It’s always interesting to learn a bit more about actors that you might like or that might seem as though they’re just on the cusp of being megastars but haven’t quite taken that leap throughout their career. If Bill Pullman seems a little more humble than the average actor it could be due to the fact that he was a teacher before taking his act to the screen, where he proceeded to show that he knows how to do more than just teach. Throughout his career he’s had some duds and some flops but he’s also had very thought-provoking movies as well as a few classics that you can’t deny are quite interesting and in some cases downright funny. Pullman is the kind of actor that you enjoy seeing so long as he’s given a role that accentuates some kind of authority or just uses him as a free spirit that has a strong role to play. If he’s used as a bit player it seems like kind of a waste.
Here are five of his best movies.
5. Zero Effect
This is kind of an odd movie that makes you think even though the answer is handed to you pretty early on in the movie. It almost feels as though it was meant to be a dark comedic mystery but at the same time it tends to come off as a desperate attempt at a Sherlock and Holmes movie that didn’t quite make the cut. Zero is the kind of guy that just doesn’t like other people, a misanthrope in other words, and tends to never meet his clients, making his assistant Arlo do this on a continual basis. Unfortunately throughout the movie Zero does lose his objectivity when he falls for the person that he’s supposed to be going after, as he even helps her leave the country as the story ends.
4. American Ultra
He does have a fairly strong role in this movie even if it’s brief, since he’s the head of the division that created the individual that is suddenly ‘triggered’ when the right code words are spoken. After that a guy that thinks he’s little more than a stoner that works in a convenience market becomes a skilled, cold-blooded killer that can kill a person with his bare hands or just about any weapon he can get his hands on, conventional or improvised. By the end of the movie the two operatives that are trying to either kill or save this young man and his handler are finally confronted by their boss, who needless to say isn’t too happy with either of them.
3. Independence Day
How do you unite the human race? Well that’s simple, you try to wipe us out all at once and then see what happens. While there might be a few glaring plot holes in this movie the sentiment is still there since a threat of extinction from an alien race with superior technology and no regard for life does manage to pull humanity together as they strive to simply survive. As the president of the United States, Pullman gives a rousing speech that seeks to break down barriers and inspire the troops for a last stand that could be just that if the plan that was concocted didn’t work. Thankfully it does, but thanks to the sequel it was evident that this was just the first wave.
2. Lake Placid
There are obviously some jobs that are a little too big for the Fish and Game department to handle, and a large saltwater crocodile the size of a small bus would definitely qualify. One might think that seeing such a huge animal coming wouldn’t be a problem, but that would be assuming that one would be as comfortable in the environment as the creature, and that’s usually not the case. This movie seems pretty ridiculous in a lot of areas since one might wonder just why someone doesn’t come up with a final solution to take the crocodile out, but then again, something this big and possibly this old would bear some studying.
1. Spaceballs
This is, without any doubt, one of the best spoof movies ever created and one of the best movies ever made, period. Mel Brooks has known how to make movies for a long time in a way that makes people laugh until they cry and this one is no exception. Taking from Star Wars, Star Trek, and several other movies as well, Spaceballs is the kind of film that doesn’t force you to think and just asks to be enjoyed. As Lonestar, Bill is the rogue that has the heart of gold but isn’t about to be pushed around by anyone, let alone a Druish princess that he and his co-pilot Barf are being paid to save.
He’s a fun one to watch, no doubt about that.
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