Top Ten Brad Pitt Films
9th August 2009
By Joe Boden

This month sees the release of the most anticipated American film of not just this year, but of the last few. Of course, I’m talking about Quentin Tarrantino’s latest offering; “Inglorious Basterds”. Now, I’m not exactly a huge fan of QT myself, but I am a fan of his leading man, and possibly the most famous leading man (or simply the most famous man) on this planet right now. Despite his pretty boy looks and his tendency to take a pay check role every now and again, Brad Pitt has paved his way as one of the best young actors working in America today, and his ability to bring commercial prowess to art house (or at least thoughtful) films is really quite admirable. Yes, I know that this column is pretty much filler, but chill out and read it anyway.

10. As Rusty Ryan in “Ocean’s 11” (2001)
There’s no denying that “Ocean’s 11” is an entertaining film. It sees eleven stars, including George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Brad Pitt, join forces to rob Andy Garcia’s Las Vegas Casino. It’s possibly the most star studded film of our generation (Julia Roberts and Casey Affleck also star), and it doesn’t fail to bring the laughs. I get annoyed when people call it clever (one of the best Peep Show moments stems from this; Mark: “You still don’t understand Ocean’s 11, do you?”, Jeremy: “It’s a clever film”, Mark: “It really isn’t.”), because there’s about as much substance here as in a Daily Sport Annual, but there’s certainly enjoyment to be had. The sequels were smug and over-the-top, but this first film is just right, and everyone seems to be having a ball (except for Roberts, who seems to be taking things a little too seriously). That includes Pitt, who never gets too serious and instead plays the comic foil to Clooney’s straight man, and this double act dynamic is perfect. There isn’t really much to say other than that. There’s not much to it, but I still enjoy the odd re-watch for its comedy value and for its spectacle.

9. As Benjamin Button in “the Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (2008)
Will is probably going to butcher me for including this in the list (as well as number six!), and I can see where his hate from this film comes from. I liked it when I first saw it, despite it being very, very overlong and a little laboured at times, but since then I’ve begun to see it for its flaws. However, I do still think Brad Pitt’s performance is excellent and epic, and may – over time – be recognized as one of the best of the year (a few may top it, namely Rourke in “the Wrestler”, Penn in “Milk”, and Jenkins in “the Visitor”). Button has a rare (fictional) condition which means he is born old and then regresses towards childhood. Pitt’s performance highlights his normality rather than his differences, which is an interesting take on a role which could be played simply for its oddity. Never going for alienation and instead attempting to integrate himself into society, Pitt’s Button goes from an old, curious and childlike man to a handsome thirty something to a forgetful, spiteful child. I can see why others can dislike the performance, and sometimes it gets a little tiring (particularly the accent, which isn’t exactly perfect), but for me it shows Pitt’s maturity and his ability to try something a little different.

8. As Michael Sullivan in “Sleepers” (1996)
It’s unquestionable that “Sleepers”, a film with a cast much better than the end product (Robert de Niro, Dustin Hoffman, Kevin Bacon, and more are present but unable to life the film above average), has its best sequences towards the beginning. The exploits of the young boys are brilliant, brimming with youthful exuberance and childlike innocence, and it really sets a high standard for the rest of the film. The scenes in jail bring you crashing down to earth, and are helped out by a rather brilliant performance by Kevin Bacon. It’s the scenes with the boys grown old, who struggle to find their place in the world and need closure on the whole situation, that are decidedly weaker, but they are helped out by strong performances by Hoffman and Pitt. It’s funny, then, that these two are the men who were not directly involved in the scandal, and that the four actors who play the older boys internalize too much for their own good. Pitt plays a close friend of one of these boys, and delivers an assured performance of a man unable to understand what is consuming his friend.

7. As Joe Black in “Meet Joe Black” (1998)
I may be biased here. In fact, I probably am. I can remember watching this film several times with my granddad, and by the time I was eight or nine I’d seen it six or seven times. I always thought it was the height of art in the movies, and although now I obviously see that it is a long, long, long, long, long, long, long, loooong way from being that and that it was simply my puny childish brain playing tricks on me, I still have the rose tinted glasses sitting somewhere at the back of the closet. Obviously, I now see all of its flaws; it is WAY overlong, it’s cheesy, clichéd, conventional, nothing more than a romantic comedy with heavyweight stars, and did I mention that it was overlong? However, if there’s one thing that does still hold up, it’s the performances of its two stars. I know that Hopkins has been better, but I still like the melancholic edge to his performance, and think that he delivers an assured veteran performance as a man coming to terms with his death. Pitt is brilliant, delivering a wholly original performance as a character almost done to death, if you’ll excuse the pun. For those that don’t know, Pitt plays the Reaper, who has come to take Hopkins’ millionaire to the other side. Nuanced, comedically satisfying, interesting, and wholly different from the better but also safer takes of Bengt Ekerot (“the Seventh Seal”) and Bernhard Goetzke (“Der Mude Tod”), Pitt’s Death is one that you won’t forget, even if you want to.

Brad Pitt in the Coens' "Burn After Reading"

6. As Chad in “Burn After Reading” (2008)
It’s no secret that the Coen brothers have struggled when it comes to comedy this decade. “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” was there last real critical hit in the comedy genre, and all of their subsequent films (“Intolerable Cruelty”, “the Hudsucker Proxy”, “the Ladykillers”) have ranged from weak to conventional to sacrilegious, or sometimes all three. And therefore, their 2008 star-studded black comedy about political stupidity entitled “Burn After Reading” came as a bit of a surprise. Not only was it a little bit clever in its comedy, but it was actually funny. Can you imagine that? A big part of that is Brad Pitt, who delivers a slapsticky but incredibly funny performance as a personal trainer mixed up in something that does not concern him. His delivery of lines such as “you should take better care… of your shit” (or something to that end) and the return of his trademark maniacal laugh help make this one of his best comedic roles.

5. As Floyd in “True Romance” (1992)
It may be odd to include Floyd here in the top five (in truth, Pitt is not the star of any of my top five, suggesting that he’s more useful in a supporting role than in a leading one), but I just love this cameo. Tony Scott’s “True Romance” is flawed at best, with too much cheese and a ridiculous shoot out at the end, but it’s the performances that save it. Everyone from Christian Slater to Patricia Arquette to Christopher Walken is perfect here, and that’s the same for Pitt as a silent stoner who seems to float in and out of the film with no real significance. Comically superb and always managing to lift his scenes from good to great, Pitt’s involvement in the film (that he was even willing to be involved is a miracle!) lifts it, for me, from a two star film to a three star film, and that’s the sign of a great performance.

4. As Jeffrey Groiden in “Twelve Monkeys” (1995)
The film that won Brad Pitt his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, “Twelve Monkeys” is one of master popular surrealist and former Python member Terry Gilliam’s very best films. It is a re-make of the Chris Marker short “La Jetee”, which sees a man transported back in time to find the roots of a violence which has caused the decay and near-extinction of humanity. Brad Pitt’s role as Jeffrey is wholly original to Gilliam’s incarnation, and is probably the biggest difference from Marker’s film. Placed in partly for comic relief, Pitt’s performance is zany, over-the-top, and near insane. That’s probably about right considering he’s an inmate at the mental asylum that Bruce Willis is placed in, with Pitt leading a “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” –esque existence with seemingly no rules. His concerns, though, lie deeper than you’d think, and Groiden’s hysteria and paranoia are the two most tangible traits of the character, portrayed wonderfully by Pitt.

3. As Tyler Durden in “Fight Club” (1997)
Ah, the iconic role that defined his career, and only at number three? Sacrilege! Well, there’s no doubt that Pitt is great here, and this is perhaps the coolest role of his career, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s acted off screen by Edward Norton (controversial thought; this is Norton’s only great performance, but that’s another thought for another time), and that he’s been better twice. I’ll try not to give the ending away, because to those who have not yet been spoiled (who’ve been living under a rock on Saturn for twelve and a half years) it will lift the film from good to great, but it’s safe to say that Durden isn’t all that he seems. Pitt’s performance is fantastic, incredibly zany and sometimes over the top, but always focused and channelling Durden’s insanity into determination. There are some wonderful comic touches, but the icing on the cake is the dramatic prowess. Take a look at the scenes towards the end, where Pitt begins to mould the troubled young men into terrorists, and that should be enough to secure Pitt’s status as one of the greatest of his generation.

2. As Jesse James in “the Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” (2007)
There’s two title stars here, and – arguably – the main character is not the idol that is Jesse James, but instead Robert Ford, played by Casey Affleck. In some ways, then, Pitt seems like a supporting act in his own film, but he doesn’t let that get to him. Instead, he delivers an incredible performance of a man being pushed over the edge. Pitt’s James is not a gun slinging Robin Hood, but a sad, dejected, and mentally troubled man who knows he is going to die, and – in some ways – is choosing how it is going to happen and at who’s hand. Affleck won the plaudits and deservedly so, because his performance as Robert Ford is perhaps the best of the year and deserved the supporting actor award at the year’s Oscars (which was won by the showier but ultimately weaker one by Javier Bardem in “No Country gor Old Men”), but it’s not fair to forget Pitt altogether. Pitt’s James is troubled by a looming death, several physical diseases or afflictions, mental instability, and his celebrity… who better to play him than the most famous man on earth?

1. As Detective John Mills in “Seven” (1995)
Easily the best film Pitt has ever starred in and most probably his best performance too, “Se7en” – directed by Pitt favourite David Fincher – is a gritty serial killer film set in a town that always seems to rain. Stuck on a case which involves seven killings centred on each of the seven deadly sins as well as in a marriage which seems to be stuttering to a halt, Mills’ youthful looks are off set by knowledge of what the world is really like. Pitt never smiles, but the emotion that he conveys using only his face is enough, resulting in this being a heavily nuanced, powerful performance that really displays Pitt’s range. He’s not the star here, either, with that plaudit going to Morgan Freeman as his veteran partner Somerset, but Pitt – along with Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey – give some incredible support.
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