Michael Douglas vs. Kevin Spacey: Better Actor?

It's nostalgia vs. these days for me.

I prefer Douglas these days; the fact that he's not a POS in real life helps... kinda love him in Wonder Boys and can't wait to see his Franklin... but I love no film of his to the amount of Spacey's 90s finest...

Voted Soze, ugh.

Spacey was generally the better actor and was capable of more than Douglas, but I think Douglas is deceptively underrated in regards to his talent and skill. I look at some of the non-villainous roles that Spacey played like L.A. Confidential and I could absolutely imagine Douglas as Trashcan Jack Vincennes in an '80s-era adaptation. I also think Douglas's peaks like his Liberace rival anything Spacey's done, but if we're talking depth of career, I think Spacey still has the edge.

I think this undersells Douglas capabilities a lot. Because that sounds more like a description of Richard Gere. Douglas is a serious character actor, not just a movie star. Things like Falling Down, Wonder Boys, Behind The Candelebra are character roles. He can't just rely on his persona, usual bag of tricks, or movie star charm or whatever. And he nails them and they are among his best performances. The man has range.

I actually think Douglas is a more capable and rangy screen actor than Spacey. Spacey really struggles when he tries to be the "everyman" or overly sympathetic. He can veer into maudlin and mawkish territory to try and make those characters sympathetic. There was a phase after he won Best Actor for American Beauty , where he decided he was going to be the new Tom Hanks, and it exposed his limitations brutally, because he kept getting miscast in these everyman/sympathetic/feelgood roles, which he just can't pull off well enough. K-Pax, Pay It Forward, The Life Of David Gale, The Shipping News. 

It's really telling that his career only really picked up again after he embraced what he's really good at, which is playing unrepentant assholes or guys with a distinct air of sleaze about them like he did in House Of Cards. As a sympathetic leading man, he's pretty ineffective most of the time

Douglas is great at unrepentant assholes and anti-heroes like Spacey, but he also makes a great sympathetic lead and everyman. His character in The American President has an inspirational quality that I don't think Spacey has in him. Douglas was like a lead in a Frank Capra movie in that film and he was perfect. You could imagine Jimmy Stewart playing that role in the 1940's.  Spacey kept trying to play that kind of role, and couldn't really pull it off.

The only advantage Spacey has over Douglas for me, is his stage career. Which is what makes it closer. Onscreen, Douglas can do everything Spacey does, but a lot more besides.

Glad we've doubled the poll results since yesterday......I didn't vote because it's my poll - did we just meet ffs but I guess we should point out if you wanted to praise Spacey's impressive theater career you could - Tony winner, Olivier nominee...........or not.......I mean theater on this board is a little dead ........well it is........ and Douglas isn't up to that obviously

Spacey may be a scuzzy guy but his (overall) credentials were pretty stellar - almost shockingly so ......the rare Oscar / Tony winner combo yadda yadda