I have been a huge fan of Sean Penn for many years, and he is set to return to the big screen this week with The Gunman.
The Gunman
Not only does The Gunman see the double Oscar winner team up with filmmaker Pierre Morel for the first time, it is also the first time that we have seen him tackle a major action role - I am looking forward to seeing the results.
To celebrate the long awaited return of Penn to a major leading role, we take a look at the top four performances of his career so far... believe me when I say it is difficult to whittle it down.
- Mystic River (2003)
Mystic River hit the big screen back in 2003 and saw Penn team up with filmmaker Clint Eastwood. The movie was an adaptation of the Dennis Lehane novel and saw Penn play the father of a murdered teenager.
The murder brings together three childhood friends, whose lives have been overshadowed by a tragedy when they were young. Reformed convict Jimmy (Penn), homicide detective Sean (Kevin Bacon), and the quiet and Dave (Tim Robbins).
Mystic River is one of the best crime dramas of recent years, as Eastwood delivers a dark and complex story and the cast deliver some truly knockout performances. One of those standout performances come courtesy of Penn - a grieving father who decides to take the law into his own hands to get justice for his murdered daughter.
The scene where Jimmy is told that his daughter has been found dead is just so powerful - it is one that will linger with you for some time - as Penn's grief and anger just pour off the screen.
Mystic River was rightly met with critical acclaim when it was released and went on to be nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture. The movie saw Penn win the first Oscar of his career, as he triumphed as Best Actor. Tim Robbins also won for his supporting role in the movie.
Hard to believe, but Mystic River is already a decade old, and yet this remains one of the greatest performances of Penn's career.
- Dead Man Walking (1996)
Penn and Robbins may have starred together in Mystic River in 2003, but it was back in 1996 when Robbins directed Penn in Dead Man Walking. The movie was based on the book by Sister Helen Prejean, and recounting her experience of comforting a convicted killer while he was on death row.
Penn took on the role of killer Matthew Poncelet, who was sentenced to execution for the murder of a teenage couple. Prejean becomes his spiritual councillor as Poncelet makes one final effort to prove his innocence.
Susan Sarandon takes on the role of Prejean, and she and Penn are truly terrific together as a bond between nun and killer begins to form. Couple that with the fact that Robbins never judges any of the characters or the situation that they find themselves in, and you have a terrific movie.
Dead Man Walking is not about the pros and cons of death row, it is a true relationship study about two very different people who are thrown together under unusual circumstances.
Penn is just magnificent as the cocky Poncelet who thinks he can play Prejean from the beginning. However, all of the bravado is stripped away when he realises that the nun genuinely cares for him, and Penn then delivers a raw, real, and heart-breaking performance.
The movie was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Actor for Penn. However, only Sarandon triumphed for Best Actress.
- The Thin Red Line (1999)
I have always been a fan of the war genre and The Thin red Line remains one of the best movies within that genre. Released back in 1999, the movie marked the return of Terrence Malick to the director's chair - he also adapted the James Jones novel into a screenplay.
Jones' novel was an autobiographical account of his Second World War experience during the Guadalcanal campaign. However, Malick did tell more of a fictionalised version of the Battle of Mount Austen.
The Thin Red Line was a real ensemble piece, and saw Penn star alongside Jim Caviezel, Adrien Brody, Ben Chaplin, Elias Koteas, Nick Nolte, George Clooney, and John Travolta. Penn took on the role of a sergeant in the film.
The Thin Red Line is more of a philosophical look on the war, the nature of the men who fight in them, and the moral chaos that comes along with that. While this is not your traditional war movie, it is still a powerful and brutal watch that captures the struggles all of the men faced.
While The Thin Red Line is an ensemble piece, the relationship between Penn and Cavizel's characters is the most interesting in the film. Sergeant Walsh is a weary fighter who cannot understand Private Witt's rather upbeat look at life. While this film doesn't allow Penn to take centre stage, this is another terrific performance from him. He may be alongside a whole host of names, but it is his performance that really shines.
The Thing Red Line went on to be nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture, but failed to scoop a single one.
- Milk (2008)
Milk is the most recent of Penn's films that we are going to look at as he teamed up with director Gus Van Sant back in 2008.
The movie followed the true story of Harvey Milk, who fought for gay rights in America and became the first openly gay man to be elected into office, when he became a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in California.
Penn took on the role of Milk in the film, in what was a real powerhouse performance from the actor. Penn really does get under the skin of Harvey Milk to give a detailed and nuanced performance - it really was one of the standout turns of the year.
As well as a fine performance from Penn, Milk is a passionate look back at this era from director Gus Van Sant. He explored the impact that this man had on that time and just how important Milk's work was in the U.S. at that time.
While the likes of Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, and James Franco are all terrific, this performance rests on the shoulder of Penn... and I really can't praise this performance enough.
Penn's work was rewarded by the Academy once again, as he picked up his second Best Actor Oscar. Dustin Lance Black was also recognised for his work on the screenplay.
Other Penn movies that are not to be missed include I Am Sam, The Tree of Live, State of Grace, 21 Grams, and Carlito's Way.