Top Ten Peter Sarsgaard Films

23 August 2013

Lovelace

Peter Sarsgaard has delieverd some fine film performances over the years, and he is back this week as Chuck Traynoe in Lovelace.

To celebrate the release of the new biopic film we take a look at the top ten performances of Sargaard's career so far.

- Robot and Frank

Released last year, this indie film told the story of a long retired jewel thief (Frank Langella) of the near future, who is given a robot (voiced by Sarsgaard) by his son to keep him company.

He hates the robot at first, until he realizes that it can help him to steal once again. Sarsgaard does a fantastic job alongside Langella to create what is ultimately a very touching story about age and frailty. And jewel thievery.

- An Education

From his first appearance, there is clearly something suspicious about Sarsgaard’s character David Goldman; he is so charming, however, that the suspicion is quickly dropped.

As he courts the 16 year old Jenny Mellor (Carey Mulligan), one can’t help but forgive the incredible age gap between the two. Even as the truth starts becoming clearer as to how he can afford to lavish Mellor so much, it is somehow bearable.

The complexity of Sarsgaard’s performance only makes it that much more painful as inevitably the whole truth comes forward.

- Shattered Glass

From 1995 to 1998, journalist Stephen Glass fabricated 27 stories while working for the prestigious The New Republic magazine.

This film focuses on the final discovery of these fabrications by his editor, Chuck Lane (Peter Sarsgaard). Although the movie as a whole was lauded for its depiction of contemporary journalism, Sarsgaard’s performance in particular was praised for its nuance and depth.

Mark Caro of the Chicago Tribune said in his review, 'the character doesn’t seethe with personal resentment; when he does a slow burn, he conveys a much deeper sense of a man’s value system being violated past the breaking point.'

- The Salton Sea

An often overlooked neo-noir crime thriller, this film follows Danny Parker as he peddles meth and tries to get over the murder of his wife. However, things aren’t quite as simple as that, because Danny Parker isn’t really who he says he is.

With the help of Jimmy the Fin (Sarsgaard) he attempts to seek revenge on the people who killed his wife. Although the film has received mixed reviews, it boasts stellar performances by Sarsgaard and Vincent D’Onofrio as the notorious drug dealer 'Pooh Bear'.

- Jarhead

This is not your typical war film. Throughout the entire film, there isn’t a single combat scene, at least in the traditional concept. But that’s what makes the film such a strong war movie, because the war wasn’t a traditional war either.

In this one, Sarsgaard plays Cpl. Alan Troy, spotter for Jake Gyllenhaal’s LCpl. Anthony Swafford. The pair make up a marine sniper team sent to the Persian Gulf, but instead of fighting, all they can do is wait in the desert for orders.

This ultimately takes a huge toll, as they have been prepared for war, for aggression, but are left unable to do anything at all.

- Garden State

Zach Braff’s directorial debut sees Sarsgaard as a grave digger who steals jewellery from the people he’s burying in order to make some extra money on the side.

After winning the Grand Jury Prize at The Sundance Film Festival, the film caught fire, selling out theatres across the country with a somewhat limited release.

Costing Braff only $2.5 million to make, it eventually grossed $35 million worldwide at the box office. That gives it very high profit margin, even before counting DVD sales.

- Kinsey

In 1948, Dr. Alfred Kinsey (played by Liam Neeson) published one of the most revolutionary and incendiary books in American history: Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male.

That book, and the ones that followed, completely changed how people thought about sex and sexuality in the United States. The movie, through an interview, explores Kinsey’s life and his impact on those around him.

The film ultimately has a lot to say about the relationship between love and sex, and much of this comes from Kinsey’s lab assistant Clyde, who is magnificently portrayed by Peter Sarsgaard.

- Boys Don’t Cry

Sarsgaard has something of a reputation for giving humanity to characters most people would play as monsters. That really began with this film, in which Sarsgaard plays John Lotter.

The film is a dramatization of the notorious murder of Brandon Teena by John Lotter and Tom Nissen after they discovered Teena was actually a transman.

- K-19: The Widowmaker

Based somewhat loosely on real events, this film follows the story of a soviet submarine crew as they face an imminent meltdown of their nuclear reactor, which could potentially lead to the start of World War III.

Although this film is fraught with historical and technical inaccuracies, even the members of the original crew applauded the film for its depiction of heroism and bravery.

- Lovelace

This might be Sarsgaard at his best. Playing the part of Chuck Traynor, he is the husband of Linda Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried), and ultimately, the one who gets her into pornography to begin with. His character is undeniably charming and extremely likeable compared to Linda’s parents, from whom he helps Linda escape.

However, with each scene there is a growing tension that perhaps Traynor is not the man he seems to be, and Sarsgaard’s performance only makes the truth even more chilling.