Joey Magidson
Jude Law always does interesting work. I’ve even spoken to him here about that, but regardless of the material, he brings a take to it. There’s a reason why he became so in demand in such a short amount of time. This/last year has seen Law do some real varied work with a trio of period pieces in Eden, Firebrand, and The Order. With Eden about to hit theaters after playing the Toronto International Film Festival in 2024, it felt like a perfect time to take a look at Law’s career so far.
This here is some of what I said about the Eden cast, Law included, back at TIFF:
This cast goes all in on the dark material. Your favorite performance may vary, but everyone pulls their weight. There’s Ana de Armas as a full on conniver, always looking to manipulate. There’s Sydney Sweeney as a seemingly pure neophyte, who gets to really go to town on a wild sequence involving wild dogs. Perhaps you’re more in tune with the biting wit of Vanessa Kirby or Jude Law? They offer that up in spades. Daniel Bruhl offers more of a steady hand, leaning into the boring nature of this husband. For me, de Armas and Sweeney are best in show, but there’s not a weak link among them.
Last year, I said the following (here) in my TIFF review of The Order:
Jude Law is effective and intense here. If this were a purely fictional film, we’d see his demons threaten to sabotage the investigation. Instead, Law plays Husk as a man with a darkness just under the surface. It’s subtle, sure, but the intensity is always there.
Below, you can see how Law stacks up for me. There’s a lot of dealer’s choice here, though for yours truly, Closer and The Nest are his best work, with A.I.: Artificial Intelligence his most underrated. I’ll also go to bat for his performance in the Alfie remake, which isn’t a great film, but has him doing very solid work. Most lists will also include movies like Cold Mountain and The Talented Mr. Ripley as well, with mine being no exception. Where do his most recent flicks in Eden, Firebrand, and The Order land? Find out next.
Here now is my ranking of the best so far from Jude Law. Behold:
Honorable Mention: Alfie, Black Sea, Dom Hemingway, Enemy at the Gates, Existenz, Firebrand, and Spy
10. Side Effects
9. Road to Perdition
8. Eden
7. Cold Mountain
6. The Order
5. Contagion
4. The Talented Mr. Ripley
3. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
2. The Nest
1. Closer
What are your favorite performances from Jude Law? Let us know!
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