Matt Dillon returns to the big screen this week with Armored, in which he joins the ensemble cast of Jean Reno and Laurence Fishburne.
The movie follows a crew of armored truck guards execute a meticulously planned robbery of their own security firm, but when their seemingly foolproof plan unravels, the men turn against each other as they desperately try to save themselves.
To celebrate the release of the movie, and Dillon to the big screen, we take a look at the essential Dillon movies that you should have in your collection.
Crash
Directed by Paul Haggis ensemble piece Crash is Matt Dillon's finest movie and performance.
A Brentwood housewife and her DA husband. A Persian store owner. Two police detectives who are also lovers. A black television director and his wife. A Mexican locksmith. Two car-jackers. A rookie cop. A middle-aged Korean couple.
They all live in Los Angeles. And in the next 36 hours, they will all collide. A provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial conflict in America.
The movie brought together an impressive cast of Dillon, Thandie Newton, Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle and Brendan Fraser and went on to win the Best Picture Oscar.
The role also gave Dillon a Best Supporting Oscar nomination and he went on to win the Independent Spirit Award.
There's Something About Mary
It's hard to believe that It's Something About Mary was released back in 1998, it was a movie that went on to be the biggest grossing comedy of the year and well as propelling Cameron Diaz and Ben Stiller to fame as well as showing of Dillon's comedic side for the first time.
There's something about Mary that still bewitches Ted. Although he hasn't seen her in over a dozen years, since that shameful prom night, his heart still flutters at the recollection of her.
He's still crazy about her after all these years, and curious as to her whereabouts. At the insistence of his good friend Dom, he hires private eye Pat Healy to track her down in Miami.
Dillon took on the role of sleazy private detective who tracks Mary down, only to fall in love with her himself.
The sleeper hit of the year the movie grossed over $369 million at the global box office and easily made back it's very modest $23 million budget.
Drugstore Cowboy
Directed by Gus Van Sant Drugstore Cowboy, which was released back in 1989, was one of a group of movies that led to the real emergence of independent American cinema.
The film captures a slice of Americana through the back door. Bob (Matt Dillon) is an energetic junkie who leads his wife (Kelly Lynch) and another couple on a reckless spree of drugstore robberies, for drugs.
When he has a brush with death, Bob realizes he must leave both his addiction and his wife if he wants to survive.
Dillon's performance brought him major critical acclaim and cemented him as a very talented leading man and truly marked his transition from teen heartthrob to adult gritty roles.
For his performance he went on to win the Best Lead Actor honour at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Factotum
The story of Charles Bukowski has been told many times on the big screen but in 2006 Dillon teams up with director Bent Hamer in this 2006 movie.
Henry Chinaski considers himself a writer, and on occasion writes. Mostly he quests for the booze and women that sidetrack and seduce, rather than inspire greatness.
When he falls for Jan, the soulful connection fails to save either from their self-destructive ways, and the relationship totters between earnest connection and reflective loathing.
Despite the movie not doing well upon release it's a great dramatic performance from Dillon that brought him critical praise.
Other performances from Dillon that are well worth checking out include Wild Things, One Night at McCool's and Beautiful Girls.
However the actor also has Takers on the horizon which will be released later this year.
Armored is released 22nd January.
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
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