It’d be amazing and kind of impressive to think that anyone could possibly remember Ed Harris as a performer in anything that comes before Creepshow when he had a small part in one of the short stories, but it’s likely that there are those of you out there. His career has been nothing less than astounding since he’s the kind of guy that can play so many different parts even if people seem to think that he’s limited in his range. If you really think about he’s done enough in his acting career to warrant being listed as a living legend since despite his gruff appearance and demeanor at times he’s also been able to come off as one of the gentlest people on screen as well as one of the most evil and vile personalities that’s ever existed in the cinematic realms. Overall he’s one of the most talented actors we’ve ever seen and quite honestly he’s someone that you’d miss if he wasn’t around as often.
Here are just a few of his best movies.
5. Pollock
Jackson Pollock led a rather tumultuous life it would seem since his drinking and his inspiration seemed to go hand in hand at times and then sought to work in opposition during others. His neurotic nature was something of a burden to him and those around him and didn’t often allow Pollock to be viewed as anything other than a very strange individual that was somehow disconnected from reality and at the same bound by it no matter how much he tried to pull away. Harris earned an Academy Award nomination for this movie after he took it on after reading about Pollock’s life.
4. The Abyss
In some movies humans and aliens get along, in others they’re mortal enemies. And then in others, like this one, they seek to understand each other but at the same time know that there’s a gap between them that can’t be easily breached since humanity has proven to be somewhat problematic throughout our history. The funny thing about it is that the crew in this movie were seeking to retrieve a warhead and were instead met with alien beings that had apparently been watching the human race for some time. In the extended version the NTI’s almost cause the collapse of human civilization, but are stayed from this course when they see that humans can be civil and caring to one another.
3. The Rock
It’s ironic that we sometimes treat the people that are trained to protect us with the most disdain and need to rely upon those that have been forgotten to take care of the problem. This movie is one of those that reminds people, while it’s entertaining them with explosions and a stunning car chase, that it is noticed when a person’s country fails to live up to its part of the bargain. The idea of any country that is protected by those that are sworn to serve and defend it is that those same people will be taken care of when the time comes. If and when that doesn’t happen it becomes a bit tough to think that those running the country are worth the freedoms they’ve inherited.
2. Apollo 13
This was nearly one of the worst disasters in American history since the true story of it is something that a lot of people still remember. The Apollo 13 mission was a failure but the retrieval of the astronauts is something that was a success thankfully. While the movie definitely dramatizes the incident and makes a few changes here and there for the sake of cinema a lot of people still enjoyed it enough since some could remember the whole debacle and some were the same people that were watching the TV and listening for any word of the astronauts when they made re-entry. For everyone involved it was a very trying time without a doubt.
1. Radio
Harris seems to enjoy playing a part in stories that happened in real life since this one is particularly touching and gives a lot of people a sense that humans aren’t as horrible as they appear all the time. It is a story about a man befriending a young man with very a very serious mental deficiency but it’s also the story of how that same disabled individual eventually opens up and becomes a part of his community that begins to change the minds and hearts of many upon many people that might never have seen him for who he truly was. Radio is a movie that makes you feel good about being a decent person and might even make some folks think about the things they say and do on a regular basis without thinking about it.
Harris has a wealth of talent that has taken him a long ways, and hopefully we’ll see a lot more before the final curtain closes.
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