More often than not, the strength of a film relies on the strength of its performers. You can have the best story, best effects and the best action, but if you don’t have the performances to anchor those aspects, the film will still fail. On the flip side, you can have the worst film in the world in all aspects, but if the acting is stellar than the film will still be at the very least watchable. There’s definitely a balancing act when it comes to film-making. You have to balance acting with the writing and other production values. Acting is pretty critical in many regards, especially in certain genres like drama and horror, but we tend to let the acting slide in action movies. You’re not necessarily there to see an Oscar-worthy performance. No, you’re there to see stuff blow up and that’s fine, but acting is still required in order to get the audience to go along with the ride. For this list, I’m going to go over what I consider to be the best performances from both male and female actors. I’m a firm believer in equality, so I’m not going to separate the two. Understand that some of these films are not necessarily going to be the best movies ever made. So let’s get into some of the best acting in 2018.
Toni Collette – Hereditary
Hereditary, if you recall from my post about 2018’s horror films, is one of the best in the genre. It’s a slow-burn film, to be sure, but that allows the film to really get under your skin. None of that would matter if the acting wasn’t strong. While Alex Wolff and Gabriel Byrne are fantastic in this film, it’s Toni Collette that truly anchors the film. This is her show and she gives one of the strongest performances of her entire career. The character is very well-written, but Toni is the real emotional force behind the film. I haven’t seen a performance like this in a horror film in years. On one hand, you’re kind of not necessarily liking the character at first, but over the course of the film, especially when tragedy strikes in the second of the film. It’s a very heart-wrenching performance and Toni just really hammers it home. Hereditary is an amazing film, but it’s worth watching for Toni’s performance alone.
Lance Henriksen – Gone Are The Days
Lance Henriksen is an absolute legend in the acting community. Whether he’s voicing people in video games or playing villains in movies like Hard Target, Lance really ups the ante in whatever project he’s working on. He’s never really gotten the recognition that he deserves with mainstream movies, but he’s definitely made his mark over the past 40 or so years. Most people would recognize him as the android Bishop from Aliens or the villain from Hard Target, but some of his best work is in stuff where there’s not a whole lot of action. His role as Taylon Flynn in Gone Are The Days, is one of his strongest performances that I’ve seen in years. He plays an aging outlaw that finds out that his estranged daughter is whoring herself out just to make ends meet, so he goes to the town where she’s at so he can try and make things right before he dies. The film is anchored by strong performances across the board including Tom Berenger, but it’s Henriksen that gives the film its emotional core. Lance’s age actually allows him to settle into the role and gives the character a level of humanity that you would not expect from a character like that.
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski – A Quiet Place
A Quiet Place is another really strong horror film that came out this year and for good reason. This movie is awesome. Conceptually, the film shouldn’t really work, especially when you’re dealing with monsters that are hyper-sensitive to sound, so a pin dropping on the floor could get you killed. Yet, because of John Krasinski, the film is firing on all cylinders. It’s intense from beginning to end, and it actually feels more like a family drama. Here’s the thing, though, most of the dialogue is done using sign language, as any sound will attract alien monsters that have decimated humanity. The performances here are extraordinary. John Krasinskiy, who comes from a fairly comedic background, is really good as Lee, the head of the family, as he tries to protect them and find a way to fight back against the creatures outside. Emily Blunt is just as fantastic as Lee’s wife, Evelyn. A lot can be said in a performance that doesn’t use any spoken dialogue and A Quiet Place is a perfect example of that.
Dave Bautista – Final Score
While most wrestlers-turned-actors are not successful in the transition, you have a few that are absolutely fantastic. Dwayne Johnson is one of them and Dave Bautista is the other. Most people would recognize Bautista as Drax from the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers: Infinity War films. This guy has a very surprising amount of range. He’s obviously got the physique and size to be a bad-ass action star, but his performance in Final Score is easily one of his best performances. His character is a former special forces soldier who is in London to look out for his niece. He brings a real father-figure type to the character, but when asses need to be kicked, he can switch that on and off like it’s nobody’s business. I’m absolutely amazed at how good of an actor that Bautista has become over the years. While Final Score is definitely a Die Hard/Sudden Death rip-off of sorts, it’s definitely worth checking out.
Alicia Vikander – Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider has long been one of my favorite video games, especially the recent reboot trilogy. It was only a matter of time before a movie based on the 2013 video game reboot was made. I have to say that this year’s Tomb Raider film is probably one of the best video game-based movies in years, but that’s not really saying a whole lot. That being said, the new film is a blast. I have to say that Alicia Vikander is a much better choice for Lara Croft than Angelina Jolie was over a decade ago. Not only is Alicia a stunning woman, she’s got the acting chops to match, and she brings it in Tomb Raider. She handles a lot of the physical stuff herself, and her performance. She allows the character to come across as a real human being with actual flaws and not some cartoon caricature. The character makes mistakes and Ms. Vikander rolls with it, sometimes literally. It’s clear to me that effort was really made to make Tomb Raider a pretty decent experience, if not an exceptional one.
Dan Stevens and Michael Sheen – Apostle
When I first laid my eyes on Apostle about a week or so ago, I was floored by how intense and how brutal the film was. It didn’t shy away from a whole lot. When it comes to movies dealing with cults, I’m not really the biggest fan, mostly because they aren’t done very well. Apostle is. As with any good movie, what really drives Apostle is the performance of its two main leads, Dan Stevens, who plays a guy who is looking for his sister that was kidnapped for ransom by a cult. Michael Sheen plays Malcolm, the charismatic, yet, ruthless leader of said cult. Both characters’ motivations we can understand. Thomas, Dan Steven’s character, is looking for a missing relative, something that most people can understand, but at the same time, Malcolm doesn’t want to be ruled by government interference in his beliefs. Again, that is completely understandable. Thomas, though, has a very nihilistic view on religion, due to his experiences as a former religious person. The performances of both actors are just absolutely incredible. Michael Sheen is charismatic and pretty likable at times, while Dan comes across as an unlikable vagrant, but you see how similar these two characters really are. It’s a great movie, definitely check it out.
Jamie Lee Curtis – Halloween 2018
It’s really surprising to find out how many horror movies are on this list, considering that I’ve already done my best horror movies of 2018. Here’s the thing, the performances in a lot of the horror movies this year are leagues above almost anything you will see in nearly any other genre. The genre is not really known for the acting aspect, yet, some of the best movies this year are horror movies. The 2018 Halloween film starring Jamie Lee Curtis isn’t exactly a ground-breaking film. Far from it. In fact, it kind of plays it safe when it comes to the slasher formula. That was actually a good thing, though. While the film is definitely a traditional slasher film in every aspect of the term, what isn’t traditional is Jamie Lee Curtis’s performance. Curtis plays Laurie Strode, who has been waiting and preparing for 4o years to kill Michael Myers, and that obsession has driven her away from her family. Her attempts at reconnecting with her family is both heartwarming and heartbreaking, especially when her own daughter rebuffs her attempts. The only one that’s actively trying to salvage the relationship is Laurie’s granddaughter. The family dynamic is one of the best parts of the film and Jamie Lee Curtis is really at her best here.
I don’t care if you’re a man, woman or child in a movie, if you put in a great performance, you will get recognized for it at some point. These are some of my favorite performances that I’ve seen this year, and I highly recommend you check these films out, even if it is just for those performances. The Best of 2018 continues, and I hope that you folks will stick around when I do my Lifetime Achievement* award towards the end of the year.
*not affiliated with the AFI(American Film Institute)’s Lifetime Achievement Award