The Best of the Best

Kenneth Clark18 said:De Niro seems more concerned with the bigger picture—he’s one of the last true icons of old Hollywood, after all—so he feels obligated to show up. Personally, I still think his role in Taxi Driver was his absolute peak, and that is a tough call to make given his filmography.

But we run into a real issue here: there's a massive crowd of Oscar winners who actually won for the wrong movie. Take Al Pacino and Paul Newman, for example.

I feel the same way—it’s almost as if he’s just checking a box. It feels pointless. I honestly thought he cared more about being remembered for brilliant role selections, rather than just showing up for nonsense or roles that don't move the needle.

Kenneth Clark18 said:Let's be real—blockbusters are what 99% of people actually watch.

That's exactly my point. Maybe not 99%, but probably closer to 90%. I used to find that depressing—but honestly? I don't care anymore.
At the end of the day, blockbusters are made for that 90%—nothing more, nothing less.

I don't even really want everyone to see the absolute best stuff anyway.

Walter Grant5 said:So, based on that, I’m getting the vibe you’re critiquing how certain people react to Tom Hanks' casting choices.

Basically, the whole progression—from "I'd beat up a million people if I saw this choice" to "I just can't see myself playing any of his roles."

I meant that you probably wouldn't even think you were Ramsay Bolton—just that it was an amazing performance regardless of whether we actually feel like being that guy.

Bottom line—I'm not saying Tom Hanks is the greatest actor ever, but maybe we shouldn't judge acting quality by how much we relate to the characters he plays... because we definitely aren't going to feel like those guys.

It's not about them being bad guys, it's just that they're real, tangible people.

As for Hanks, he's just okay for me—not great, not terrible—kind of like a modern version of James Stewart (who's honestly just a better actor). I think he'd work fine in some lighter Hitchcockian films.

Picking a role from De Niro is tough—really tough—but I’d say he’s definitely underrated in Mann's heat.
He gets totally torn apart by every angle here—from the incredible Amy Brenneman he's head over heels for, to the great Val Kilmer and those women who see him as a father figure or counselor—all while running from an absolutely unhinged Al Pacino. He perfectly captures that neurosis of a guy just living life at a hundred miles an hour.

Dennis Hall41 said:It’s not that they're bad guys; it's just that they feel like tangible, real people.

Tom Hanks is just okay for me—neither great nor terrible. He feels like a modern-day version of James Stewart (who is clearly the superior actor), and I honestly think he’d be perfectly fine in some lighter Hitchcockian thrillers.

Hanks reminds me of Henry Fonda, except Fonda actually had the guts to pivot and play one of the greatest cinematic villains ever.



🙏

I don't think you can really compare them. Even with that calm vibe, Fonda didn't exactly leave people with the impression he was a nice guy—if I remember correctly, he was known for being pretty difficult both personally and on set.

Let's talk about who's missing from this lineup—who exactly isn't here, and more importantly, what role should they be filling?