Joey Magidson
As I’ve previously said, Brad Pitt is an old fashioned movie star. That goes without saying, considering his fame, but it also explains why he’s such an A-lister. He just has “IT” and when that’s the case, you become a movie star. It doesn’t hurt that he’s also grown into a very talented actor, but even at the start, he had charisma to spare. With this weekend marking the release of Heart of the Beast, where he’s almost exclusively the only human being on the screen, it seems like a perfect time to rank his work once again.
In my review earlier this week for Heart of the Beast (here), I spoke of Pitt like so:
Brad Pitt almost feels like he’s slumming it here, until you realized that he’s almost exclusively acting opposite a dog co-star. He gets to be a man of few words and decisive actions, though with a bit of mortality that makes him less Superman and more just a highly trained soldier. Pitt has wonderful chemistry with his animal co-stars, and each of the dogs turns in lovely work. You believe their bond throughout. It’s pretty much just Pitt and whichever dog is on the screen, as aside from J.K. Simmons, the only other person with any degree of screen time is Anna Lambe.
In my review of F1: The Movie (here) last year, I said the following about Pitt’s performance:
Brad Pitt is in full movie star mode here, with charisma to spare. There’s a swagger to his work here that’s just A-lister 101. His chemistry with Javier Bardem, Kerry Condon, and Damson Idris also makes for some really fun moments.
Below, you can see what I feel are currently Pitt’s best turns. I’m quite partial to Moneyball and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, considering them his pinnacle, acting-wise. At the same time, something like Ad Astra is probably his most underrated performance. When it comes to Pitt, you can choose which style you prefer, so maybe you have Fight Club or Inglourious Basterds ranked highly (I certainly include both), though other folks will gravitate towards something like The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. There’s no wrong answer here, too. Next you’ll see my answer, but yours is just as valid, of course.
Here now is my ranking of the ten best Brad Pitt performances so far. Behold:
Honorable Mention: Babylon, The Big Short, Bullet Train, F1: The Movie, Heart of the Beast, and Seven
10. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
9. Killing Them Softly
8. Burn After Reading
7. Inglourious Basterds
6. 12 Monkeys
5. Ad Astra
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Fight Club
2. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
1. Moneyball
What are your favorite performances from Brad Pitt? Let us know!
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