Garrett Hedlund seems like the kind of guy that could possibly step up and become a lead actor if he had the right role, but Tron:Legacy just wasn’t it. In many of his other movies he’s been a great supporting actor and even been one of the best characters in the story, but as far as being the lead goes he’s just not at that point, if he’s ever going to take it. Quite honestly the guy is good at what he does and he can make you hate him or love him depending on his character and how he plays it out. A lot of times he’s one of the more noticeable faces in the movie but there are those moments when he kind of slips into the background and becomes almost a non-entity until it’s time for him to step in again and assume his role. Overall he is a great actor and deserves a bit more recognition at times for his contributions.
Here are a few of his best movies thus far.
5. Friday Night Lights
There are places in this country where the sanctity of a sport is never questioned and is, in some ways, the only way out for those that want something better from life. The kind of pressure this puts on a student athlete is intense enough that it wasn’t too hard to think about how Miles decided to lie about his injuries in order to play, or how Don simply didn’t want to talk about how being the son of a high school legend was something less than people might have thought. The kind of life that is given to young athletes is great when it comes without the added stress and expectations, but that’s exceedingly rare.
4. Troy
This story has been told a few different ways but the one thing that is the same in each version is that Patroclus does in fact die. In this version however he was so bent on helping his fellow Greeks eke out a victory against the Trojans that he donned his cousin’s armor and went to fight in his place. Unfortunately his skills and the zeal for battle weren’t enough when it came to the high stakes that had to be paid for one wrong movement at the wrong time. The fact that he lasted so long against Hector was kind of impressive and indicative of his teachings, but where Hector was a seasoned warrior, Patroclus was a young man playing at being a hero.
3. Death Sentence
Whether it’s due to a life spent on the streets or because of a serious narcissistic streak, the main protagonist, played by Hedlund, was the type of guy who thought that he ran everything he surveyed and wasn’t about to be told different. Unfortunately for him and his posse even the most mild-mannered individual that wouldn’t normally fight anyone can be pushed too far, and when Kevin Bacon’s character finds that he has nothing left to live for he unloads and goes on a shooting spree against Hedlund and his cronies, not stopping until he finally gets the last word and bullet in.
2. Triple Frontier
It’s amazing what money does to even the most stalwart of people. Those who have principles that they’re taught never to break, to believe in with everything they have, will still find themselves tested when it comes to having enough money to take care of their families and live out the lives they want. When five US soldiers decide to take on a mission that’s not sanctioned and not about to be put on the books they find out that getting away with a fortune is not quite as easy as they thought it might be and the price that comes after isn’t nearly worth it. In the end they decide to give their shares to the family of their slain companion and go their separate ways.
1. Four Brothers
Family isn’t always who you’re born to, it’s who you accept into your life and who you decide to call brother. In this movie Hedlund plays the role of Jack Mercer, a guy with some serious problems that is still part of a bigger family of miscreants that were taken in by Evelyn Mercer. When Evelyn is assassinated however the four young men she raised return to their hometown seeking closure, and a bit of vengeance as they come to realize that their mother’s killing wasn’t due to some random robbery. What ensues not too long after is a full-on war that doesn’t end until the man that gave the order is finally put to rest, and the cops that were in on it are exposed.
Garrett definitely has what it takes to be leading man material, but like a lot of people he just needs the right script.
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