BEST and WORST Actor in a Role of Ours?

[Alden]

Well, I do so love Zulu, Michael Caine's first film, one of my favorites (where the Zulus should mostly have been firing flint and caplocks, which they had, not "captured" Martini-Henry's (that was a different group of Zulu's at Isandlwana), but never heard of the other movie...

And what's wrong with being a little mercenary anyway?

 

[tenngun]

Reading all of these I am surprised no one mentioned one of the wost I can think of. Richard Chamberlin as Fremont. By the by inluding the WBTS in our time Mitchel wanted the part of Rhet Butler to be played by Grocho Marx "frankly my dear or duck"

 

[Grumpa]

never heard of the other movie...
quote]

It's a freebie on Netflix.

 

[Alden]

Have never been able to sit thru all of Gone With The Wind at one time. Have it. My GF's favorite. I wait five, ten, minutes for Sherman to come burn something and when it doesn't happen I get bored and quit it.

Netflix I don't have either but did order a used copy of The Lost Valley.

 

[Wes/Tex]

You're just a damn yankee, ain'tcha? :blah: :rotf:

 

[Ringel05]

I would be remiss if I did not mention Michael Caine, and "The Last Valley" - set in the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648) in Germany.

Caine is "The Captain" of a group of mercenaries who fight for whichever religion pays them.

Caine has said he considered it his best film.

Though it has been many years, I remember that I enjoyed it enough to see it a few times. I may even look it up, now.

Saw that one quite a while back, loved it, looks like I'm gonna have to watch it again.

 

[Mad Irish Jack]

:td: My worst performance was Lee Horsley in the TV series "Hawkeye-The Last Frontier", in the lead role. Lynda Carter of 'Wonder Woman' fame made the scenery tolerable as the female lead, but was almost as poor. :idunno: This was a 1994-95 one season flop. Probably why many may not have heard of it.
:thumbsup: My best performance was by Jason Isaacs as Colonel William Tavington in "The Patriot". Reason: Late in the film when Benjamin Martin drove the Bayonet into Tavingtons' throat, more than 50% of the theatre patrons stood, cheered, clapped and even high fived one and other.:applause: Crazy!!! This performance receiving this type of audiance hate response was amazing to me and thus has my all-time BEST vote. Everyone I talked to who'd seen the film had a hatefully disdained feeling about his charactor portrayal in the film. :hatsoff:

 

[Captjoel]

There are a few actors that are so, oh so good at playing bad guys that I cannot stand them even in real life! Now that says a lot for their acting abilities! There are two movies that I enjoy a great deal for both the good guy and the bad guy aspects of the tales they tell. First is "The Count of Monte Cristo" starring Jim Caviezel as Edmond Dantes. Guy Pearce as Mondego. Pearce is the man I love to hate! IMO this movie is a must see if you have not yet done so! I believe it is Richard Harris's (A Man Called Horse) last movie. The second movie I also enjoy enough to see again and again is "Les Miserables". There are several versions of this film, but the ONLY one to watch stars Liam Neeson as Valjean. This one is not a musical!! :wink: Valjean's nemesis in this film is Javert played by Geoffrey Rush a French policeman, with the hard a** attitude of once a criminal always a criminal. Even if it was for stealing a mere loaf of bread! It seems like the English actors are really cut out to play bad guy roles. Geoffrey Rush did such a good job being bad in this movie that I despised him until he turned things around in "The Kings Speech" a few years later. Anyway, these are must see movies and totally in our favorite era of swash buckling flintlock shooting times!

 

[OldMaineWoodsman]

Best - Henry Fonda in "Drums Along the Mohawk."

Worst - Everyone in "Cold Mountain."

I was a technical adviser on a WWI video a few years back and the Director had been involved with "Cold Mountain." He asked me what I thought of it and all I could think to ask him was "How the heck did little, tiny Natalie Portman squeeze out that baby with a head the size of a small pumpkin?"

He didn't see the humor.

 

[Nativearizonan]

Best actor had to be Iron Eyes Cody for his roll as a Native American actor for well over 50 years, when actually he was Italian and had no Native American blood.

 

[Nativearizonan]

Actually, as much as I liked Will Geer in 'Jeremiah Johnson', I will choose Jimmy Stewart in 'Shenandoah' as a great acting performance, even though it was far from being my favorite movie.

The worst? Maybe Richard Harris in Man in the Wilderness.

 

[jfaldo]

Can't believe no one has said Gary Cooper in the beginning of Sgt York. Some great muzzleloader scenes. Especially the turkey shoot. Of course the 1911 and 1903 became the "stars" of the movie but still some great muzzleloader scenes in the beginning.

 

[Gold Grizzly]

Gentlemen,
Yes, it all comes down to opinion, but that's the fun of it on a question like this.
For me-
Robert Duvall IS the best Gen. Robert E. Lee in Gds and Generals.
DDLewis was great in LOTM.

Now... not to start a war, or get tarred and feathered.....
I grew up watching Grizzly Adams. That helped to advance my love of history and the period (I started with a bit of a mountain man/cowboy phase and moved to 1840-65). I can't handle Grizzly Adams or Daniel Boone (Parker) any more. I appreciate what they did for the hobby- made it really, but the complete lack of even trying to do it right is tough. HOWEVER! We watch Daniel Boone with my children because the values and morals were great. I explain, 'no, he didn't wear mocassins like that' but I also tell them, 'see, great moral, he kept his word.'

Just my opinion,
David

I liked Grizzly Adams and Dan Hagerty did a Low Budget movie filmed on the Rogue River in Oregon.

 

[Gold Grizzly]

One of my all time favorites is ''Little Big Man with Dustin Hoffman. I seen it at a Movie Theater when I was a kid when it first came out. At that point I thought what it would be like to have lived in that time period. Some very brave Soul's in them days !

 

[Daveboone]

Thread is a bit old, but still fun.
I liked Duvall in Gods and Generals, but how is it almost his only lines were only his most commonly known historical quotes?
We love Redford in J. J. Great story with just a bit of artistic license. Still better than most of the tripe of the time.
The Mountain Men....See above....it was obviously a labor of love of "ol Bucktooth.
One of my favorite roles and actors that isnt mentioned...or i didnt see...Billy Bob Thornton as Davey Crocket in the 2004 The Alamo. I liked the way he handled his rifle, etc. and really liked his portrayal of DC. I would have loved to have seen him in a biographical movie of him.

 

[Gold Grizzly]

Thread is a bit old, but still fun.
I liked Duvall in Gods and Generals, but how is it almost his only lines were only his most commonly known historical quotes?
We love Redford in J. J. Great story with just a bit of artistic license. Still better than most of the tripe of the time.
The Mountain Men....See above....it was obviously a labor of love of "ol Bucktooth.
One of my favorite roles and actors that isnt mentioned...or i didnt see...Billy Bob Thornton as Davey Crocket in the 2004 The Alamo. I liked the way he handled his rifle, etc. and really liked his portrayal of DC. I would have loved to have seen him in a biographical movie of him.

I agree, The Alamo is a great film.

 

[Whitworth]

IMHO nobody made a better grizzled mountain man than Arthur Hunnicutt. The worst was Rock Hudson as an Indian Chief.

 

[Omahkapi'si]

I enjoyed The Mountain Men, corny and all. Just watched it the other day.

 

[PathfinderNC]

Al Pachino in “Revolution”. He’s a fantastic actor and no issues with that in the film; but somehow his heavy New Yawk accent dislodged me from getting into the story.

 

[Nor Cal Mikie]

I suppose I have to give the "best" nod to Daniel Day-Lewis in Last of the Mohicans.

Toss-up between Danial Day Louis and Wes Studi. Both FIRST CLASS actors in LOTM.