Michael Shannons 10 Best Roles (According To Rotten Tomatoes)

Michael Shannon’s 10 Best Roles (According To Rotten Tomatoes)

Michael Shannon has amassed an impressive filmography – and according to Rotten Tomatoes, these are the best of his work so far.

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Michael Shannon is one of modern cinema’s best-kept secrets. Over the past twenty years, the enigmatic actor has steadily been accruing one of the most diverse and interesting filmographies of any working actor today. Known mostly for his villainous supporting turns in big-budget hits like Man of Steel and The Shape of Water, Shannon has also put in impressive turns in a wide array of indie gems and television series.

Understated, charming, and yet always on the verge of exploding, Michael Shannon brings a singular presence to the screen that only seems to be getting better with each film. Here are his ten best roles as ranked by Rotten Tomatoes aggregate scores.

10 Richard Kuklinski – The Iceman (67%)

One of the rare times when Shannon was given the lead in a film, this crime thriller from 2013 casts the actor as real-life hitman Richard Kuklinski, a man responsible for over 100 hits carried out over a number of decades until he was finally arrested in 1986. The film attempts to show how Kuklinski balanced his deadly profession with a completely average life, including a family who remained entirely ignorant of Kuklinski’s true nature until his arrest. Shannon is magnetic in the role, which seems tailor-made to his specialties from the get-go.

9 Bobby Andes – Nocturnal Animals (74%)

Fashion designer Tom Ford’s second foray into writing/directing a feature film was this 2016 thriller led by Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal. The film presents a parallel narrative, one set in the “real world,” and the other set in the world of Gyllenhaal’s character’s novel manuscript.

Shannon appears as the detective character in the novel world, bringing his typical blend of authority and melancholy in a small-but-effective role. Ford’s film is dark and strange, which is exactly the type of cinematic environment where Michael Shannon thrives.

8 Dex – Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (88%)

Master crime drama helmer Sidney Lumet went out with a bang with his final film, this 2007 caper about two brothers who get in over their head after participating in a jewelry heist gone awry. Lumet’s typical flair for ratcheting up tension through dialogue is on full display here. Shannon appears briefly here as a scorned man seeking retribution for his brother’s death in a role that is limited but once again displays Shannon’s ability to make an impression with only a few minutes of screentime to work with. He holds his own in the film against giants like Philip Seymour-Hoffman and Ethan Hawke.

7 Grey Villet – Loving (89%)

The fifth collaboration between Shannon and writer/director Jeff Nichols was the second film they made together in 2016, the other being the excellent Midnight Special. Shannon’s role in this real-life account of a landmark case dealing with interracial marriage is of photographer Grey Villet, a man hired by LIFE Magazine to profile the Lovings couple. Shannon shot all of his scenes in one day, another smaller role for the actor, though he gets to turn in a much more tender and uplifting performance as opposed to his typical stoic demeanor.

6 Curtis – Take Shelter (92%)

Perhaps the best collaboration thus far between Shannon and Jeff Nichols is this dramatic thriller from 2011. Shannon takes the lead in the film as a family man who is experiencing terrible hallucinations of impending doom. A film that builds tension and dread through quiet moments and restrained filmmaking, much of the onscreen heavy work rests on Shannon’s shoulders.

He is more than up to the task, brilliantly portraying a man worried for himself and his family while trying to maintain his sanity. A tour-de-force of the indie world upon release, Take Shelter paved the way for further collaborations between the actor and director.

5 Nelson Van Alden – Boardwalk Empire (92%)

Shannon continues to alternate between film and television to great success. His best small-screen role to date is as Agent Nelson Van Alden in HBO’s sprawling gangster series, Boardwalk Empire. Though the series was primarily focused on the rise-and-fall of Steve Buscemi’s Nucky Thompson, Van Alden’s own fall from grace provided a fascinating B-story than ran the entirety of the series. Shannon’s chops are fully exhibited in the series as he goes from noble special agent to one of Al Capone’s cronies. A series that was widely acclaimed, but criminally under-watched, this is some of Michael Shannon’s best work.

4 Strickland – The Shape of Water (92%)

In many ways, the role of Strickland is an archetypal Michael Shannon role. However, the combination of Shannon’s performance and the film’s excellent screenplay bring layers of nuance to the antagonist. He is truly terrifying in the role of a man obsessed with recapturing the humanoid amphibian creature at the center of the film’s narrative. The Shape of Water’s cast is primarily made up of character actors and supporting players who are all given time to shine in Del Toro’s Best Picture winner. Shannon has never been scarier than he is in this one.

3 Rick Carver – 99 Homes (93%)

Pairing up with Andrew Garfield in this economic thriller, Shannon stars as a cutthroat real estate broker who offers Garfield’s character his family’s home back if he will agree to help evict other families from their home. A smart and well-rounded thriller with more on its mind than just building suspense, the chemistry between Garfield and Shannon is unique to behold and helps create the mood of tension that the film needs to succeed.

The film was acclaimed by critics and had a good festival run, though it remains underseen by the general public. Shannon’s gift for restrained menace has rarely been channeled as well.

2 Walt Thrombrey – Knives Out (97%)

One of Shannon’s more recent, and financially successful, outings is this Rian Johnson whodunit from 2019. Shannon’s supporting turn as the son of a murdered novelist allows the actor to marry his more eccentric tendencies with his almost-creepy understated demeanor in a role that’s both humorous and insufferable. Shannon manages to both give a memorable performance in the film and allow for the other members of the ensemble to shine as well, choosing when and when not to chew the scenery a bit. One of last year’s most beloved original properties, Shannon certainly brought an intensity to the proceedings.

1 Galen – Mud (97%)

Nichols and Shannon reteamed once again in 2013 for this slice of southern gothic genius. Led by a magnetic performance from Matthew McConaughey, the film tells of the titular drifter’s experiences after meeting two young boys. Shannon does his thing here in a smaller role as one of the boy’s uncle. Nichols’ film went on to garner near-universal acclaim f0r its script and the performances from a truly stacked ensemble. Shannon’s minor role would have been forgettable in the hands of a less capable actor, but Shannon makes Galen his own, a southern-fried man with fire boiling just beneath the veneer. One of the best films of the decade.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/michael-shannon-best-roles-rotten-tomatoes/

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