Joey Magidson
Ralph Fiennes is one of our best actors, that much goes without saying. A project that lands Fiennes is always better for it. This week, audiences in general release are seeing what festival crowds the past month or two have seen, as Conclave is opening up. It features one of his best turns to date, so it naturally led to another top ten list. This time, it’s for a true legend, too.
In my review of Conclave here back at the Telluride Film Festival, I spoke of Fiennes like so:
Ralph Fiennes leads an impeccable cast. This is one of his best roles and best performances, which is saying something. Fiennes wears the weight of his job in every frame he appears in, keeping his cool until moments when his frustrations boil through.
Below, you can see what I think Fiennes’ finest hours have been. Like almost anyone else, I have The Grand Budapest Hotel and Schindler’s List in the top five, and in fact, in the top three. It’s hard to deny those two, as is Conclave once more folks have seen it. The rest of the list? Well, there’s flicks of all sorts, so you’ll see both indies and popcorn films, as well as potentially a surprise or two. Of course, be sure to chime in with your own selections as well. It’s only fair…
Here now are my picks for the best performances so far from Ralph Fiennes. Behold:
Honorable Mention: The Constant Gardener, Coriolanus, The LEGO Batman Movie, Official Secrets, and Spider
Special Citation: Fiennes’ turns in the most recent James Bond films (Skyfall, Spectre, and No Time to Die)
10. A Bigger Splash
9. Hail, Caesar!
8. The English Patient
7. In Bruges
6. The Menu
5. Quiz Show
4. Red Dragon
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
2. Conclave
1. Schindler’s List
What are your favorite Ralph Fiennes performances? Let us know!
Very good list. I haven’t seen Conclave yet but can’t wait to catch it. My biggest shock when reviewing his filmography was in his first 6 film credits he had Schindlers List, Strange Days, Quiz Show and the English Patient….talk about jumping onto the scene. I assumed he was in more before getting cast in those films by those directors and I just couldn’t remember them. But no. Pretty amazing.
15 – I’ll follow your bond mention and tie it with his Harry Potter performances.
14 – Duchess, The
13 – Spider
12 – Oscar and Lucinda
11 – End of the Affair
10 – Strange Days
9 – Constant Gardner
8 – English Patient
7 – Bigger Splash
6 – Menu, The
5 – Ini Bruges
4 – Red Dragon
3 – Quiz Show
2 – Schindlers List
1 – Grand Budapest Hotel
Strong choices!