It kind of sounds like Clive Owen didn’t think much of acting until he finally found that looking for work was harder than he thought it might be and that acting might be the path to take. It’s a good thing that he did honestly since he’s quite good at it and tends to play the solemn and more level-headed characters that seem to round out the movies he’s starred in. He’s had a history on TV as well but movies are where he’s really been able to shine. A lot of the times he’s calm, reserved, and doesn’t really get too out of control as he’s usually paired with other actors that tend to do this all around him, but he’s been able to do his part in action movies and has taken the lead more than once with well-renowned actors that have shared the screen with him. In a big way he’s someone you honestly don’t mind seeing when he shows up and can expect a great deal from.
Here are his five best movies.
5. King Arthur
Despite the comments from Matt Goldberg of Collider and anyone else this movie was actually quite enjoyable. What a lot of people seem to forget is that from a historical standpoint there have been a few different legends that might have been labeled as part of the King Arthur story and there’s no single definitive tale that has managed to nail down the full story. That’s why it’s more important to take it as a pleasing tale and impressive legend than anything, and the idea of magic in this movie is pretty much absent apart from being spoken of now and again. King Arthur remains more of a myth that was born from some historical fact and conflated to such a degree that people couldn’t help but argue just how the story really went. Take this one as just a movie and you’ll be fine.
4. Derailed
This is kind of a case of doing the wrong thing and then finally turning around to do the right thing in the wrong way. Did that get confusing, well it would in real life too since being scammed by a woman you happen to be attracted to and then robbed by the man she’s working with while thinking that she’s in just as much danger as you are is the kind of conundrum that a lot of guys wouldn’t be able to handle. Thankfully Charles thinks things through and as deep a hole as he’s in he does manage to find a way to get out of it since he keeps his head and turns the tables on those that are attempting to ruin his life. Street justice isn’t exactly legal but sometimes it’s a lot quicker and more effective than any legal channel.
3. Sin City
Keith R.A. DeCandido from Tor has the right of it when he says that Frank Miller went full-on noir with this story since it’s definitely a dark and very depressing movie throughout much of it without a whole lot of positive vibes in sight. Plus the whole aspect of criminals offering the only real justice in the city is something that seems to be a theme throughout. Dwight is perhaps one of the most noted crooks in the story but at the same time he’s got at least a moderate code of ethics that he decides to use at times. He’s not above a bit of trickery and deceit when it’s useful, but he’s also not about to be seen as an honest and upstanding citizen.
2. Children of Men
Nicholas Barber of BBC isn’t too far off the mark when he states that the world that exists in this movie isn’t as far removed as the world as we know it now. Thankfully things haven’t broken down to this extent and women can still have children, but just imagine if the youngest generation was already in their teens at this point. What would that mean for the human race? And what would it mean for anyone and everyone to find a woman pregnant after so many years in which no children were born. The world might be torn apart by a number of things, but this would be one that would attract fanatics and zealots like nothing else.
1. Inside Man
This is a movie that bears close watching since there are moments that you should pay special attention to and others that you simply can’t miss if you want to know just what’s going on. Owen and Washington play off of one another perfectly in this movie since Clive plays the intelligent bank robber and Washington plays the dedicated detective that’s trying his best to figure out what’s going on. When the real turn is revealed however it’s nothing short of amazing since it sums up the entire point of the story.
He’s been a great actor for some time now, but it seems like he doesn’t recognized enough. And no, we didn’t forget about Closer.
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