The Best and Worst of Anthony Mackie

The "Best and Worst" series profiles the best and worst work of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week I take a look at the filmography of "Captain America: Civil War" star Anthony Mackie.

Film starring Anthony Mackie that I've seen:
8 Mile
Million Dollar Baby
The Man
Freedomland
Eagle Eye
The Hurt Locker
Notorious 
Night Catches Us
The Adjustment Bureau
What's Your Number?
Real Steel
Man on a Ledge
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Gangster Squad
Pain & Gain
Runner Runner
Captain America: The Winter Solider
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Ant-Man
The Night Before 

Best Performance: Pain & Gain (2013)
Up to this point in his career, Mackie had showed plenty of promise as a supporting actor, he just hadn't been given a substantial-enough role to showcase the full extent of his talents. That opportunity finally came in Michael Bay's twisted satire Pain & Gain. Alongside the equally brilliant Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson, Mackie shines as a dim-witted, steroid-fueled weightlifter who aids in the kidnapping and extortion of a pompous, wealthy businessman (Tony Shaloub) who works out at the same gym as him. I sincerely hope that another opportunity arises for Mackie to play a hilarious, unhinged character like this because he's just too damn good at it.  

Worst Performance: N/A
Mackie becomes the second actor (Ironically, the other was his Triple 9 co-star Woody Harrelson) in the history of this series to not have a worst performance attached to their name. Mackie has been pretty good to downright excellent in every one of the films he's had a notable amount of screentime in and the handful of other films he's starred that don't fall under that umbrella he either wasn't in long enough to properly assess (8 Mile, What's Your Number?) or made the most out of his small role (Notorious, Real Steel). Mackie is one of the most gifted and versatile actors working today and if he continues to tackle his roles with the same level of passion and intensity he's shown throughout his first 15 years in Hollywood, he should be able to keep his perfect track record alive for the rest of his career. 

Best Film: The Hurt Locker (2009)
War films are very hit-or-miss for me. There are a fair number of classic films (Saving Private Ryan, Glory) that tell exceptional stories about heroism and bravery in the line of duty. However, I've found a lot of the recent war films (American Sniper, Act of Valor) to be more concerned with pushing a jingoist agenda than actually tackling the harsh realities of warfare and the psychological and emotional toll that it takes on the people involved. This recent wave of simplistic, lazy war films is why The Hurt Locker is such a refreshing and special film. The Hurt Locker has the courage to treat soldiers as human beings, not just faceless pawns in our government's foreign policy goals, by delving into why they chose to put their lives on the line for their country and what lasting effects combat can have on a human being without constantly ramming a political agenda down the audience's throat for two hours. We need more war films like this that tackle the human side of war and don't simply serve as mindless, masturbatory recruitment ad's for the United States Armed Forces.

Worst Film: What's Your Number? (2011)
This fucking movie man..... Aside from the completely torturous Sweet Home Alabama and Runaway Bride, I've never seen a more uninspired romantic comedy in my life than What's Your Number? This movie hits on an abundance of romcom cliches (woman awkwardly falls in front of her crush, central couple initially hates each other then falls in love after spending more time together, way too many other one's to name here) without having the clever humor or believable chemistry between the two leads (Anna Farris and Chris Evans) to offset the lack of creativity on display. Fortunately, none of the actors involved with this project had their career derailed because of it and they've collectively managed to avoid starring in films that are on this level of epic suckiness since this was released.

 Thank you for reading this week's installment of "The Best and Worst of". Next week, I'll take a look at the best and worst work of "The Lobster" star Colin Farrell.