Jude Law is the kind of guy that can be what you need him to be in a movie since he’s capable of being funny but not comedic and he’s very capable of being dramatic and can even take part in something that’s inordinately gory. Repo Men wasn’t exactly one of the best films in the world largely because the story didn’t feel as though it was fully fleshed out, but it was still a different approach for Jude since a lot of the movies he’s in are quite dramatic and allow him to express himself in a very honest and forthright fashion in a lot of ways. But then there are the movies where he seems like, for lack of a better word, a jerk. He can affect a look that makes him very dangerous and even devious and it’s that kind of skill that keeps him from being seen as an obscure actor that only comes out every now and again to produce something that’s great but not entirely memorable.
Here are some of his best movies.
5. Cold Mountain
War took Inman from his betrothed but he fights his way back after being wounded and then deserting the cause. It’s likely in the real world that he wouldn’t have been the only one since a lot of young soldiers turned away from the cause due to one reason or another, most of which were due to the fact that they were on the losing side and wanted desperately to go home. But upon his return Inman finds that his way is beset with many a difficult challenge as he does his best to help others and to keep from being killed or captured so that he can make it back to the woman he loves. Sadly however he dies in her arms not long after they reunite, though he does give her a daughter she discovers later on.
4. Closer
Oh the twisted games that are played when people think they can get away with manipulating other people’s feelings. Dan is obviously the kind of guy that gets jealous, doesn’t mind hurting other people’s feelings, and yet feels slighted if people don’t come clean to him about anything he feels they might be holding back. The hypocrisy in this movie is something else and the idea that everyone is okay with playing the act that he essentially set up is amusing since he’s the only one that seems to have a problem with it in the end. By the time the movie is over however everything seems to have worked out.
3. Gattaca
It’s hard to feel sorry for anyone in this film since perfection is the key to making the whole thing work and if someone can’t be perfect it seems as though they’re unwilling to do anything but lie, scheme, and in some cases commit fraud to find a way around their iniquities. But thankfully the human condition is one that isn’t perfect and is bound to contain as many imperfections as possible since that’s just the way we’re built. When one man wants to challenge the status quo however he does find help in a person that was designed to be perfect but couldn’t accept anything but the utmost success in such an endeavor.
2. Road to Perdition
McGuire is that creepy guy that you know better than to trust since he has a real weasel-like look to him that suggests he’s anything but a good person. But the charm that he exudes in some cases is just too much to be denied since he does know how to make his way around. The only problem is that this charm is a big front for the fact that he’s not only a guy that photographs the dead, he’s also a guy that helps to make his subjects dead at the same time. When he’s pitted against top assassin Michael Sullivan however it’s a test of wits and sheer will that emerges between the two as the first meeting is just a way to size each other up.
1. The Talented Mr. Ripley
Dickie is the kind of guy that is really self-centered and yet expects it to be okay with everyone around him. He’s more than a little arrogant and definitely likes to play around but for the most part he’s the spoiled son of a rich father that doesn’t take life seriously and unfortunately rejects the wrong person. Tom Ripley is not the kind of person that handles rejection well, and it shows in this clip since after hanging around Dickie for so long he believes that Dickie is his friend, his confidante, and something more. But when Dickie decides to reject him Tom decides that it’s not good enough, that Dickie owes him something.
Jude Law is a skilled actor that’s easy to like.
