hand Luke.
Jack Palance does a similar thing in the under-appreciated and under-seen Panic in the Streets.
Ruth Gordon owns half of Rosemary’s Baby. John Cassavetes owns the other half.
Burl Ives is Big Daddy in more ways than one in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Who’s in Blue Velvet, besides Dennis Hopper?
And who is in Lolita, besides Peter Sellers?
Robert Walker Jr. is to Strangers on a Train as Dennis Hopper is to Blue Velvet.
Christopher Lee’s Lord Summerisle makes The Wicker Man a timeless cult item.
Tommy Lee Jones’s role in The Fugitive is what I remember most, and like best, about that film.
He has the only memorable line. ( “I don’t care”)
You could argue that Anthony Hopkins takes over Silence of the Lambs, but Ted Levine
haunts us long after the credits roll—and with less to work with.
Was anyone having more fun than Amanda Donahoe in Lair of the White Worm?
Dean Stockwell, in Blue Velvet! He steals the show! “So fuckin’ suave.”
Lots of good ones already listed… how about Nicolas Cage in VAMPIRE’S KISS?
Ah, Ulicain you reminded me … (my inherent, unconscious male chauvinism deceives me … how’s THAT for insight into the male psyche? anyway …) I completely neglected those of the female persuasion: Anna Karina in Vivre sa Vie (not to neglect her other wonderful performances, but this is the one closest to my heart) is such a noteworthy performance that I tend to forget about all her other impressive work.
Also, Monica Vitti excels in practically everything I’ve seen her in and particularly (and, I admit, predictably) in Antonioni’s works, specifically The Red Desert (my favourite Antonioni film) and L’Eclipse (a close second); an actress able to simply recite dialogue with a minimal amount of shown emotion and is STILL able to convey the required emotion. It’s quite impressive.
Someone mentioned Liv Ullmann, which is also a very versatile and expressive actress, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. She is an actress which is able to recite very minimal dialogue such as the opening sequence of Hour of the Wolf or the ending recitation in Shame (and to cheat a little bit, her contribution to a somewhat “lesser” Bergman film, The Serpent’s Egg really makes a flawed film go down a little easier).
Granted, I know the previously three mentioned actresses are common citations for “exemplary female performances” but I have to conform – they’re THAT good and deserve every positive thing said about them.
Back to the male contributions: Kurt Russell is one which I continuously praise (in this forum and otherwise) chiefly for his ability to convey emotion with only his eyes (he is an actor which is, at times, deprived of dialogue for the sake of his recognizable mannerisms/face) such as carrying a film as ludicrous as Vanilla Sky and able to deliver a completely deplorable and obvious line as, “I’m real. I’m… I’m… mortality as home entertainment? THIS CANNOT BE THE FUTURE. Can it? CAN IT?” … he can and, somehow, with aplomb.
Obviously George C. Scott in Patton is an example of an actor owning a film, it could have stopped after the opening monologue, been called a short film and been an amazing performance.
This is a bit silly, but Dirk Bogarde’s presence in Modesty Blaise, let’s just say, elevated the film to new level, for me :)
Kirk Douglas in Paths of Glory
Ya know, Alec Guinness in Star Wars, he had the screen whether he liked it or not, “‘What I didn’t tell Lucas was that I just couldn’t go on speaking those bloody awful, banal lines. I’d had enough of the mumbo jumbo.’ He went on to say that he ‘shriveled up’ every time Star Wars was mentioned to him.”
Michael Douglas as Gordon Gecko in Wall Street.
It’s a pretty mediocre film otherwise but Douglas’ Gecko is so damn memorable and even likable at times that it propels the entire film upwards.
Everyone else in it was horrendous though.
I wonder is sometimes so many good performances seem great and one of a kind because those acting around them are just not up to par?
No one could hold Guiness’ jock on Star Wars, only Terrence Stamp could deal with Douglas but he really didn’t have a chance to, Paul Dano was in WWWWAAAAAYYYYY over his head in There Will Be Blood, etc, etc.
The thing about Star Wars is that James Earl Jones presence was an integral part of the trilogy as well. I think he was easily an equal for Guinness.
I’ll agree with that
My belief is that the top-billed actor is supposed to dominate the screen.
Following are instances where another individual held sway (in my mind) while front and centre, regardless of their length of screen appearance:
George C. Scott – Dr. Strangelove
Judi Dench – Shakespeare in Love
Scarlett Johansson – The Man who wasn’t There
J.K. Simmons – Spiderman
Bob Gunton – Shawshank Redemption (The Warden)
Eli Wallach – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
Humphrey Bogart – Petrified Forest
Tommy Lee Jones – Coal Miner’s Daughter
+ just about everyone mentioned earlier
+ many, many more
Lot’s of talented people in this industry
Brando was very good at taking over a movie
as was Jimmy Durante and Rodney Dangerfield.
Another modern example
Michael Shannon – Revolutionary Road
and older examples -
David Thewlis – Naked (omg)
Nick Cage – Leaving Las Vegas
Evan Rachel Wood – Thirteen
Aaron Eckhart – in the company of men
Bruce Greenwood – Exotica
Terrence Stamp – The Hit
and a performance among the best but in no way “takes over” the film.
Naomi Watts in the “untakeoverable” Mulholland Dr.
Tom Hanks in Cast Away
Joe Pesci in GOODFELLAS
Kim Stanley in SEANCE ON A WET AFTERNOON
Henry Gibson in NASHVILLE
Eileen Heckart in THE BAD SEED
Alan Arkin in WAIT UNTIL DARK and THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER
Zbigniev Cybulski in ASHES AND DIAMONDS
Bruce Davison in LONGTIME COMPANION
Geraldine Page in INTERIORS and THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE
I always felt that John Malkovich’s performance in “Dangerous Liasons” was the force of energy that propelled that movie. Glenn Close and Michelle Pfeiffer got the recognition but he was at the heart of the action throughout the film and was the wittiest element. Even more so than Close, he enjoyed himself so much. Close’s character forced her to to be passively intimidating (which made her losing control at the end that much more effective), and she gives a good performance throughout, but Close isn’t very sexy.
Malkovich brings such weirdness to a movie, and yet he is also human. It made him even more touching at the end.
Uli³Cain
I’m not saying best performances, or your favorite performances, but performances that just took over the screen any time the actor/actress was on.
For me-
James Woods in Nixon was dominating when on screen, others paled in the short time he was acting.
Miranda Richardson in Dance with A Stranger owned the screen in the last half of the film.