A little over 2 years ago, Alan Rickman died of cancer, and ever since then I've been putting off making a top 10 performances list for him. Alan Rickman has been one of my favorites for as long as I've really known actors by name, so I think it's about time I actually put this out there. I don't need to introduce him, but these are my favorites, just based on my own opinion. If I missed any big ones or lesser-known movies you think I should watch or reconsider, you're allowed to comment. The only comments I delete are the ones sent by Nigerian princes. Anyway, here's a little list dedicated to one of my favorite actors.
10. Rasputin: Dark Servant Of Destiny (1996)
When I think of Rasputin, I generally conjure up the image of the animated sorcerer from Anastasia, but Rickman's version is much more compelling. A drunk womanizer, the only aspect of this performance that doesn't totally work is the accent. But physically and emotionally, Rickman nailed it.
9. Eye In The Sky (2016)
Alan Rickman's last great performance, this supporting role wasn't huge but was a solid send-off to a wonderful career. Playing opposite Helen Mirren, this military higher-up had a depth that is rarely seen in these kind of roles in film. He wasn't overly callous or overly emotional, but struck up that perfect blend with subtlety.
8. Dogma (1999)
I'm not a fan of Kevin Smith or this movie in general, but the one aspect that I've always enjoyed was Rickman. He's often best when a bit smarmy, and that's basically 90% of this role. Funny, dry, and a totally perfect casting choice, Rickman makes the most of this supporting role and gives the movie some of its best moments.
7. Quigley Down Under (1990)
By 1990, he proved he could make for a wonderfully slippery villain, but seeing him tossed into an Australian western was a bit odd in hindsight. One of the first movies I ever saw him in (before Harry Potter even came out, so I was very young), Rickman was easily my favorite thing about it. He's an entertaining villain and a total sleazeball.
6. Closet Land (1991)
One of the more recent new-to-me movies I've seen him in, this movie is pretty much a face off between two actors. Stowe does a solid job as usual, but Rickman's exaggerated and emotionally manipulative interrogator is the real star. He's loud, animated, intimidating, a bit creepy, and fiercely dedicated in his performance. Pretty much everything you'd come to expect from him.
5. Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
A relatively rare non-villain for Rickman, here he plays a ghost who's attached to his grieving widow. This is a very sad movie, and Rickman is wonderful at emoting and making the relationship between these two characters feel genuine. He's sweet, funny, tragic, and everything in between. Not the kind of role most would expect from Rickman, but he made it work beautifully.
4. Galaxy Quest (1999)
The closest we ever got to seeing Rickman in Star Trek, and honestly it just makes me wish he could've played in a series or one of the movies, because he is a total blast. Super sarcastic and negative, he makes every line he delivers at least twice as funny just from how he speaks. He didn't take on many straight-forward comedic roles, but he was incredible at it. Not his funniest performance, but very close.
3. Die Hard (1988)
The role most people probably knew him for, Rickman's upper-class terrorist/crook Hans Gruber is pretty much everything you could want from an '80s action villain. Intelligent, conceited, arrogant, dresses well, has an evil sounding voice, and works as the perfect antithesis to the hero. It may not have been his first acting role, but it was the first one that really mattered. And damn, he made it count.
2. Harry Potter (2001-2011)
I saw the first movie before I wound up reading the book, but I still can't imagine I could've envisioned a more perfect casting choice to play Snape (the undisputed best character in the series - books or movies). Rickman snarls and bites but still has layers of sympathy and humanity that eventually creep through. His laboriously long-winded and seemingly eternal speech near the beginning of Deathly Hallows pt. 2 is still one of my favorite moments in the series, as his ability to totally suck you in and have you hang on his every syllable is a testament to how fascinating and engaging he really was as an actor and character.
1. Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (1991)
But even as much as I love Snape, there was nothing else that could have beaten this. Usually bad movies don't feature a single performance or element that stands out so much or works as perfectly as this, but Rickman pulled it off. He made a lousy movie not only watchable, but absolutely wonderful -- at least, for small bursts when he's on-screen. A blend of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham, Rickman takes every bit of sleaze, corruption, and slime from both of these characters and condenses them into at single being who is so absolutely magnetic, you can't possibly look away from him. He's hilarious, over-the-top, violent, and about 1,000,000,000× more fun to watch than Costner and his merry band of whatchamacallits. Not only is this easily my favorite Rickman performance, but also stands as one of my favorite movie villains and performances ever.
10. Rasputin: Dark Servant Of Destiny (1996)
When I think of Rasputin, I generally conjure up the image of the animated sorcerer from Anastasia, but Rickman's version is much more compelling. A drunk womanizer, the only aspect of this performance that doesn't totally work is the accent. But physically and emotionally, Rickman nailed it.
9. Eye In The Sky (2016)
Alan Rickman's last great performance, this supporting role wasn't huge but was a solid send-off to a wonderful career. Playing opposite Helen Mirren, this military higher-up had a depth that is rarely seen in these kind of roles in film. He wasn't overly callous or overly emotional, but struck up that perfect blend with subtlety.
8. Dogma (1999)
I'm not a fan of Kevin Smith or this movie in general, but the one aspect that I've always enjoyed was Rickman. He's often best when a bit smarmy, and that's basically 90% of this role. Funny, dry, and a totally perfect casting choice, Rickman makes the most of this supporting role and gives the movie some of its best moments.
7. Quigley Down Under (1990)
By 1990, he proved he could make for a wonderfully slippery villain, but seeing him tossed into an Australian western was a bit odd in hindsight. One of the first movies I ever saw him in (before Harry Potter even came out, so I was very young), Rickman was easily my favorite thing about it. He's an entertaining villain and a total sleazeball.
6. Closet Land (1991)
One of the more recent new-to-me movies I've seen him in, this movie is pretty much a face off between two actors. Stowe does a solid job as usual, but Rickman's exaggerated and emotionally manipulative interrogator is the real star. He's loud, animated, intimidating, a bit creepy, and fiercely dedicated in his performance. Pretty much everything you'd come to expect from him.
5. Truly, Madly, Deeply (1990)
A relatively rare non-villain for Rickman, here he plays a ghost who's attached to his grieving widow. This is a very sad movie, and Rickman is wonderful at emoting and making the relationship between these two characters feel genuine. He's sweet, funny, tragic, and everything in between. Not the kind of role most would expect from Rickman, but he made it work beautifully.
4. Galaxy Quest (1999)
The closest we ever got to seeing Rickman in Star Trek, and honestly it just makes me wish he could've played in a series or one of the movies, because he is a total blast. Super sarcastic and negative, he makes every line he delivers at least twice as funny just from how he speaks. He didn't take on many straight-forward comedic roles, but he was incredible at it. Not his funniest performance, but very close.
3. Die Hard (1988)
The role most people probably knew him for, Rickman's upper-class terrorist/crook Hans Gruber is pretty much everything you could want from an '80s action villain. Intelligent, conceited, arrogant, dresses well, has an evil sounding voice, and works as the perfect antithesis to the hero. It may not have been his first acting role, but it was the first one that really mattered. And damn, he made it count.
2. Harry Potter (2001-2011)
I saw the first movie before I wound up reading the book, but I still can't imagine I could've envisioned a more perfect casting choice to play Snape (the undisputed best character in the series - books or movies). Rickman snarls and bites but still has layers of sympathy and humanity that eventually creep through. His laboriously long-winded and seemingly eternal speech near the beginning of Deathly Hallows pt. 2 is still one of my favorite moments in the series, as his ability to totally suck you in and have you hang on his every syllable is a testament to how fascinating and engaging he really was as an actor and character.
1. Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves (1991)
But even as much as I love Snape, there was nothing else that could have beaten this. Usually bad movies don't feature a single performance or element that stands out so much or works as perfectly as this, but Rickman pulled it off. He made a lousy movie not only watchable, but absolutely wonderful -- at least, for small bursts when he's on-screen. A blend of Prince John and the Sheriff of Nottingham, Rickman takes every bit of sleaze, corruption, and slime from both of these characters and condenses them into at single being who is so absolutely magnetic, you can't possibly look away from him. He's hilarious, over-the-top, violent, and about 1,000,000,000× more fun to watch than Costner and his merry band of whatchamacallits. Not only is this easily my favorite Rickman performance, but also stands as one of my favorite movie villains and performances ever.
No comments:
Post a Comment