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Post by pacinoyes on Sept 1, 2019 16:26:03 GMT
Usually with actors I have a pretty good idea where I rank them - certainly American actors I kind of know who fits where but Freeman had such a baffling career that I don't know whether I'm overpraising him or being too hard on him or what. How "great" was he/is he? He's in his early 80s so he's in that range of the 4 big 70s guys, Duvall, Hackman. Pauline Kael once asked at the time of Street Smart "Is Morgan Freeman America's Greatest Actor?" - I'd say "not when she said it" but many would say starting at that point he became it or was very close to it at least. 5 Oscar nominations and he could have had more too from Street Smart to Invictus - not nodded for Unforgiven, Seven etc. He was even good older too - early 70s for Invictus. But when he got into the movies big time with Street Smart he really went all in for the movies - almost stopped theater entirely, stopped TV where he could have been really major in, he does a ton of awful movies - almost all paycheck cashing ones............his upcoming movies look bad too mostly. What are some fave roles, and what are some underrated ones that look like paycheck movies that aren't? He was 44th I think on our actors poll - too low?  |
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cherry68
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Man is unhappy because he doesn't know he's happy. It's only that.
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Post by cherry68 on Sept 1, 2019 16:43:28 GMT
The first movie I remember him in was Brubaker. It was 1980, but his hugest successful years were the 90s - he was in lots of the most popular movies of that decade. Maybe he could have been considered one of the best actors of the 90s, even because he tried different genres.
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Post by pacinoyes on Sept 1, 2019 18:04:13 GMT
The first movie I remember him in was Brubaker. It was 1980, but his hugest successful years were the 90s - he was in lots of the most popular movies of that decade. Maybe he could have been considered one of the best actors of the 90s, even because he tried different genres. Yes and that's what makes him so hard to rate - he was 51 when he made Street Smart in the late 80s which is what happens sometimes with UK actors but not US ones. Except Rylance and Hopkins to give just 2 examples were already known and considered great actors before they broke through with mainstream film success - Freeman wasn't exactly "unknown" but he was on a far lower level at age 51. In some ways that case for Freeman where he should even be ranked higher that he is would be based on things he never did or got a chance to do which is always a shaky argument ......but 5 nominations from 51 to 72/73 with a couple of other near misses is something else. |
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Post by TerryMontana on Sept 1, 2019 19:43:05 GMT
In my opinion, he's a very talented guy and one of the best still active actors of his generation (in his 80s I mean). Even if his movie career started late, he earned the acclaim he deserved.
Two things I don't like about Freeman. First, he's making crappy movies. A LOT
Second thing is you will always see him play intelligent, educated/ intellectual characters. Never absent-minded or low-intelligent ones. I mean, try playing something out of your comfort zone, man!
My personal favorite performances of him are in Million Dollar Baby and Street Smart.
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Post by jakesully on Sept 2, 2019 4:02:01 GMT
He starred in my favorite film of ALL TIME (Se7en) so I gotta show some respect to the man. Dude is legit awesome and has been a very reliable actor spanning decades now. and I be forever grateful for him standing up to the evil studio execs wanting to change & water down the ending to Se7en. Mr Freeman wanted David Fincher to get final cut & the ending he wanted (with the head in the box). His performance as Detective Somerset is such a great role and Freeman knocked it out of the park as the older / more cynical detective.
Some other fav performances from Mr Freeman would be Glory, The Dark Knight, Unforgiven and of course Shawshank.
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Post by TerryMontana on Sept 2, 2019 5:22:51 GMT
He starred in my favorite film of ALL TIME (Se7en) so I gotta show some respect to the man. Dude is legit awesome and has been a very reliable actor spanning decades now. and I be forever grateful for him standing up to the evil studio execs wanting to change & water down the ending to Se7en. Mr Freeman wanted David Fincher to get final cut & the ending he wanted (with the head in the box). His performance as Detective Somerset is such a great role and Freeman knocked it out of the park as the older / more cynical detective. Some other fav performances from Mr Freeman would be Glory, The Dark Knight, Unforgiven and of course Shawshank. I don't think there is anyone here who hasn't seen Se7en but... spoilers!  |
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Post by Johnny_Hellzapoppin on Sept 14, 2019 23:03:37 GMT
I bloody love him. I think he has a level of screen presence that few actors can compete with and if you combine that with his talent as an actor, you have a hell of a combination. He commands attention and I am always happy to answer his call.
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Post by pacinoyes on May 31, 2020 23:14:54 GMT
Cheating a little but Happy Birthday born on June 1.......he turns 83. Appropriately a day after his buddy Clint   |
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Post by futuretrunks on May 31, 2020 23:48:51 GMT
He's competent, but I find him unremarkable most of the time, and overly reliant on his voice. His last performance I cared for was Shawshank; his last great line reading was that "Shoot this motherfucker!" line in Wanted.
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Post by Martin Stett on Jun 1, 2020 2:27:53 GMT
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Post by theycallmemrfish on Jun 1, 2020 2:53:55 GMT
Incredibly consistent with some wonderful highs... and I'm honestly trying to think of some lows (performance-wise, film-wise he's all over the map).
Still maintain his best performance is in Seven.
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Post by pupdurcs on Jun 1, 2020 4:53:11 GMT
He's competent, but I find him unremarkable most of the time, and overly reliant on his voice. His last performance I cared for was Shawshank; his last great line reading was that "Shoot this motherfucker!" line in Wanted. At his best, Freeman is one of the all-time greats. His work in Shawshank Redemption rivals any of the most great naturalistic and humane movie performances given by legends like James Stewart or Spencer Tracy (Freeman feels like something of a throwback to that era of film actor). But for me, he carried Seven, was magnificent in Glory and even Driving Miss Daisy, as hokey as that film could be. His run in the 90's was special, and while his schtick became a bit too over-familiar, like Michael Caine, Freeman is always a welcome presence (I think he is probably one of the most underrated components of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, and his easy chemistry with Christian Bale is a joy to watch) His technical range isn't particularly notable (he once played Malcolm X in a TV movie and it wasn't his finest hour as he was unable to look or sound anything like Malcolm) and I think breaking through so late (in terms of age) in his career maybe robbed us and him of some of the most vital years and performances of his career. Before he became known as "gravitas personified" which became easy for him to coast on in his dotage, his performance as a lethal pimp in Street Smart showed we were denied a very different younger, Freeman, who might have regularly exuded a danger and sexuality that we associate with a younger Pacino or DeNiro. We never got that portion of Freeman's career, but we saw a glimpse of it in Street Smart, and it was no wonder that Pauline Kael was then compelled to muse if he could be considered America's greatest actor after seeing him in Street Smart, and seeing what was there that had been denied audiences so long for the most part. Freeman's career exploded after Street Smart, but we would never really see that dangerous and edgy side to Freeman again, which is a shame. |
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Post by TerryMontana on Jun 1, 2020 5:15:09 GMT
One of the best! Happy bday, mr. Freeman!
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Post by pupdurcs on Jun 1, 2020 5:15:18 GMT
Incredibly consistent with some wonderful highs... and I'm honestly trying to think of some lows (performance-wise, film-wise he's all over the map). Still maintain his best performance is in Seven. I'd say watching him try to play Malcolm X in Death Of A Prophet was a major low. He didn't have the technical chops to pull it off. He's fortunate few have seen it today. Any time he tried to play any remotely dark or villainous character after Street Smart was incredibly disappointing. He'd become so affable and likeable in his demeanour that he could no longer summon that kind intimidating energy. He's supposed to be some sort of dangerous mob boss in Lucky Number Slevin, and he doesn't really deviate how he plays that role much from how he plays the affable "God" in Bruce Almighty. So the man has his limitations and roles where he is just flat out miscast. |
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Post by therealcomicman117 on Jun 1, 2020 16:26:22 GMT
Incredibly consistent with some wonderful highs... and I'm honestly trying to think of some lows (performance-wise, film-wise he's all over the map). Still maintain his best performance is in Seven. I'd say watching him try to play Malcolm X in Death Of A Prophet was a major low. He didn't have the technical chops to pull it off. He's fortunate few have seen it today. Any time he tried to play any remotely dark or villainous character after Street Smart was incredibly disappointing. He'd become so affable and likeable in his demeanour that he could no longer summon that kind intimidating energy. He's supposed to be some sort of dangerous mob boss in Lucky Number Slevin, and he doesn't really deviate how he plays that role much from how he plays the affable "God" in Bruce Almighty. So the man has his limitations and roles where he is just flat out miscast. I think Freeman's one of those performers whose voice kinda holds him back sometimes, especially as he's gotten older. You constantly expect him to play a saint all the time, and the fact that he does all that narration probably doesn't help. He doesn't really deviate much with his roles anymore either, and more often then not, he's cast to play an important adviser, or the best "bud". This isn't entirely his fault, stereotyping is to blame, but still it makes a lot of his later performances come off more "sleepy" as a result. That being said, I thought he was an incredibly fun villain in Wanted, though that might have been a case of him being more energetic then anything. |
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Post by stephen on Jun 1, 2020 16:50:53 GMT
Much like Clint, when he's on, there's no one like him. And he has some staggering peaks. Se7en is one of the finest neo-noir performances ever shot (and for my money, the best male performance directed by Fincher), he's instantly iconic in Shawshank, and he's a beautiful screen partner in Unforgiven. I think it's very fitting that Scrudpup mentioned Michael Caine in conjunction with him; I think they both fill similar niches. Only difference is we got to see Caine grow up on-screen before us and age into that elder statesman role; Freeman pretty much popped up in those shoes already.
Problem is, Freeman's got a type, and when he strays from that type, it can backfire. I think his Oscar-winning turn is the worst in his category; it's unbelievable to me that the man who directed him to such incredible heights in their first Best Picture coaxed such lifeless, leaden, lazy work from him in the second. It's a bad win, both in general and for a career studded with more deserving works. I don't agree that he's miscast in Lucky Number Slevin, but Kingsley just eats him alive in their big scene together (and I generally think Freeman is a better actor than Sir Ben). And the less said about his second Stephen King sojourn, the better.
Freeman's the physical embodiment of gravitas, and if you play to his strengths, you'll find no one better.
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Post by jakesully on Jun 1, 2020 19:31:42 GMT
Incredibly consistent with some wonderful highs... and I'm honestly trying to think of some lows (performance-wise, film-wise he's all over the map). Still maintain his best performance is in Seven. Definitely agree on all points esp his best performance being Se7en(its certainly my favorite at least). The way he delivered the final lines of that film always gives me goosebumps. |
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Post by pacinoyes on Dec 7, 2021 22:25:52 GMT
The guy has a very busy 2022 - 5 movies, 3 in post-production, 2 in pre-production - opposite some good actors, and he's playing some interesting stuff (one an old bluesman opposite Alfre Woodard).
Busy guy for 84 years old........haven't liked him much since 2009 and some of these may go straight to video (he does A LOT) but got to admire his work ethic....
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