Gary Oldman is one of the greatest actors of our time. He is someone who understands the science of acting and dedicates his life to its theories and laws. Because of this, he naturally gets a little miffed when non-actors try to take a stab at the profession he spends so much time honing. On “Jimmy Kimmel Live” the other day, Oldman voiced his feelings about non-actors, specifically basketball players, making a mockery of his profession — and he did it in the best way he knows how to — with blind rage. See below:
Oldman is a master of the blow out, and in case you need a reminder of his greatness, here are 5 fuming clips of the man in his most fiery element.
State of Grace
In the noirish “State of Grace,” Oldman plays Jackie Flannery, a sociopathic member of the Irish mob in New York, better known as the westies. His jaw dropping performance finds him nearly foaming at the mouth in his drunken, eccentric actions like in this scene that’s not so much a fight scene as a complete beat down. While Oldman’s performance is a highlight, it’s an all-out brilliant film in every aspect.
Air Force One
“Air Force One” is one the most entertaining bad movies ever and a big reason why is Oldman who makes for one of the most dastardly movie terrorists of all time as Egor Korshunov. Over the course of the movie he hijacks a plane, repeatedly shoves a gun in the president’s daughter’s face, and remorselessly murders several people including one woman whom he shoots in the head point blank. In a movie filled with numerous plotholes and strained suspension of disbelief, the biggest failure is that an antagonist this cunningly evil doesn’t get away with it.
Murder in the First
In “Murder in the First,” Oldman plays an abusive warden who puts prisoner Henri Young (played by Kevin Bacon) in solitary confinement for three whole years. Fast forward the trailer to 1:33 to see a great courtroom outburst when confronted on his unorthodox methods.
True Romance
It’s still incredibly funny to see Oldman in the role of Drexl, the drug dealer pimp in “True Romance,” with his dreadlocks, Hawaiian shirt, and glass eye, talking in a thick thuggish accent. This is his introductory scene where he inexplicably kills a room full of buyers. Drexl unfortunately only has one other scene in the movie before meeting his own demise, but it remains the film’s best, at least until Christopher Walken shows up.
The Professional
In “Léon,” or “The Professional” as we’ve come to know it in the states, Oldman gives one of his most unhinged performances as the corrupt cop, Stansfield. This clip compiles every minute he’s on screen which pretty much stops the show at every turn. If you haven’t seen the movie, you should probably stop everything you’re doing and take care of that.
