Top 5 Films Featuring Clive Owen

Clive Owen

This list is in no particular order. These are just some of my favorite films that Clive Owen, the actor and one of the stars of the new film Killer Elite has been in over the years that I enjoyed either based solely on his performance or it was just a generally well made and enjoyable film that he happened to part of in a supporting capacity.

Clive Owen is a very reliable actor. He is one of those guys that can raise sub-par material and make it better than it should be. He also is one of those actors that seems to get stuck playing the same role all the time. Most of his roles have him playing the part of the reluctant hero, the guy that has a very dark aura about him who lives by simple principals and when those principals are broken he takes action. He doesn't always get saddled with roles like that though but it happens often enough that I kind of wish he would play a role that would let him loosen up a bit sometimes. Regardless though he gets those roles cause he is damn good at them and they make up quite a bit of this list actually. While most of his films are not necessarily blockbusters (most of them perform badly as a matter of fact) I believe that one day he will get the fame he deserves and these are the films that I think will be looked back upon as helping pave that way to super stardom.

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1.

Sin City

I absolutely love this movie. I still remember the day I first saw the trailer for it and felt like I got smacked around a couple times but absolutely loved it. It's funny to think of this movie as a cult hit but it kind of is in a strange way. Most everyone knows about it but beyond the fabled sequel that will probably never happen I almost never hear anyone mention it anymore. But this was also my first real exposure to Clive Owen and is always the go to film for me when I explain how bad ass he can be. It also took a few viewings for me to finally come to grips with the fact that his segment is probably my favorite of the bunch. It takes a real bad ass to wear sneakers while acting tough and he pulls it off beautifully.

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2.

Children of Men

This is not only my favorite film of Owens but one of my favorite movies of all time. Besides the horrible trailer which ruined the entire film for me, I cannot think back to this film without going through a series of emotional reactions. It's one of those films that sneaks up on you as you watch it and before you know it, it has you in its grasp. Then it proceeds to rock your world with the best depiction of a dystopian world ever put to screen. Clive Owen is the heart of the film though, from his tragic loses to his own personal journey of discovering his self worth, I cannot imagine anyone else ever playing this role. A role that is one of the few instances where he played against type. He wasn't a bad ass, he didn't have everything figured out and he was at the mercy of others. He is a broken man that finds something worth fighting for. A fantastic film that has sadly been forgotten by most which is a crying shame.

 

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3.

King Arthur

I know this is not a very popular film. Even I didn't give it a chance until years after it was released. Somehow the idea of yet another King Arthur tale just bored me to tears. But one day I did finally watch it and to my surprise it was nothing at all what I expected. This retelling of the Arthurian legend was more like a Dirty Dozen but during medieval times which was kind of awesome. Arthur and his elite knights all had their own distinct personalities that made you love each and every one of them to the point of when their lives are in danger you actually care about them. As for Owens...he did an admirable job in the role of King Arthur but it wasn't ground breaking either. He was tasked with looking as stoic as possible and to almost never show any emotions beyond anger or complacency which would be limiting for any actor. A good film but probably one of my least favorites on this list.

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4.

Shoot'Em Up

This is just a bug nuts crazy as shit movie. You have Owens killing people with f**king carrots! Then you have an entire shoot out where he is still f**king the amazingly beautiful Monica Belluci twisting and turning all over the room completely butt naked. Oh and don't forget the shoot out in mid air where he jumped out of an airliner and proceeds to kill over a dozen henchmen while falling to the Earth. This is the type of movie I like to throw on when I just want to have a good time and not give a shit about plot, story, character development or any of that crap. This is the exception to the rule of a good narrative. It doesn't have to make any sense just so long as it is f**king cool as shit. Oh and Clive Owen rules in this movie..did I mention he kills people with carrots!?!

 

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5.

Inside Man

Spike Lee made this movie? Did you know that? If you know the infamous director's style of film making you would probably catch on to that fact fairly early on (love those tracking shots of two characters talking while they appear to be floating instead of walking). But what was amazing about this is that Lee actually made a FUN movie to watch. There were no hidden messages beyond what was there on the surface. There was no commentary about racism and how it effects us. This was simply a movie about a bank robbery, but the funny thing is that it is one of the most unconventional and clever bank robbery films I have ever seen. Clive Owen once again makes a strong presence as the guy in charge of the bank robbers and gives a performance that puts you in the shows of the hostages and police that makes you not want to f**k with the guy. Overall a very good movie and the last good film from Spike Lee.

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Posted in: Top 5 Films Featuring