Charlize Theron is the type of actress that has really evolved and stepped up her game since coming onto the scene. Considering that she could have been seen as another pretty face and someone that could have been used for max sex appeal rather than any kind of talent it’s impressive to see how far she’s come and what kind of roles she’s taken on throughout her career. No one can deny that she’s played someone that’s supposedly soft and there to be seen as eye candy, but usually beneath that thin veneer she’s poised to become a very deadly and destructive force that can take control of a movie and bring it to her level in a very short amount of time. In other words she’s not the damsel in distress and she’s not the fair maiden that needs help from anyone else, she’s the butt-kicking heroine, or villain, that takes center stage and holds onto it as best she can, which is to say that she can perform this part very well.
Here are a few of her best movies.
5. Monster
Ever notice that some of the most disturbing films get the most praise? In her turn as Aileen Wuornos, Theron depicted the mentally unstable woman that would become famous for killing the men that she met as a prostitute in order to support herself and her girlfriend at the time. This was a rather twisted movie that showed the frail and constantly bending psyche of a woman that had massive issues and didn’t seem capable of being a part of society no matter how hard she tried. Any and all justification she had for her kills kind of flew out the window the moment she tried to make them. Some folks actually feel sorry for Aileen, but in truth she made the choices that condemned her out of desperation.
4. The Italian Job
Stella is the kind of thief that’s not really a thief, and in fact the only way she goes along with the crew is to exact some measure of justice for her father, who was killed during his last heist by a man that the team trusted. Her relationship with Charlie isn’t too complex, it’s simply that she never wanted to be a part of the life that he and her father belonged to. Cracking safes was a job for her, never an opportunity to do anything illegal. But when it comes to getting even with the man that took her father away it seems that her sense of right and wrong is able to bend quite a bit as she and the rest of the team take on Steve in order to remind him just why he’s second best.
3. Atomic Blonde
This was kind of a jump upward from her usual roles despite the fact that she’s played a tough and hardened character before. The role of a spy was something that she hasn’t really done on this level until this movie and to be honest it was very impressive to see her in such a role. In truth the idea of seeing her in a serious role that doesn’t see fit to let her expound as much is kind of stifling in a way but she made it work in this film and even managed to make it into her own character without taking it too far off the map. In terms of seeing her in such a role again however it would no doubt have to be something that is molded to her person much as this was.
2. Mad Max
Furiosa seems like she was supposed to be tougher than she turned out to be, but it could be that she put a bit more heart into the character than people expected. In such a harsh climate, both geographical and societal, it’s easy to assume that no one would be inherently soft and would be ready to kill or be killed at any moment. And yet Furiosa tends to appear a little more understanding, as though she has a better moral compass than many and uses it to guide her even when intuition and experience demand that she does something else. No matter what though this was a great role.
1. Devil’s Advocate
It’s easy to feel frustrated and even sorry for her in this movie since a country girl being made to move to the city is something that a lot of people can relate to. The city is stifling compared to the country, it’s less open, and there are simply too many people. If it’s something a person gets used to and comes to love then so be it. But in this case her character wasn’t just struggling with the increased pace of life, but the fact that she was being attacked in a very spiritual manner that she simply couldn’t handle.
Whether she seems innocent or aggressive Charlize Theron is a great actress that can take on just about any role.
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