Joey Magidson
A year ago, I said that Glen Powell was going to rule Hollywood. He was close to doing so already, but the top of the A-list is well within his grasp, and today, he feels even closer. Always charismatic, with an unteachable screen presence, he’s a goddamn movie star. With The Running Man now in theaters as of this weekend, on the heels of Chad Powers streaming on Hulu a month or so ago, it seemed like a fun time to do a new ranking of Powell. Last year was the inaugural one, coinciding with Hit Man and Twisters, because I was positive this is a top ten list that’s going to evolve and expand in the years to come. Today, it does.
In my review of The Running Man here, I praised Powell’s notable star power like so:
Glen Powell turns in a high star wattage performance, never receding into the background of the action or effects. Powell gives Ben a personality full of rage, but even so, the charm is always there. It’s a fun action hero that has a unique sensibility, which is in short supply.
Previously, when I raved about Hit Man here out of TIFF back in 2023, I had the following to say about him:
Glen Powell gives a true star-making performance here. Not only that, he makes it look easy. Charming and charismatic, Powell lights up the screen. He’s been doing that for years now, but this is the purest example yet of his A-list talent. If he’s not one of the most in demand actors in Hollywood after this, someone isn’t paying attention. He has incredible chemistry with Adria Arjona, who has her own compelling screen presence. Together, they’re one of the sexiest and most enjoyable screen couples of 2023.
Below, you can see where I rank Powell’s top performances to date, updated to include The Running Man. I find him incredibly charming, especially in early work like Everybody Wants Some!! as well as in last year’s Hit Man. Those are easily his two best turns, in my humble opinion. Where does Top Gun: Maverick rank? How does Twisters stack up a year later? What of his romantic comedy turns? You’re about to find out…
Here now are my picks for the best Glen Powell turns so far:
10. Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood
9. Set It Up
7. Twisters
6. Hidden Figures
4. Devotion
2. Everybody Wants Some!!
1. Hit Man
What are your favorite Glen Powell performances? Let us know!
I don’t know if I told you this already, but I did finally catch up with Hit Man and, I can’t believe it, but our “pattern” still holds for the fifth consecutive year: I continue to defend Mikey Madison in Anora as a great choice for Best Actress from both you and the Academy. Glen Powell, on the other hand, is… fine? He certainly wasn’t bad in Hit Man. And I agree with you that he has a kind of effortless charisma that’s tailor-made for movie stardom (I’d be curious to see what Benett Miller or Steven Soderbergh could get out of him). But his portrayal of Gary Johnson also came off to me like more of an “actors’ studio” showcase for what he’s capable of, rather than a fully-realized characterization. In fact, if I had to choose just one performance to single out for recognition in that movie, I might have personally gone for Adria Arjona, instead.
It’s wild that something I first noted as a mild little coincidence in 2022 has kept on going.
Fascinating as always!