The 411 Top 5 01.18.08: Week 96

Posted by Trevor Snyder on 01.18.2008

The Top 5 Most Improved Actors

Because we here at 411 like to reward improvement, and those who work hard to show it, this week we're paying tribute to those thespians who have made a point to better their skills throughout their careers, with a look at:

THE TOP 5 MOST IMPROVED ACTORS



Trevor Snyder

5. George Clooney

I dont think Clooney was ever a slouch in the acting department, but there's a big difference between the Clooney of today and the man who starred on ER. His first few big feature roles were decent, if somewhat unremarkable (I mean, I love From Dusk Till Dawn, but not necessarily for the acting), but it probably wasn't till O Brother Where Art Thou that we really started to see what he was capable of. Sure, since then, he has periodically rested on the same laid-back, cool style that some might say comes a little too easy for him (as in the Ocean films), but even there he's pulling off something that not many other actors can. Meanwhile, he's also continued to chalk up some very impressive performances in films like Syriana and Michael Clayton. Not bad for a guy who used to just be NBC's resident heart-throb.

4. Bill Murray

It's not unusual for comedians to adapt well to the world of drama (Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, etc.), but I don't think any have done it in as impressive a manner as Murray. Go ahead, go back and watch his old SNL episodes, or movies like Caddyshack and Ghostbusters. Great stuff, yeah, but you can't tell me you would have originally seen those and expected later work like Rushmore or Lost in Translation. Murray just keeps getting better and better with age - if he lives into his nineties, he might just become some kind of unstoppable acting juggernaut.

3. Ben Foster

Some will argue that it's not Foster's skills that have gotten better, but his choice of roles. Whatever the case, the Ben Foster of today is a far cry from the kid from Flash Forward and Get Over It. Over the last couple years, Foster has been slowly but surely making a rep for himself as one of Hollywood's best new character actors, especially when it comes to creepazopid characters (this year alone, he completely stole the show in both 3:10 to Yuma and 30 Days of Night. Guys like Ryan Gosling and Shia Lebeouf might get all the hype, but the more I think about it, the more I realize Foster is perhaps the most intriguing young gun out there. And if he's improved that much in such a short span of time, imagine how good this guy is gonna be if he's just getting started.

2. Heath Ledger

Heath Ledger will probably be the first person to tell you that he, well, didn't use to be that good. From what I've heard (and I know I've read at least one interview where he pretty much confirmed this), Ledger himself is none too thrilled with his early work in flicks like 10 Things I Hate About You or A Knights Tale. And let's not even discuss Roar, the ultra-moronic fantasy show he starred in. About the time The Order came out, I had all but written the guy off, considering him another of those typical movie pretty-boys who never justifies their hype. Then I saw The Brothers Grimm, and was actually pretty impressed with Ledger's comedic performance. But of course, the real watershed moment was Brokeback Mountain, which was notable not only for how amazing his perrformance was (and it was), but also for how brave it was for him to do it in the first place. And now, anyone who has seen the Dark Knight trailer knows that Ledger is soon to be unleashing a classic film villain upon us with his interpretation of The Joker (no less an expert than Michael Caine has said that Ledger's performance is one of the best he's ever seen). Ledger is proof that you can never really write off anyone just based on a few early pieces of work.

1. Tom Cruise

For a long time, Tom Cruise did very well for himself playing the same character over and over. You know the one I'm talking about. The arrogant, cocky, sarcastic, always grinning guy. True enough, there were a few impressive deviations here and there (A Few Good Men, Born on the Fourth of July), but for the most part I was pretty convinced that Tom Cruise had become a mega-star but continously playing Tom Cruise. And then, something happened. You might trace it to when he appeared in Magnolia (many people do), but whatever the case, it's obvious that at a certain point in his career, Cruise got a little more interested in complex characters, and actually busting his ass to deserve those roles. His work in Vanilla Sky, Minority Report, The Last Samurai, and Collateral is not at all what you would expect from the guy who once made a movie about a super-cool bartender. Even more impressive is that Cruise has been able to mesh these high-quality performances into the kind of mainstream commercial projects he was always known for - his work in War of the Worlds and Mission: Impossible III is far better than you usually get in blockbusters of that kind. Of course, the great irony of Cruise is that as his acting has gotten better, his public persona has gotten stranger, and nowadays a lot of people like to just write him off and ignore his films. It's their loss; they're missing some great stuff.



Owain J. Brimfield

5. Robert Downey Jr.

I guess this one is more of a "most improved personal life" rather than a "most improved actor", but it's thanks to this that we've seen a few classic Downey performances (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Zodiac) that wouldn't otherwise have been seen. Downey has always been a talented performer (Chaplin was probably his most notable breakthrough, but for my money he was almost as good in Less Than Zero), but unfortunately his drug problems in the late 90s threatened to derail his career, and led him to star in such forgettable material as One Night Stand. Thankfully, since kicking his addictions his work has improved exponentially since his turn of the century performances, which is why he's getting included here.

4. Keira Knightley

Since spending the early part of her career with bland performances in the likes of The Hole and Domino, Knightley has upped her game to the point where her last few roles in Pride and Prejudice and Atonement have not only gained the attention of the Golden Globes and Oscar, but have actually proven to be surprisingly multi-faceted. Having already been and done the whole 'blockbuster' thing know that Pirates of the Caribbean is out of the way, Knightley seems to have turned her attention to characters that require a fair amount of skill to portray, and her choices (and performances) have been amply rewarded both critically and commerically.

3. Heath Ledger

Not that Ledger was ever really a bad actor you understand - but his roles in the likes of 10 Things I Hate About You and Ned Kelly were largely forgettable, compared to his astonishing performance in Brokeback Mountain and the tantalizing insanity of the upcoming The Dark Knight. When an actor of the caliber of Sir Michael Caine praises your performance as one of the scariest he's ever seen, you know you're doing something right. It really is worth watching, say, A Knight's Tale immediately prior to Brokeback just to witness the seismic shift in Ledger's performances.

2. Bill Murray

Controversial? Maybe, but this is "most improved actors", not "most improved comedians" so I think I'm safe in saying that Murray's tragic roles in Lost in Translation and Broken Flowers in recent years far eclipse any dramatic work he's done in the past, regardless of how hilarious he was in Caddyshack. Murray has aged with grace and dignity and lends both those traits to his more recent roles, and his losing out on the Best Actor Oscar to Seany Penn in '03 is still a mistake by the Academy in my book. If Murray can keep his current roll up there's a few more classics left in him yet.

1. Jim Carrey

Let's face it - if in 1994 someone would have said that the rubber-faced twat from Dumb and Dumber would ten years later turn in one of the best dramatic performances of the year (see: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), I doubt many people could have kept a straight face. Not many actors have transitioned from out-and-out slapstick comedy to straight-laced drama with as much success as Carrey, and for every misstep (Bruce Almighty) there's the counter that his roles in Eternal Sunshine, and some years earlier in The Truman Show, are so wonderful that you can cast off any doubt about his dramatic chops. If the upcoming Yes Man turns out to be as good as Danny Wallace's book, we should have further confirmation that Jim Carrey is one of the most improved actors currently working.



Bryan Kristopowitz

HONORABLE MENTIONS

- Chris Rock: Rock's performance in his recent starring/directing effort I Think I Love My Wife I think is proof enough that Rock isn't just a stand up comedian. For whatever reason, after New Jack City, Rock didn't do anything of note (besides CB-4, which is a classic) and the fourth Lethal Weapon movie. But he was just a "guest star" there at best. Now, after ITILMW it's obvious that he can act, and now the sky's the limit.

- Tyne Daly: The first time I remember seeing Tyne Daly is in the third Dirty Harry movie, The Enforcer. She played Clint Eastwood's new, rookie female partner. While she was good and had chemistry with Eastwood, it wasn't what you would call a break out performance. She eventually settled into the plum role as one of the leads on Cagney and Lacey. And again, she was good, but not great. In the late 1990's, after moving around doing this and that, she co-starred with Amy Brenneman on Judging Amy, playing Brenneman's mother. Brenneman was the listed star, but Daly was the real star. She was amazing. She's still amazing. She's been gone from television for three years, and it's a shame, because she's now at the point of her career where she can carry a show. Why the heck hasn't Lifetime come calling?

- Ice-T: Ice-T got his big acting break in Mario van Peebles' New Jack City, which for whatever reason everyone has forgotten. And he was great. But it didn't exactly put him on the A-list. He fumbled around in the B-movie world (he was doing good work but it was all basically ignored), with his best movie probably Surviving the Game. He eventually got a part on Law & Order: SVU, as Detective Finn Tutuola, and it's here that Ice-T has become a "Real" actor. Because he's had to do dang near everything on the show. Heavy drama, tough guy stuff, action, shooting, etc. He should have his pick of parts now. He is that good.

THE TOP 5

5. Jason Statham

He got his start in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, in a supporting role, and up until The Transporter that's pretty much all he did. Supporting stuff. But then after The Transporter, he was given more movies to carry all by himself. Yes, he still did the odd supporting part (Cellular, The Italian Job), but Statham was a guy a director could count on as the lead. And he's still running with that designation. Even "bad" movies like In the Name of the King automatically become elevated because of his presence. Again, he's a guy a director can count on.

4. Milla Jovovich

Look at her from The Fifth Element to the recent Resident Evil: Extinction. She's still able to do the butt kicking action babe stuff, very little of that has changed. What has changed is how confident she is doing everything else in those movies. Jovovich has always been an underrated dramatic and comedic actor (look at that piece of garbage Million Dollar Hotel and the great Zoolander for her range), and she's slowly been integrating all of that stuff into the quiet moments of her action roles. Watch Ultraviolet. If she was a terrible actor, that movie would be unwatchable. She's the only reason to keep watching. Her sheer ability is what keeps the flick afloat. That's hard to pull off if you stink.

3. Kevin James

Up until his big supporting role with Will Smith in Hitch, James was probably best known as either Doug Heffernan from King of Queens or as Ray Ramano's best buddy. But after Hitch, James could do anything he wanted to. So he did I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry with Adam Sandler and played the straight man (ha!) to Sandler's funny guy. He went from playing a fool as Heffernan to a hilarious sidekick in Hitch to the guy that has to hold up Adam Sandler and be serious and kind of funny at the same time. Did anyone see James doing that when KOQ started back in 1998? I know I didn't.

2. Dennis Haysbert

Big Dennis Haysbert probably got his biggest break as the President of the United States on 24, although I'm willing to bet that most people remember him more as Pedro Cerrano in the Major League"movies. At least when you know that Pedro Cerrano is Dennis Haysbert. Because up until about two years ago I didn't "know" that, I didn't, for whatever reason, make the connection. And now he's the lead on the great CBS action show The Unit. He's getting better parts, he's able to show off more of his charisma and ability, he's now the man. He survived Major League III.

1. Josh Brolin

I don't think it's wrong to say that 2007 was the year of Josh Brolin. The man was everywhere. This was Mikey's brother Brand, one of the guys on the old western show The Young Riders. Now he was the guy everyone seemed to be going to for supporting parts that ended up being the movie show stealers. Where the heck did he come from? It's not like he really disappeared for a decade or two and then just showed up in the last two years. Anyone remember Mister Sterling? So now we'll see if the awards start rolling in. They should. Because now he's a real star.



Ron Martin

5. Will Smith

I almost hate to include Will in this category since he started taking himself too seriously and is now overacting like his good buddy, Tom Cruise. However, I recently watched and episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on Nick at Nite and this man has come a long way. Not that Fresh Prince was terrible, but Will was getting by on slapstick situations and charisma back then. I don't know that Will can put on an honest to goodness great performance anymore as he's all messed up in the brain muscle, but he had a good run in the mid-90s to mid-2000s.

4. Seth Green

I was a little apprehensive in including Seth as well. Mostly because Seth hasn't ever really flexed his acting muscles. Other than his stint on Buffy, I can't remember anything he's done outside of comedy since he's been of age. Everything he touches though is gold. He's solid in movies like Rat Race and Can't Hardly Wait. He's golden in Family Guy and Robot Chicken. He can do no wrong. This is in stark contrast to his early days in the likes of It and that series of Cha-Ching Rally's commercials. Not that they weren't entertaining and all, but Seth seemed more likely to end up as a Family Guy joke than the 100 or so voices he does for the show. Way to go, Seth. You are an asset for us short people everywhere!

3. David Boreanaz

Looks like I'm going to double dip into the Buffy pool today. You need only watch season One of Buffy to see how far David has come. In that first season, he was raw and barely watchable. It was fun to go through the series and watch him grow as an actor the point where he actually carried his own show. David broke away from Angel for Bones and that's where you can tell that he's the real deal. His depiction of Seeley Booth is excellent. Not only did he grow in the character of Angel over the course of 8 years, but he's now proven he can play other characters as well.

2. Adam Sandler

Let me start by saying that Billy Madison is one of my favorite movies of all time. To this day, it is still my favorite Sandler movie. Let's be honest, though. The movie was made up around sight gags, nonsensical jibberish and the genius that is Brad Whitford – the actor, not the guitar player. Basically, Sandler was playing himself. As Sandler progressed, he produced more of the same movie; Happy Gilmore is Sandler as a golfer. Waterboy is Sandler with a funny accent as a football player. Big Daddy is Sandler with a kid. While all were amusing, Sandler wasn't going to win any awards playing himself. He did have the one moment with The Wedding Singer where you could see maybe the guy could act. Sandler, while still not an A-list, Oscar winning actor, has a much understated approach to acting that is both subtle and effective in the roles he chooses. Check out either Spanglish or Reign Over Me for example of this.

1. Johnny Depp

Okay, Johnny Depp has never been terrible. Even his first acting gig in the first Nightmare on Elm Street was passable for what it was. He wasn't breaking down walls with 21 Jump Street, but he also wasn't turning any heads with his performances. It wasn't until him marriage with Tim Burton and his ability to start picking and choosing his roles that Johnny came into his own. I can't remember the last bad Johnny Depp performance. I know he's been in several bad movies, but that doesn't mean his performance was necessarily bad. In my opinion, Depp has become the best actor in Hollywood. Though it eventually became oversaturated, Depp took what was written as a straight character like Captain Jack Sparrow and turned him into one of the most memorable characters in movie history. Toss in Edward Scissorhands, Gilbert Grape, Ed Wood, Ichabod Crane and vastly underrated performances in the vastly underrated movies; Benny and Joon, Secret Window and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and you have the set up of a Hall of Fame career.

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Next week, we look at the flip-side, with The Top 5 Career Declines.