List: Top 10 Favorite Sean Penn Performances
July 17th 2011 04:32
The first in a series of Top 10 Lists that will center around various character actors with large bodies of work. First up:
Sean Penn is my favorite actor. I’ve seen him in numerous films and narrowing this list down to just ten was terribly difficult. He’s been churning out consistent performances since the 1980’s and is by far the most talented actor working today. Four of his performances are in my Top 6 favorite of all-time.
Here are my personal ten favorite screen performances he’s delivered.
Note: I have not seen I Am Sam (because I have the feeling he'll break my heart completely) and I've still yet to see Sweet and Lowdown (because again, worried about the state of my heart yet I'm not sure that's a valid concern on that one?)
Top 10 Favorite Sean Penn Performances
10. Jim in We’re No Angels
I could have put Fast Time at Ridgemont High in this spot – but I opted for his lesser known comedic performance, which is filled with wit, charm, and pitch-perfect delivery.
9. Brad Whitewood Jr. in At Close Range
Extreme vulnerability, tension, and innocence make up this underrated younger performance.
8. Davidd Kleinfeld in Carlito’s Way
Definitely his most visible transformation. Unrecognizable, playing a character lacking in scruples and completely captivating. He steals scenes from Pacino, easily.
7. Henry 'Hopper' Nash in Racing with the Moon
Another very nice youthful (and once again underrated) performance from him, filled with emotion and a mixture of confidence and uncertainty.
6. Matthew Poncelet in Dead Man Walking
A highly complex and difficult performance, given the character he’s playing and the odd balance between making viewers care for an animal and making them loathe him. I’m not sure any other actor could have pulled this off the way he did.
5. Terry Noonan in State of Grace
A different kind of role for him, one he plays with expert emotions and conviction.
4. Paul Rivers in 21 grams
An understated performance; broken and sad. He plays wonderfully off Naomi Watts, an actresses he’s been in three films with and displays fantastic chemistry each time. He portrays so much with just his body language.
3. Jimmy Markum in Mystic river
Probably one of the best portrayals of grief, angry, and revenge I’ve ever seen. You feel his pain – his pain for a character we barely meet – and you care about it because of how convincing he is. You’re taken into by his performance, his palpable grief, instantaneously.
2. Harvey Milk in Milk
It’s a tour de force, plain and simple. He’s transformed, becoming his character in every way, shape, and form, barely recognizable just by his stance. A remarkable cinematic performance.
1. Samuel J. Bicke in Assassination of Richard Nixon
Penn is vulnerable and eccentric in this role, giving what I find to be his most layered work. Most of the time he’s acting off himself, his own mind and internal, psychological conflicts. This film, and his performance in it, is highly underrated.
Sean Penn is my favorite actor. I’ve seen him in numerous films and narrowing this list down to just ten was terribly difficult. He’s been churning out consistent performances since the 1980’s and is by far the most talented actor working today. Four of his performances are in my Top 6 favorite of all-time.
Here are my personal ten favorite screen performances he’s delivered.
Note: I have not seen I Am Sam (because I have the feeling he'll break my heart completely) and I've still yet to see Sweet and Lowdown (because again, worried about the state of my heart yet I'm not sure that's a valid concern on that one?)
Top 10 Favorite Sean Penn Performances
10. Jim in We’re No Angels
I could have put Fast Time at Ridgemont High in this spot – but I opted for his lesser known comedic performance, which is filled with wit, charm, and pitch-perfect delivery.
9. Brad Whitewood Jr. in At Close Range
Extreme vulnerability, tension, and innocence make up this underrated younger performance.
8. Davidd Kleinfeld in Carlito’s Way
Definitely his most visible transformation. Unrecognizable, playing a character lacking in scruples and completely captivating. He steals scenes from Pacino, easily.
7. Henry 'Hopper' Nash in Racing with the Moon
Another very nice youthful (and once again underrated) performance from him, filled with emotion and a mixture of confidence and uncertainty.
6. Matthew Poncelet in Dead Man Walking
A highly complex and difficult performance, given the character he’s playing and the odd balance between making viewers care for an animal and making them loathe him. I’m not sure any other actor could have pulled this off the way he did.
5. Terry Noonan in State of Grace
A different kind of role for him, one he plays with expert emotions and conviction.
4. Paul Rivers in 21 grams
An understated performance; broken and sad. He plays wonderfully off Naomi Watts, an actresses he’s been in three films with and displays fantastic chemistry each time. He portrays so much with just his body language.
3. Jimmy Markum in Mystic river
Probably one of the best portrayals of grief, angry, and revenge I’ve ever seen. You feel his pain – his pain for a character we barely meet – and you care about it because of how convincing he is. You’re taken into by his performance, his palpable grief, instantaneously.
2. Harvey Milk in Milk
It’s a tour de force, plain and simple. He’s transformed, becoming his character in every way, shape, and form, barely recognizable just by his stance. A remarkable cinematic performance.
1. Samuel J. Bicke in Assassination of Richard Nixon
Penn is vulnerable and eccentric in this role, giving what I find to be his most layered work. Most of the time he’s acting off himself, his own mind and internal, psychological conflicts. This film, and his performance in it, is highly underrated.
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