Joey Magidson
Sam Rockwell is an actor I relish seeing succeed. He put in the hard work over the years, doing character work in smaller films, really paying his dues, with the past handful of years really finally giving him his due. Rockwell is one of the more pleasing actors in my book to have finally won an Academy Award, which made the fact that he’s been nominated for an Oscar twice now, with a third almost certainly coming, all the more enjoyable. With Wild Horse Nine, he’s been receiving praise to match almost any throughout his career. As the film gets set to hit theaters after its festival run, it felt high time to look at Rockwell’s movie resume and rank his best work to date. So, that’s exactly what I did.
In my review from the Telluride Film Festival of Wild Horse Nine (here), I raved about Rockwell, along with John Malkovich, like so:
John Malkovich gives easily one of the best performances of his career, while Sam Rockwell turns in another excellent bit of work. Their bickering and bittersweet chemistry generates a lot of laughs, but also some genuine emotion. Malkovich initially alternates between troublemaking scamp and confused older man, but as things progress, more sides of him emerge. He absolutely delights, especially when he develops an affection for one of the wild horses on the island. Rockwell gives depth to a character that easily could have been second fiddle. Together, especially towards the end, they break your heart.
Earlier this year, my review of Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die (here) praised Rockwell in this gonzo turn as well:
Sam Rockwell leads the way here with a very fun gonzo performance, one capable matched by different registers from Haley Lu Richardson and Juno Temple. Rockwell gets to go wild, really leaning in to how offbeat this time traveler is. It’s not subtle work, to be sure, but it is effective, and effectively amusing.
Below, you can see how Rockwell stacks up for me. For yours truly, it’s Moon that’s still the pinnacle of his career, no question. However, Wild Horse Nine is not too far behind, with his Oscar-winning turn in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri also up at the top. Some of his most underrated work here is in Galaxy Quest and Matchstick Men, which is also cited. Just how high does Wild Horse Nine debut? Find out next…
Here now is my ranking of the best Sam Rockwell performances so far. Behold:
Honorable Mention: Argylle, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Frost/Nixon, The Green Mile, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Jojo Rabbit, Safe Men, Seven Psychopaths, and Snow Angels
10. Everybody’s Fine
9. Conviction
8. Choke
7. Vice
6. Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die
5. Galaxy Quest
4. Matchstick Men
3. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
1. Moon
What are your favorite Sam Rockwell performances? Let us know!
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