Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Lots of great work in the 80's. Which is your favorite?

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

EDIT: I reread and saw you were looking for just one favorite. Ah well, I had written this whole thing out! But Jeremy is the top of my list.

1988 - Jeremy Irons, Dead Ringers. Few actors get the chance to play a really meaty role. Fewer still knock it out of the park. Irons did it twice in one movie.

http://www.gmanreviews.com/wp-conten...remy-Irons.jpg

1988 - Willem Dafoe, The Last Temptation of Christ. Dafoe imbues the role of Jesus with a sad humanity, making the burdens of a God all too unbearable.

http://www.papermag.com/uploaded_ima...itel-pic-7.jpg

1981 - Jurgen Prochnow, Das Boot. Prochnow's captain does not have the luxury of fooling himself about his chances against the Allied Naval forces, nor can he afford to not be a hopeful leader to his crew.

http://swoonworthy.net/wp-content/up...das-boot-5.jpg

1983 - Sam Shepard, The Right Stuff. Shepard's Chuck Yeager isn't greedy or brash, but you can see how heartbroken he is when he's no longer the forefront of aviation's success.

http://www.palzoo.net/file/pic/gallery/11805_view.jpg

1983 - Christopher Walken, The Dead Zone. In lesser hands the psychic could have been a cartoon, but a largely subdued Walken fills the role admirably.

http://www.moviesonline.ca/wp-conten...lken-pic-3.jpg

1987 - Richard E. Grant, Withnail & I. The consummate alcoholic egotistical bastard, spouting diseased rejoinders and vitriol at the whole world to distract himself from very real depression.

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lmu23cu4Px1qbx9d8.jpg

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Other then being forced to watch Ghandi in high school social studies, I haven't seen a single one of the movies listed.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

De Niro. Raging Bull. Duh.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Of the 20 titles listed, I was stunned to realize I've only seen seven, five of them when they came out. The '80s was not my favorite moviegoing decade. I don't know that I can pick one of these, nor can I think offhand of any performance not on the list that I would include.

I like James Woods in SALVADOR a lot, but I think that's more a case of Woods being allowed to be himself unrestrained on camera, rather than a case of actual acting.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Arnold.

He played the role of a robot perfectly.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Daniel Day Lewis

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

I'll take Dustin Hoffman...but not in Tootsie...in Rain Man (1988).

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

From the list, it's a toss-up between Irons and Deniro. And I would agree that Hoffman was better in Rain Man.

Guess I'll go with Irons since it's a 2for1 performance :)

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Yep

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

No love for Peter O'Toole in My Favorite Year?

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

..Irons.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Deniro but Hopper in Blue Velvet is not far behind.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Man that's a weak poll.

Newman was excellent in 'Absence of Malice' of course, I love that film and have watched it many times, but he did 'The Verdict' in the 80's. 'Tootsie'? Come on... Jodie Foster in any best acting poll? Cher in 'Mask'? The only decent performances she ever gave were in 'Moonstruck' and maybe 'Silkwood', both form the 1980's. No Robert Duvall for 'Tender Mercies' or 'The Great Santini'? No Chris Walken in 'At Close Range'? Man...

As strong as Deniro is in 'Raging Bull', a sound choice by anyone, I would go with Newman in 'The Verdict'. He was never better than that, and that's a virtuoso performance. Particularly so in the small scenes and moments.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Love Newman in The Verdict. That whole film is fantastic.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

This thread reminds me of how many movies I need to catch up on. :(

I saw My Left Foot earlier this year and Daniel Day-Lewis was incredible.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Gary Oldman - Sid & Nancy

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

I would add Morgan Freeman for Glory.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

or what about Gary Oldman for Sid and Nancy?

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Your comments about the poll should be posted by everyone.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Hackman in Mississippi Burning.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Remedy that.

Re: Best Acting performance of the 80's?
 

Heck, Freeman for almost anything he did in the 80s.