Edward Norton is kind of an intriguing actor. Some people have said that he’s difficult to work with and others have stated that he’s not that bad. He can shed one role to play another in a way that’s kind of amazing since he can be kind of a geeky character in one movie but be a hardened and tough as nails individual in the next, and he can be something in-between as well since it’s been shown in the works he’s done that he has the talent and the ability to turn the corner and become someone completely different. Personally I did like his work as the Hulk but obviously he wasn’t the kind of person that gave off the nerdy loner vibes like Mark Ruffalo did, and if you believe that I’ve got a script you might need to look at in regards to just who’s the more favorable of the two. Anyway, Norton is the kind of guy that seems full capable of taking on just about any role that he might fit, be it a louse or a decent guy, and he’s done just that throughout his career.
Here are the five best movies of his career.
5. The Illusionist
This movie got pushed to the back quickly when The Prestige came out featuring Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, but according to some it was actually just as good if not a little more entertaining since it wasn’t about a single man’s obsession with an illusion he couldn’t understand. Instead it had a little more depth to it since the movie did involve a good number of the same elements but it also went into long and drawn out trick that eventually saw the two lovers that were destined to be together sharing a pleasing life with one another by the end. In other words it was a movie about practical magic with a happy ending.
4. 25th Hour
In a big way the whole point of this movie is that the main character is trying to do the right thing and stay on the straight and narrow path even as the temptation to veer away and continue doing the wrong thing for the right reasons assails him to no end. Monty has a chance to keep his freedom from prison, but he does the right thing and faces up to what he did, even if others benefited from it throughout the years and aren’t being held to the same standard as he is. The whole idea of the 25th hour is desperation, of something being done at the last possible minute and being inescapable all the same.
3. Primal Fear
As Stacia Kissick Jones of Spectrum Culture reminds us this movie wasn’t all that well-received by critics and even the audience didn’t really have a decisive view on it. But in truth it’s one of Norton’s better movies since he had to put up a performance that was nothing short of great since he had to play the parts of a couple of different very different individuals during the story. Whether he was Aaron or Roy he was still great since this movie kind of established just how much talent he really has and that he can flip that switch any time he needs to and become a meek mouse or a dangerous and dirty rat.
2. Fight Club
People were actually up in arms about this movie since it didn’t follow the book the way they wanted, which is laughable since a lot of movies don’t ever follow the books that made them possible, at least not so close that a person could swear they were seeing each page as it was originally written. But this movie was still enjoyable since it got crazy on a level that a lot of people might not have been expecting given that it started out so simply and in a way, kind of as a bland and very la dee da kind of experience. Once Tyler Durden and the narrator got together and started creating the mayhem however things started escalating quickly.
1. American History X
Anyone that thought that Norton was kind of the geeky type that couldn’t possibly buff up and become the badass needs to watch this movie since there’s no joking around with him when it comes this role. Sean Hutchinson of Mental Floss has a good number of facts that you might not know about this movie but one thing is clear, Edward Norton can get ripped and play the part of a guy that might take a boot to the back of your head if it means a solid paycheck and a movie that you won’t soon forget. One question that remains is no matter how much it might be a job and just pretending, one has to wonder just how actors get into this frame of mind and then deal with themselves once they’re done.
He’s a talented man without any doubts.
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