Best movie because of acting?

[Dace]

Can't think of movies overall but a few characters that were played perfect are:

Val Kilmer as Doc Holiday in Tombstone

Dustin Hoffman as Raymond Babbit in Rainman

Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump

Heath Ledger as The Joker

Daniel Day-Lewis as Hawkeye, actually Last of the Mohicans is pretty good all around for acting.

Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand as Greg Fokkers parents.

Gerard Butler as King Leonidas in 300

[Jayhawk]

First one that comes to mind is Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs.  Absolutely fantastic.  I guess you could say Jodi Foster gets an honorary mention, but Hopkins is simply unbeatable in that role.

Was thinking the same thing. 

[Saxman]

Sir Ian McKellan as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings.

Jeff Daniels as Chamberlain in Gettysburg.

Rutger Hauer just for being Rutger Hauer, because some guys are just bad bellybutton enough to watch that they rock no matter WHAT role they play. Add Jeremy Irons to that list.

Ricardo Montalban as Khan in Star Trek II.

Johnny Depp as (CAPTAIN!) Jack Sparrow. Let's face it, as big a disappointment as 2 and 3 were, they were worth going to see JUST to watch Depp ham it up. And we ALL know we're all going to see Pirates 4 for the same reason.

[Hap]

To Kill A Mocking Bird and the original Cape Fear

[68valu]

Geoffrey Rush as captain Barbossa in "Pirates of the Carribean"

[caldera]

But lets not forget Ben Affleck, without him Pearl Harbor might have been a bad movie.

Pearl Harbor was a cinematic masterpiece solely due to the incomparable skills of "The single greatest actor that ever lived".



Arrrrec Barrrrin.  Head of The Film Actors Guild! 



How about Return of the Jedi?

 

The Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) made that movie.

[ZetaNine]

To Kill A Mocking Bird and the original Cape Fear

well done.

I'd also add the original Flight Of The Phoenix

[Saxman]

Pearl Harbor was a cinematic masterpiece solely due to the incomparable skills of "The single greatest actor that ever lived".



 

The Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) made that movie.

QFT. And then they turned him into a cackling video game boss in Episode III. 

[Wolfala]

To Kill a Mockingbird - Gregory Peck
12 Angry Men
Lawrence of Arabia
Super Troopers

[Ack-Ack]

Anthony Hopkins/Magic

One of the scariest movies I ever watched as a kid.  


ack-ack

[RichardDarkwood]

Zombieland







Todd

[RTHolmes]

The Hill. Sydney Lumet, 1965.

Sean Connery's best role. Harry Andrews got a BAFTA nomination for that one, should have won it too


PS Brian Cox was the best Lecter

[maddafinga]

I thought we were talking about movies that were made great based on someone's performance, not just great movies in general.  I don't disagree with anything anyone's posted so far though.

Another great performance that elevated what would otherwise have been a mediocre movie, Brad Pitt in Kalifornia.  He's just unbelievably good in that, made me a fan of him in fact.

[SPKmes]

Another great performance that elevated what would otherwise have been a mediocre movie, Brad Pitt in Kalifornia.  He's just unbelievably good in that, made me a fan of him in fact.

I liked that movie..

I put forward...Eagle Vs Shark........ Reasonably new movie but the acting...or what is seemingly, lack of it, is what makes this movie classic...here is the trailer if you haven't seen it..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh_OoO91AEo

[maddafinga]

I liked that movie..

I put forward...Eagle Vs Shark........ Reasonably new movie but the acting...or what is seemingly, lack of it, is what makes this movie classic...here is the trailer if you haven't seen it..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sh_OoO91AEo

That looks like the kind of a movie I'd enjoy, I 'll have to track that one down.  I think I've seen the guy in that before somewhere.

As for NZ films, how about Temuera Morrison in Once Were Warriors.  Great performance in a great move.  One of my favorites.