[Closed] Your "always in good films" actor?

Daniel Day Lewis.

Quite an astonishing filmography.

Paddy Considine generally seems to choose well.

Another for Daniel Day Lewis, must watch

Stallone

Tom Hanks.

Sam Rockwell, has done a fair few good films and good performances, but he was in Charlies Angels, and was not only in Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy but dare I say was one of the major reasons for it being a flop with an awful performance.

I can't recall a poor performance by Michael Sheen.

Leonardo de caprio... I don't want to like him as he looks smug, but he's an incredible actor.

Ed Harris and Scott Glenn

Phillip Seymor Hoffman. I'm sure he's been in some duff films, but I haven't seen him in one. Still can't quite believe he's been dead for six years now 🙁

Also, Cowboys and Aliens, Hitchhikers Guide and Iron Man 2 were all shite..

Kevin spacey, despite, well you know. Still a fine actor.
Avoiding the obvious picks and going for underrated, Joel edgerton always put in a good performance,
Jon bernthal too.

I can’t recall a poor performance by Michael Sheen.

But he's been in quite a few stinky films - Twilight, Underworld etc.

I think one of the Twilights was nominated for a Golden Raspberry for Worst Screen Ensemble...

Boring, but Leo diCaprio hasn't really been in a bad film since 2000, and only a few before then.
Christian Bale? Maybe that thing with him as Moses is instant disqualification.

Phillip Seymor Hoffman. I’m sure he’s been in some duff films, but I haven’t seen him in one.

Mission Impossible 3 is still my favourite of the series, mainly because of him. Oh, hang on - The Boat That Rocked. 🙂

Gary Oldman
Gene Hackman
Bryan Cranston (ok, more of a TV actor)

Ron Perlman, mainly because every film he's in has him in it.

Julianne Moore?

Tom Hanks.

He's very good. I've enjoyed the one role he plays in lots of films.

George Clooney

Julia Roberts

Denzel Washington

I don't think I've ever seen a film starring any of them that I didn't enjoy

Steve Buscemi.

Denzel Washington. I can forgive his stinkers as his good ones are great

Oh, and Jake Gylenhall (with apologies for the spelling)

I can’t recall a poor performance by Michael Sheen.

Not Sheen's fault, but his current US TV series Prodigal Son is absolutely dire.

George Clooney - Monuments Men

Julia Roberts - that pizza one and the sex worker one.

Leo - lots of average performances

Martin, Ed, Gene, Philip, Steve, Ron, Gary, Christian, all good!

The others.. luckily I've not seen all the shit films!

Steve Buscemi.

ooohh, good call.

Max von Sydow, Gene Hackman, Jack Lemmon. Always great performances and usually chose well.

Jake Gylenhall

For a long time I avoided watching Source Code because I expected it to be a jumping-on-the-coding-bandwagon-film and really wanted to dislike it when I did get around to watching it... Think I might have enjoyed it and thought it good...despite being utterly preposterous... wasn't it? Was it actually good?

Note the question is 'always in good films' and not as a few have taken it 'always played a good part'.

I've not seen his entire back catalogue but I've never seen Alan Tudyk in something I've not enjoyed immensely.

Doug Jones

DiCaprio
Laura Linney

Alan Rickman. What do I win?
I love the fact that Die Hard was his first film.

Di Caprio

Frances mcdormand though can't claim to have seen them all

Alan Rickman. What do I win?

Truly, Madly, Deeply on repeat for the rest of your life.

Jack Black. But he's a bit Marmite.

OK. Not seen that. I will download and punish myself.
Of course I may like it.
But come on: Die Hard. Robin Hood. Galaxy Quest. Love Actually... errr, OK I'll let myself out.

Jack Black. But he’s a bit Marmite.

He's like a lot of big Hollywood stars. When they start they are hired because they are good actors who work with good directors. Then they become huge box office and if they want to say how the film should go they have more clout than the director and everything changes to be about them.
He was great in King Kong but after that...

Brendan Gleeson

I was going to come on here to suggest Steve Buschemi but as that’s been done, Brad Pitt.

He’s known as the pretty boy (TBF he is) but films like Se7en, 12 Monkeys, Snatch and the wonderfully underrated Burn After Reading prove he’s much more than that.

Also always liked Dustin Hoffman.

Would like to also suggest Robin Williams but his shit films are really shit which is a shame as Dead Poets is a beautiful film.

Linney, Rickman, McDormand, Gleeson - inspired.

Jack Black - worse than Nicholas Cage!

And as for anyone in Firefly...😉

(ok Green Mile lowers the average bit)

Good film and he's great in it. 🙂

Ethan Hawke.

From Dead Poets Society to Training Day to the Before Sunrise/Sunset/Midnight trilogy to A Midnight Clear to First Reformed. Even The Purge, which had no right to be as entertaining as it was. Never been in a bad film as far as I know.

Meryl Streep.
Sally Hawkins
Ben Wishaw
Harrison Ford

Very few actors are always great. Very few actors are always in great films. Hugo Weaving in Transformers for example.

I reckon the actual answer to this is none. More likely that you've only watched the good ones. Steve Buscemi is in a lot of great films. But also Spy Kids 3 🙁

Paul Newman

Ethan Hawke ... Never been in a bad film as far as I know

The Magnificent Seven

I reckon the actual answer to this is none. More likely that you’ve only watched the good ones.

This.

If you go back through actors' early work, they will usually have done some shit films before they became famous. The good actors still put in a good performance, but that doesn't stop the film from sucking.

Leonardo Di Caprio: Critters 3
Brad Pitt: The Dark Side of the Sun
Phillip Seymour-Hoffman: Twister
etc.

John Cusack.

And the Rock, obviously.

hols2
Free Member

Phillip Seymour-Hoffman: Twister

Fightin' talk.

Fightin’ talk.

Ok.
Philip Seymour-Hoffman in Patch Adams

(Plus Peter Coyote, and Alan Tudyk. I left Robin Williams out of it because most of his films were lame, it's like seeing Tom Hanks on a billboard, you know the film is going to be some lame shit. At least with Nicolas Cage, there's about a 50-50 chance that it'll be either brilliant, or just atrocious.)

Ethan Hawke

Dead Poets' Society was lame, predictable shite. Great Expectations was pretentious and boring.

James Stewart

Cary Grant

Alec Guinness

Basil Rathbone

Harrison Ford

The last Indiana Jones one was terrible

Brenda Gleeson is a good shout.

Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Tim Roth, Paddy Considine

Will smith seems to work on consistently decent films.

Tom Hanks is another name that will be in a very watchable film.

Marlon Brando. Not done many films recently though...

George Clooney is in Gravity the stinkiest of turds. And Michael Clayton.

Alex Winter, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick

Have only ever been in great movies or their other movies were so unsuccessful they don't count.

Jennifer Grey?

Tom Cruise

Go on, name a bad film he's in. You can't.

Kermit the frog...

Ellen Paige

Although I'm with the above comments, you need people to have written a good movie for the actor to be able to make something of it.

Tom Cruise

Go on, name a bad film he’s in. You can’t.

Days of thunder.

Paddy Considine

Is a good shout. Unlike some actors who do the same role he really has a range, From dead man shoes (which mrs750 refuses to watch) and hot fuzz

Cocktail
Eyes Wide Shut
Mi2
The Mummy
Anything Jack Reacher
Far and Away

You know what, I think the original post might have been sarcastic 🙂

Denzil Washington.
Tom Hanks.

Absolutely nothing to do with his acting ability (or lack of) but I don't think I have ever seen Mark Whalberg (sp) in a terrible movie.

Tom Hardy maybe Dustin Hoffman chuck in some Eddie Murphy

Tom Hardy

AS much as he's my total man crush, you clearly haven't seen This Means War

Absolutely nothing to do with his acting ability (or lack of) but I don’t think I have ever seen Mark Whalberg (sp) in a terrible movie.

The Happening

One of the WORST films of all time

Turturro? Though I confess to not having seen the Transformers part of his oeuvre as probably too arty for me...

Tom Cruise is an interesting one

would never had said him but looking through his list there are no turkeys!

but I don’t think I have ever seen Mark Whalberg (sp) in a terrible movie.

Transformers. When it had gotten "worse" after the first few which in turn were some of the most terrible films ever made...

but looking through his list there are no turkeys!

Really? As well as the ones listed above, there's also Last Samurai, Knight and Day, Valkyrie... There are some stinkers.

I can't believe nobody has mentioned Ron Jeremy.

Films that sucked.

Tom Cruise - Days of Thunder
Dustin Hoffman - Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?
Mark Wahlberg - Daddy's Home 2
Eddie Murphy - The Adventures of Pluto Nash
Tom Hanks - The Terminal (although his movies are pretty much all mediocre, this was just awful)
Marlon Brando - The Brave

So, basically, any actor with a decent portfolio will have stepped in some shit along the way, it's just inevitable. However, special mention must go to Tim Roth for United Passions, which might be the worst film ever made by people who are supposed to know how to make films. It grossed less than $1000 on it's opening weekend.

Will Hay

Stephen Graham

Phenomenal at playing an absolute bastard. Equally excellent at displaying vulnerabilities and emotions, eg The Virtues.

Actually, Green Mile was even worse than The Terminal. Tom Hanks has done some real shit, with his best stuff being mediocre.

Bachelor Party sucked.
The Money Pit sucked.
Bonfire of the Vanities sucked.
Forrest Gump sucked.

Marlon Brando – The Brave Apocalypse Now

Yeah, shoot me.

Will smith seems to work on consistently decent films.

He had a good runs of things for a while, was seen as the last 'bankable' star for ages. Ironically partly because of that he didn't get any parts he wanted (more drama lead stuff) as they wanted too much money.

He didn't make a film from 2008 to 2012 and has mostly made action / action comedy crap since, Men in Black 3, After Earth, Collateral Beauty, Bright and Gemini Man and Bad Boys for Life.

Tom Cruise is an interesting one

would never had said him but looking through his list there are no turkeys!

Yeah I agree - as an actor he isn't the best but, for the most part, his films have all been decent enough and that was the question the OP posed.

Actually, Green Mile was even worse than The Terminal. Tom Hanks has done some real shit, with his best stuff being mediocre.

Bachelor Party sucked.
The Money Pit sucked.
Bonfire of the Vanities sucked.
Forrest Gump sucked.

Many people don't like his warm and fuzzy, middle of the road style, but most of the films you've listed were well liked profitable and even Oscar winning, or 30+ year old films from the start of his career.

That's not that he hasn't made bad films, Inferno, Hologram for the King, Larry Crow did poorly and are largely forgotten despite being fairly recent.