By far the best work of a screen actor's life

Alec Baldwin, Glengarry Glen Ross.

I'm going to have to take some time on Paul Newman (The Verdict? Nobody's Fool? Something from his younger days?) and Ed Harris (damn good in just about everything he does).

 

Brad Pitt was great in True Romance, as Michael Rappaport's pothead roommate.

Nice call on Alec Baldwin/Glengarry Glen Ross, although I thought he was also very good in Malice.

I can't stand Ben Affleck, but he was very good in Good Will Hunting.

 

Tim Robbins in Shawshank.

 

Paul Newman has done enough good stuff where he probably shouldn't qualify for this category. Cool Hand Luke immediately jumps to mind ...

I've always liked Straithairn, and it didn't occur to me until this thread that he's never really been in a lead role. Good Night and Good Luck is definitely his best leading part.

And with respect, David Spade's best work was in the Emperor's New Groove. Hilarious.

Michael Clarke Duncan has been in several other films, but the Green Mile was clearly his best.

Here's a thought, and I'm undecided on it: Sean Connery in The Untouchables.

Oh, and both Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in Good Will Hunting, though more for Affleck than Damon.

No love for Nuke Laloosh?

 

He threw like a girl.

 

From what I hear, he couldn't hit the water if he fell out of a fucking boat.

 

To be fair, David Straithairn has had excellent supporting performances in three of my favorite movies: "Eight Men Out" (naturally), "L.A. Confidential" and "The Firm." He's a wonderful actor, and long overdue for the leading role that he got in "Good Night/Luck."

And Matt Damon's performances in the Jason Bourne movies have been the most top-notch, for my money. But he's good in almost everything he's in, starting, of course, with "Good Will Hunting." Can't say the same for his buddy Ben, whose best performance was either GWH or, possibly, "Dogma."

Oh, and here's another one to throw out: Donald Sutherland in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, no, seriously, "The Great Train Robbery" (with Connery. Very underrated movie.)

 

Mark Whalberg and Burt Reynolds in "Boogie Nights". Of course, Whalberg was basically playing himself...a dumb, likeable good-looking guy. But Reynolds was sleepwalking through every part he played for 20+ years.

 

What, you don't think Mark Hamill does great work as the cartoon voice of the Joker? That's pretty much all the work Luke Skywalker has gotten for a long time, providing the high-pitched, crazy villain voices.

 

Hamill was such a cockknocker in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back ....

 

Robert Forster in "Jackie Brown"

 

Ed Norton - American History X