I’ve been doing a “best male actors on the planet” list for years now but this is my first attempt at doing a male actors of a decade list. Here we go:
- Leonardo DiCaprio – DiCaprio had almost a perfect decade. It’s not worth dwelling too long on 2011’s J. Edgar’s miss— but it is actually the easiest way to talk about the rest of the decade because the other six films he worked in were absolutely brilliant (and he is brilliant in them). He started the decade in 2010 with Inception and Shutter Island, 2012 brought us Django, then pairing with Scorsese again for The Wolf of Wall Street, The Revenant in 2015 and then after some time off returning to top for 2019’s Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood. Five of those six films landed in my top 100 of the decade, two of them in my top ten—a decade for the ages.
- Ryan Gosling – Gosling is also phenomenal in five of the best 100 films of the decade—Blue Valentine, Drive, Only God Forgives, La La Land and Blade Runner 2049 and is among the best male actors of the year four or five times. I think Gosling’s understated almost Steve McQueen or Clint Eastwood-like stoic acting style will serve him well in 10-20 years even if isn’t the type of work that gets recognized by the Academy (he had just one acting nomination this decade which is a sharp contrast with like Christian Bale with his 4 (well-deserved) Oscar noms this decade).
- Joaquin Phoenix – Phoenix gives the male acting performance of the decade in The Master—a mic drop turn that probably wouldn’t need much else to land him high on the list but Phoenix backs it up with another four films that land in the top 100 of the decade (Her, The Immigrant, You Were Never Really Here, and Joker).
- Brad Pitt – Pitt had two stand-alone years that got him here- 2011 (The Tree of Life, Moneyball) and then the capper in 2019 (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, Ad Astra). He’s front and center (in a sturdy, internal performance) in James Gray’s best film and when it’s all said and done I’m not sure The Tree of Life and Tarantino’s latest opus don’t land in the top 100-150 films of all-time. Those opportunities don’t come around often to actors and Pitt capitalizes on both with tremendous (and very different) performances.
- Adam Driver – So this list is not just a math equation- but it is hard to ignore that since (and including) 2012, Driver has been in fourteen archiveable films. FOURTEEN (14!)!! Now, in a few of those you’ll miss him if you blink (Inside Llewyn Davis, Meyerowitz Stories) but he’s in a few that landed in my top 50 of the decade where he gives either the best or second best performance of the year (Paterson, Marriage Story). He’s worked with Spielberg, The Coen Brothers, Spike Lee, Jarmusch and Soderbergh—but it does feel like the key collaboration is the four archiveable films with Noah Baumbach
- Christian Bale – Another unbelievable decade for Bale. He’s the greatest chameleon on this list (though Phoenix giving us both Joker and Her gives me pause here). His work as Bruce Wayne in Rises his best work in the trilogy, his two collaborations with David O. Russell (The Fighter, American Hustle) put him on the short list of the best performances in both 2010 and 2013 and the two collaborations with Adam McKay (The Big Short, Vice) gave him a chance to show off his range. The guy who can effectively play Batman and Dick Cheney is proof enough that he’s right there with DiCaprio and a few others as far as the best and/or most talented actor of his generation.
- Ethan Hawke – Hawke is a big part of Linklater’s back to back triumphs in 2013 and 2014 with Before Midnight and Boyhood. Hawke has always been steady going back being a child actor in the 1980’s but this is the best work of his career. Pawlikowski’s tragically underseen and underrated The Woman in the Fifth gets Hawke a third strong performance in the top 100 films of the decade. I’m not quite as high on many on 2017’s First Reformed yet (look forward to a rewatch) but Hawke is undeniably good in it and it helps give his decade some depth to compete with the other imposing names and resumes on this list.
- Michael Fassbender – So Fassbender closed the 2000’s decade on an incredible run- Hunger, Fish Tank and Inglourious Basterds all came out in 2008-09– holy hell—and he picked up the 2010’s where he left off with A Dangerous Method, Haywire, Jane Eyre and Shame (career-capper)all from 2011. What a year! Fassbender would continue with Prometheus in 2012 and another year where he’s one of the best actors of the year in 2013 with his third pairing with auteur Steve McQueen (and the third time Fassbender is among the best male actors of the year). Steve Jobs from Danny Boyle was impressive in 2015 but it has been a quiet few years in the back half of the decade.
- Oscar Isaac – Isaac had nine archieveable films in the 2010’s decade – extremely prolific. He’s outstanding in one of the decade’s best films- Inside Llewyn Davis and that performance is one of the 3-4 that rank right behind Phoenix in The Master as the best performance of the decade (Fassbender in Shame would be right there as well). Isaac is tremendous in his few key scenes in Drive and in the dueling performances in 2014 (A Most Violent Year, Ex Machina). A breakout decade indeed.
- Tom Hardy – Hardy is such a weird case—so he’s in four of the best nine movies of the decade (Inception, Dunkirk, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road) – lets pause here- that can’t happen. He’s not on Ledger’s Joker-level in the trilogy but I don’t think Hardy gets enough credit for his work (his unparalleled vocal talents and imposing physical presence) as Bane. Hardy is wonderful in Warrior, Locke as well—it feels like complaining after being in four of the best nine films of the decade but it would be great in the 2020’s if he can be a larger part of these masterpieces. Is that asking too much? Haha.
Honorable Mention (alphabetical)
- Ralph Fiennes – Fiennes is here mainly because of The Grand Budapest Hotel– a dazzling comic performance in a masterpiece – these do not come along often. If you agree with me and think his best work prior was in The English Patient and Schindler’s List –than this performance is also key to his career in proving he has just such a wealth of range (Nazi monster to wry concierge in a Wes Anderson film). Don’t sleep on his work in Guadagnino’s already underrated A Bigger Splash (2015) either– Fiennes is just an absolute volcano and that film is somewhere between #101-110 of the decade if I kept going with that list.
- Philip Seymour Hoffman – Tragically, PSH passed away early in 2014 but this is no sentimental honorable mention selection. Sure, the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Keaton and Colin Farrell among others put together remarkable decades but PSH ranked as the #24 actor of all-time when I did my top 100 actors list in 2018 and I ranked his work as Lancaster Dodd, as his single best performance of all-time. I have Phoenix’s work as Freddie Quell as the best performance of the decade and yet others argue that PSH’s work in the same film is actually more deserving of that praise. The processing scene—with those two actors—unreal. They’re just levitating—it’s the finest display of acting on the decade. PSH’s other archiveable films this decade include a small role in Bennett Miller’s Moneyball (he owed him after Capote) and A Most Wanted Man in 2014.
- Michael B. Jordan – He’s the second-youngest actor on the page here (Kaluuya is two years younger) so it’s a major triumph to be on this list. He’s electric in two films that were on the decade’s top 100 films list (Creed, The Black Panther) though he needs to work with someone other than just Ryan Coogler (more than likely) if he wants to be on this list again in 10 years. Jordan has only three total archiveable films (all this decade) and all three are with Coogler (the third is 2013’s Fruitvale Station)— still- from everyone from John Wayne to Mifune to De Niro to Fassbender (see above))—pairing yourself with the right auteurs is the key to this acting thing.
- Daniel Kaluuya – Kaluuya is even younger than Jordan (b. 1989). Kaluuya didn’t even have an archiveable film until 2015 (Sicario) but in the back half of the decade he put together an amazing run with standouts in 2017’s Get Out and 2018’s Widows from Steve McQueen. Kaluuya may be right there with Adam Driver in terms of those actors I’m most looking forward to watching in the 2020’s.
- Matthew McConaughey – With all due respect Lone Star and Dazed & Confused and90’s McConaughey—the 2010’s were easily the best stretch of MM’s career. The “McConaissance” peaked in 2013 and 2014 with Dallas Buyers Club, his jaw-dropping scene in The Wolf of Wall Street, Interstellar and True Detective. Sadly, it looks like it’s over with a quiet stretch from 2015-2019 to close out the decade and take him off the top 10 list and on to the honorable mention list.
No way in hell Did Brad Pitt have a better Decade then Tom Hardy and Michael Fassbender and Ethan Hawke isn’t a top ten Male Actor this Decade and should have been replaced With Matthew McConaughey. Also Tom Hardy should have been in the top ten along with Jake Gyllenhaal Who should also be in your top 100 Male Actors of all time.
I agree with Drake here.
Pitt is the best actor in 3 MS/MP movies (ToM,the Tarantino & Gray) + supporting in 2 HR/MS movies (12 years a slave,The Big Short) & i like him in Moneyball or Killing Them Softly.
Solid work here.
@Randy and KidCharlemagne– thanks for the comments. Any way you want to slice it– I’ll take PItt’s decade over both of those actors. I’d listen to the Fassbender argument but the Hardy one doesn’t have a chance. Hardy is great supporting actor in these films but that would be like arguing John Cazale had a better 1970’s than Al Pacino… I love Gyllenhaal– a very accomplished actor. He’s not in a single top 100 film of the 2010’s decade— hard to argue for him to be on this list.
Nightcrawler and Prisoners are easily in the top 100 of 2010’s
@Dylan- well I’d have to see what movies you are moving off the list to make room for those two. I think Nightcrawler is close. It certainly isn’t gospel but the consensus would agree with me here. TSPDT has Nightcrawler as the 28th best film of 2014 and Prisoners outside the top 45 of 2013 (their top 1000 of the 21st century includes 45 from 2013 and Prisoners isn’t one of them)
I rank Nightcrawler and Gone Girl as the best of 2014, and Prisoners/Wolf of Wall Street best of 2013, but I obviously have a different taste than critics, I love thrillers. What is so bad about Prisoners? I see you rank it low on Villenueve’s page, I rank it as his 2nd best (Blade Runner best of course). I don’t see how Arrival/Sicario/Enemy are all better.
@Dylan- I don’t have anything against Prisoners or Nightcrawler- I just think there are other films (Birdman, Grand Budapest, Boyhood from 2014 for example) clearly going for more.
Cmon man You seriously telling me that NightCrawler(better performance than Anything Pitt did this thing),Prisoners, and Nocturnal Animals aren’t top 100 Movies this Decade? Also Jakes performance in NightCrawler alone makes him top five. Also You’re Way off about Tom Hardy That Man has been arguably the Most Consistent Actor Since the Beginning Actor Giving Strong performances in Locke(Top 15 Performance of the Decade), Legend, and The Revenant where he out performed Leo(who only won the Oscar that year Because of Weak Competition and he should won for Wall Street and The Aviator which we’re superior Performances especially Wall Street).
I disagree. 2015 is a great year for acting (Fassbender,Damon,Cranston are solid contenders).
+ Jake is a great actor but acted in so so movies. Like a Denzel Washington.
+ i think Pitt is underrated (his performances in Tree of Life & Ad Astra are impressive in my opinion, very subtle, remind me of some Brando works).
I don’t disagree with your Top 4. Better yet, I don’t think there can be a disagreement there. I can quibble about their position but they are the Top 4 whichever way one goes about it.
I’ll have Hardy at 5th. That Top 5 of his is astonishing for an actor’s career. But, he did that all in a Single Decade. I cannot make a case for Hardy as an all time actor just yet but from a decade standpoint he is up there. Put DDL in the honorable mentions at least.
Great work as usual. Love the effort you put in to this. Much appreciated.
@AP– thanks for the kind words here and your comments. Good stuff… to be clear– I love Tom Hardy and I’m amazed at what he did in the 2010’s. If I was playing devils advocate on his resume though– I’d point out that the best films he was in where he gives the best performance in the film are films like Warrior, Locke, The Drop… fine little films– but forgettable…. he’s just not front and center in some of the decade’s best films like literally everyone else on this list.
Hey Drake. Kent here. It’s been a while since I’ve gone on your site had some life stuff going on. This is the first new list of yours that I’ve seen since I just went back on the site today. Very good 2010s list actor wise overall. I do agree that Gyllenhaal should be on this list. His performance and nightcrawler is as good as anything in the last 10 years. I do disagree with Randy White thinking Brad Pitt is too high. I would say since 2000, the last 20 years, other than DiCaprio pit has been the best. For that 20-year mark Sean Penn would be in there too, but not this decade since he’s hardly acted. I like that you have gosling so high. He’s been great in everything he’s done in these last 10 years. Really good list though. I’m going to keep looking to see what else you’ve done in the last 10 months period good to be back on the site. Hope to hear your response.
@Kent Crosier- thanks for the comment- welcome back. I love Gyllenhaal but who are you taking off the list to make room for him?
This is a great list. I love it. So happy with Leo as No. 1. His consistency is almost absurd. In the 2000s, he has a great run – maybe, not quite as good as this, but still the only three performance that I’m not convinced with from that decade are the ones in The Beach, Gangs Of New York and Body Of Lies, but I feel like that’s simply miscasting… Leo has a knack for portraying complex characters – full of flaws, but, more often than not, ones with a flamboyance and magnetism that is hard to take your eye’s off of, when he’s on screen. For me, I do actually enjoy J. Edgar, but I recognise that is most likely not because of the script and that the directing is serviceable, but it isn’t what makes the film… of course, that credit goes to Leo who, as usual, delivers a performance of immense watchability. I completely agree with most of your choices here…
But I, personally, probably would have moved up Oscar Isaac a few slots. His work in Inside Llewyn Davis would probably be career-defining for most actors… but his portrayal in Ex Machina is probably one of my favourite performances of the decade – and it might be my favourite performance of 2015. He completely sells me on his character, where we feel lie we should hate him, yet he is so charismatic in it that it is hard not to enjoy his presence on screen – and he absolutely has a screen presence, which not everyone on this list has. And, also, that dance scene is iconic, at this point haha.
I would also have put Bradley Cooper on my Top 10 – for talent and versatility alone. He’s great in the role of a mentally ill person in Silver Linings Playbook. He plays the heroic and, ultimately, tragic role in American Sniper to heartbreaking perfection. And he blew me away and surpassed any sort of expectations I had with his phenomenal turn in A Star Is Born. But he might give one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in a movie in American Hustle. He’s so good, in fact, that he might have even blown Christian Bale and Amy Adams off the screen in a few scenes – and they’re, also, delivering career-best work. His work as a neurotic mentalist, who is so absurdly self-obsessed is both comedic and dramatic perfection and cemented him, for me, as one of the great all-time actors.
I’d probably also have put Gyllenhaal on the list – I think his performances in Nightcrawler and Nocturnal Animals (both masterpieces, in my opinon) are so different yet so great and I don’t think any other actor could have pulled them two roles off. And that’s without mentioning his portrayal of what completely feels like a real friendship between him and Michael Pena in End Of Watch and his emotional performance in Stronger. Or his more eccentric roles – like the twitchy Detective Loki (what a name!) in Prisoners or the pretentious and decadent Morf Vanderwalt (again, what a name!) in Velvet Buzzsaw.
All the same, love this list. This website might be the most dense and fascinating analysis of cinema on the internet, at this point haha.
@Jeff– Appreciate the kind words about the site. thank you! For sure- Cooper, Gyllenhaal were on my short list as well and you put together a compelling argument for both- good work! who are you moving down to make room for Isaac? Who are you moving off to make room for these two guys? that’s always the though part.
All right… so… I’ve put together my own Top 10 (except it’s now a Top 12 because I was stuck on the bottom 3) – basic criteria is that the actors must have delivered at least 3 truly great performances – hence Fiennes , Ali, Kaluuya and Driver are non-starters in this list, for me at least.
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
2. Ryan Gosling
3. Bradley Cooper
4. Jake Gyllenhaal
5. Joaquin Phoenix
6. Matthew McConaughey
7. Christian Bale
8. Brad Pitt
9. Oscar Isaac (So I guess you were right in the end lol)
10. Jeff Bridges
11. Mark Ruffalo
12. Denzel Washington
@Jeff– thanks for sharing. Inevitably with these lists we spend the bulk of our time arguing/discussing the differences but it’s worth noting that 7 of your top 10 are in my top 10 and McConaughey is a HM for me so we’re close— so I think this is a great list!! full stop…. Driver, Hardy and Hawke (the 3 I have that you don’t) were just in some of the best movies of this decade —and your guys weren’t. That’s how simple it is for me.
I get what you mean for sure… It’s just I do think American Hustle is probably in my Top 10 of the decade. Nocturnal Animals is in my Top 20. McConaughey is in Dallas Buyers Club which is probs top 25 for me, and mostly down to his performance. I’d also probably put both Bad Times At The El Royale and True Grit for Bridges in the Top 25.
Denzel and Ruffalo are where it gets tricky because I don’t think either of them are in movies in my Top 40 (unless you count Shutter Island – where Ruffalo gives the 3rd best performance). But I do feel like Ruffalo is what carries Foxcatcher and Spotlight into my Top 100 for the decade and he’s probably more consistently great in movies than Brad Pitt or Christian Bale, although, on the whole, being in less great movies and lacking their charisma & range. And I would have to put Denzel in the Top 12 for his work in Flight, Fences and Roman J. Israel, Esq., of which are only worth any merit purely down to his magnetic performances and he carries them to a quality that few other actors would be able to.
In hindsight, I feel like putting on, say, Adam Driver would be easier to rationalize – but I only love him in BlacKKKlansman and Marriage Story (he’s also pretty good in Star Wars and The Report… I haven’t seen Paterson yet). But I feel like the consistency of Ruffalo and Washington, as well as Bridges being able to deliver such great films (in my opinion – I know not everyone likes Bad Times At The El Royale) and performances at his older age, whilst many other actors essentially give up (watching Robert De Niro in Dirty Grandpa or Al Pacino in Jack & Jill is heartbreaking), are things to be cherished in cinema.
But, again, it’s my opinion… and I haven’t seen every movie this decade, so my list is probably gonna be different in a year’s time. lol
@Jeff– Thanks for sharing. I understand why some of these names are higher given the films in your top 25. It sounds like our top 25 is drastically different. Dallas Buyers Club, Nocturnal Animals, True Grit and Bad Times aren’t in my top 150– a few of those aren’t in my top 200 of what I feel are the decades best films. I’d have to see your full top 25 to see which ones specifically you left off to make room for these 4 but we’d definitely have a disagreement here. haha.
I think Tom Hanks had a great run begining with 2012 with 7 top quality films(captain philipps,saving mr banks,bridge of spies,sully,the post,A beautiful day in the neighborhood and cloud atlas)certainly if you consider he only had 1 archivable film from 2003 to 2012
@Janith- that is a really great run. Sadly, 0 of those movies land in the top 100 of the decade for the 2010’s (at least on my list). I think it’s hard to put an actor on the top 10 who hasn’t been in any of the decade’s best movies.
What about Mahershala Ali who won 2 supporting oscars for Green Book and Moonlight.Heard he is great in True Detective Season 3 too.
@Janith – a very good actor– I don’t factor in Green Book or True Detective much. I have 16 male actors ahead of him in 2018. Haven’t seen True Detective Season 3. Unless it is made by a talented director (Refn, Fukunaga, etc) I’m probably skipping the TV series stuff.
Also I’m glad to see McConaughey was at least in your honorable mentions, he’s done some really really good work in the last 15 years. I do agree that Bradley Cooper should definitely be top 15 his performance in a Star is Born and silver linings playbook two really great turns.
@Kent Crosier- sort of same thing here with Cooper. Had a strong decade for sure- I don’t have a big problem with having him on the list- I just have other actors ahead of him
Hey drake. Thanks for responding. For Gyllenhaal, I definitely would have him before driver and especially fassbender. I like Michael fassbender but he wouldn’t be in my top 15 for the decade.
@Kent Crosier- Sounds good. As I said to another commenter I don’t have a Gyllenhaal in a top 100 film of the decade- so it basically takes him out of the running. But even on a performance vs. performance I’d take Driver in Marriage Story or Fassbender in Shame over Gyllenhaal in Nightcrawler. Thanks again for the feedback.
Why not Jake Gyllenhaal in honorable mention??
Prisoners, Nightcrawler,Nocturnal Animals,Enemy,Demolition,Source Code,South Paw and few others.
I thought he was phenomenal in Prisoners and Night Crawler.
@Tanishk Shingla- good note here- I think you’re right. Gyllenhaal should be on. He was probably the first person left off my list and the main reason was he just wasn’t in any of the top 100 films of the decade. I have had the opportunity to revisit Enemy since and that will be on my list the next time it is updated. I think some on your list here don’t count for much as far as resume (Demolition, South Paw) but between Nightcrawler, Prisoners and Enemy– he should be there.
June 2021 first time commenter here. After reading your list carefully, as well as each interaction in the comments; I wanted to leave a comment saying well done! It’s refreshing to see knowledgeable and respectful listmaking; not to mention comment section.
It’s been stated in numerous comments, but Jake G is the only actor that comes to mind outside of your personal 15 (based on your criteria), who I would have in my own. Enemy being the movie which cracks my own top 100 of the decade, though Gyllenhaal’s performance certainly isn’t the only reason for this. It would probably get a little dicey when it comes to your 5 HM’s, but I would have all of your top 10 in my own 15. I believe…..? Haha. Hawke being the only one who I would have to think about at all, even though I’m a big fan! As you probably know, subjective lists are not so easy.
Rather than quibble about our personal opionions when it comes to order. I have a few questions I would like to ask. For context I believe I have seen every movie you brought up on the list other than: Meyerowitz Stories, Only God Forgives, Paterson, and The Woman in the Fifth.
1. How did you come up with your criteria? Particularly the bit about being in more top film(s) vs. raw acting ability and performance.
2. How does Only God Forgives compare to Drive as a film? I never pulled the trigger on it because of the negativity/review bombing and only ever heard one person reccomend it to me who I have similar taste to.
3. Based on trends, end of decade performances, and announced work. Who would be on your shortlist for predictions of rising actors who may be contenders this decade?
4. Would Ethan Hawkes performance in Woman in the Fifth be enough to move the needle on the margins? I only ask because Hawke is a fringe contender for me personally and I have seen most of his popular work, but to be honest, I had never heard of this movie before.
5.Are people really still underrating Brad Pitt in 2020?! This is more of a joke based on a few commenters.
Cheers!
@Jeff A- Thanks for the comment and for visiting the site. I think I’m with you on Gyllenhaal and Enemy actually.
1. I think it was just years of doing this. I got tired of seeing some strong acting wasted in mediocre movies. Which director you work with is a choice, taking the right role in the right film is a choice- there’s just more to it than raw ability. It is about being a collaborator towards something great.
2. You should see it. Actually outside of Drive, Refn has never been terribly financially successful or accessible, but if you enjoy visual cinema- you should appreciate Only God Forgives.
3. I’ll have to think about this one. May other readers have some ideas.
4. Yes, I think the work with Linklater is more important, but this helps give Hawke more depth.
5. haha yes- apparently people still are underrating Pitt. It has to be damn near impossible at this point
Wow, thank you for such a quick and thoughtful response! After deep diving the web site for several hours following my comment, I came to understand your philosophy much better in regards to making ordered lists.
1. Love your response to this question in particular, because you are totally right about choice being a key factor in making or breaking a career. Or the difference between an all time great who will be remembered forever vs. pure acting talent (if that can even be quantified without taking the quality of the film into context) .
2. I will certainly be watching it. I have a hard time gearing myself up for films that are known to have scenes of intense violence (even if they are incredibly shot and I am rarely put off). This might have been overstated from my sources in the first place. I’m a fan of visual cinema and so with the Refn and Gosling duo, I really have no excuse for not giving it a watch.
4. After my comment I went on to find out that “The Woman in the Fifth” was from the same creator of both “Ida” and “Cold War”… Got it, it’s been added to my immediate shortlist.
@Jeff A- great- you may want to read this after watching the film but I do have a page for The Woman in the Fifth as well http://thecinemaarchives.com/2019/02/01/the-woman-in-the-fifth-2011-pawlikowski/
@Jeff A
Thought about this a little more- I’d expect we’ll see many of the same names for the 2010’s (certainly actors like Michael B. Jordan, Kaluuya, and Adam Driver ended on a high note in the 2010’s and seem to be taking on some ambitious projects). Jesse Plemons seems to be mentioned with a lot of exciting projects. I’ll look at younger actors like timothee chalamet and lucas hedges as well– chalamet in particular seems to be cast in many exciting upcoming projects. On the female side, Anya Taylor-Joy seems to be getting a look at a lot of great roles.
Welcome @Jeff A .
Here are my picks :
1. Bradley Cooper will be in both nightmare alley and soggy bottom+ he’ll be directing himself in maestro (could be a deciding moment, whether or not he’s an auteur filmmaker) so if nightmare alley and soggy bottom turn out to be MP then yeah
2. Phoenix will be in disappointment blvd by ari aster and kitbag by ridley scott
3. Adam driver’s on a run with annette and 2 films with ridley scott + a biopic with jeff nicols
4. Fassbender is in talks for david fincher’s next film the killing and is in next goal wins with waititi
5. Pitt will be in chazelle’s next
6. Bale in o. Russell’s next shot by lubezki
7. Oscar Isaac is in card counter by Schrader and dune + he could be in character roles in a couple of dozen gr8 films.
@M*A*S*H- Dicaprio will have a better decade than anyone listed here. He has been one of the best actors on the planet for 25+ years.
@M*A*S*H- This is a very good list- as is the inclusion of DiCaprio by @Anderson. I hope you’re right about Fassbender. After a great start to the 2010’s it has been a little quiet
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/david-fincher-michael-fassbender-to-team-for-assassin-drama-the-killer-4137074/amp/
I’m excited for this movie. A perfect genre for fincher and could be one of his best.
@M*A*S*H- I hope it happens- sounds amazing.
Informative list MASH, thank you! I pray each project and actor (all incredible) mentioned here can deliver. Quick question, is your list a prediction of order as well? I assume not, but wanted to get clarification.
I very much enjoy Drake’s contributions as well (Chalemet, Kaluuya, & ATJ in particular).
Yes you’r right. It’s based on how excited i am about those films and actors. Like i think nightmare alley is gonna be a great film. And cooper has most exciting upcoming films of all.
Funny to see Tom Hardy’s speech listed as a plus here. I find it distracting in a few of his performances. You have to love the subjectivity of film/acting.
@Meechum- Hardy takes a lot of big swings with what he chooses to do with that voice- but his talents here seem undebatable
What’s everyone’s ranking of Hardy’s performances? I’ve seen all of the one’s mentioned above barring Warrior and I have a hard time ranking them. More so than I do with most actors
@Matthew- number one was pretty easy, but others are more or less on the same level.
1. The Revenant
2. Bronson
3. Locke
4. Mad Max Fury Road
5. The Dark Knight Rises
6. Warrior
7. Legend
8. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
9. Inception
10. Dunkirk
Also, I haven’t seen Peaky Blinders, but from what I heard it seems like a top 5 performance for Hardy.
Thanks for the reply. I’ve also seen his performance in Bronson get a lot of praise elsewhere, I should check it out
“Hardy is such a weird case—so he’s in four of the best nine movies of the decade (Inception, Dunkirk, The Revenant, Mad Max: Fury Road) – lets pause here- that can’t happen.”
Does any other actor for any other decade come close to this?
@Matthew- Not quite that I could find – Joseph Cotten is in 3 of the best films of the 1940s (Citizen Kane, Ambersons, Third Man), Robert Duvall in the 1970s (The Godfather, Part II, Apocalypse Now)
De Niro in the 1970’s. Mean Streets, Godfather Part 2, Taxi Driver, Deer Hunter. Even better Cazale in the 1970’s. The Godfather, The Godfather Part 2, The Conversation, Dog Day Afternoon, Deer Hunter.
Although difficult to separate for obvious reasons, I guess best acting does not necessarily equate to performances in the best films. For 2010s, I would personally have:
(1) Joaquin Phoenix
(2) Oscar Isaac
(3) Ryan Gosling
(4) Jake Gylenhaal
(5) Christian Bale
(6) Leonardo di Caprio
(7) Ethan Hawke
(8) Casey Affleck
(9) Ben Foster
(10) Ralph Fiennes
Forgot about Michael Shannon (would be quite close for me as well)