At a time when fame is as ephemeral as the rapid times we live in, having a solid career in a changing industry isn’t as easy as it might sound. Few are the stars who have managed to stay relevant over the decades, and even fewer those who keep drawing audiences to movie theaters and cause such a stir with their presence. Brad Pitt is definitely one of them, so much so that even though he’s not always in the spotlight, he’s still one of the most influential characters of the industry.
With such a prolific career as the one Pitt has, there are, of course, some pieces that wouldn’t be precisely called great movies or that range more in the commercial hit level. However, over the years, Brad Pitt has proven that he’s much more than just a pretty face and a commercial hit, but actually quite a versatile performer. If you can’t get enough of him, here are the best 10 performances of his career.
10. Snatch (2000)
Dir. Guy Ritchie
9. The Big Short (2015)
Dir. Adam McKay
Set during the economic crisis that hit the US (and the world) in 2008, the film tells the story of a group of men who decide to bet everything on the economic collapse going against everybody’s wishes to save the situation. Pitt plays Ben Rickert, a retired trader who decides to get back into the business when he sees this plan could be a great chance to get rich.
8. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
Dir. Andrew Dominik
As the name indicates, the movie tells the life of the famous Old West bandit Jesse James and his eventual assassination in the hands of his own men. Played by Brad, we get to see a more human (though also ruthless) side of the man who became a myth and an icon of American popular culture.
7. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Dir. David Fincher
Not only did this film give him his second Oscar nomination, but it also showed us the different depths he could reach as an actor. It’s the touching story of a man who ages in reverse and the difficulties he faces enduring life backwards, such as love, loss, and understanding his own identity and life.
6. Moneyball (2012)
Dir. Bennett Miller
Landing him his third Oscar nomination, the film, which is based on a real story, is an account of Billy Beane’s (Brad Pitt) attempt to consolidate a strong baseball team able to compete with the great titans. All this, after his team, the Oakland Athletics, loses their best player to the New York Yankees. Though this might sound like a boring or random story, the performances and the plot made it one of the most important films of the year, showing that Brad wasn’t only great at acting, but also as the producer.
5. Babel (2006)
Dir. Alejandro González Iñárritu
In Iñárritu’s multi-plot film, Brad plays Richard Jones, an American tourist whose wife gets shot while traveling through Morocco. While the incident becomes an International issue between the US and Morocco, Richard will do anything to save his wife’s life while ignoring that back home things aren’t going as planned either.
4. Inglorious Basterds (2010)
Dir. Quentin Tarantino
Lieutenant Aldo “The Apache” Raine is probably one of the most iconic characters in the Tarantino universe, and it has a lot to do with the almost cartoonish essence that Brad bestowed on him. He’s fierce but also quite comical and satirical, which is something you wouldn’t expect from a lieutenant who demands from his men a hundred scalps each.
3. The Tree of Life (2014)
Dir. Terrence Malick
By showing episodes explaining the story of the origin of life (the formation of the universe, the first species on Earth, and so on), the experimental movie explores a man’s memories of his hard childhood during the fifties. Pitt plays Mr. O’Brien, a harsh and strict man always battling his bad temper. A really interesting film piece worth watching.
2. Fight Club (1999)
Dir. David Fincher
Based on the novel by the same name, the classic film takes us into a secret club of men who basically just fight each other. An unknown narrator chronicles how he ended up meeting Tyler Durden, a salesman he meets during a business trip and the one who takes him into the secret club, of which the first and second-most important rule is not talking about Fight Club… oops!
1. 12 Monkeys (1996)
Dir. Terry Gilliam
A deadly virus, released in 1996, ravages humanity, forcing the few survivors to live underground to avoid joining the list of millions of victims. Back in 1990, the main character (Bruce Willis) gets arrested and secluded in a mental care hospital, where he meets Jeffrey Goines, a radical patient with extreme, fanatical views. The movie explores an apocalyptic world in which time travel is possible. Oh, it also gave Pitt his very first Oscar nomination.
These movies are as diverse as the ranges Pitt has proven to be capable of reaching as an actor. Right now, we can enjoy watching him in Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood as Cliff Booth, a Hollywood star’s stuntman and friend that accompanies him in his struggle to stay relevant in a changing industry.
Read more:
Timothée Chalamet And Robert Pattinson To Star In Adaptation Of Shakespeare’s Henry V
George Clooney Will Be Directing And Starring In New Post-Apocalyptic Netflix Film
Burning: Murakami’s Short Story That Was Unadaptable For Cinema. Until Now.
