The Best and Worst of Walton Goggins

“The Best and Worst of” series chronicles the career highlights and lowlights of an actor starring in one of the week's new theatrical releases. This week, I take a look at the filmography of “Ant-Man and the Wasp” star Walton Goggins.

Films starring Walton Goggins that I've seen:
Shanghai Noon
The Bourne Identity
House of 1000 Corpses
Predators
Cowboys & Aliens 
Straw Dogs
Django Unchained
G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Machete Kills 
American Ultra   
The Hateful Eight
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Tomb Raider

Best Performance: The Hateful Eight (2015)
Despite his numerous highly-acclaimed roles as a lead actor on television (Justified, The Shield, Vince Principals), Goggins has been relegated to relatively minimal supporting roles in the bulk of his film work. The Hateful Eight marked one of the rare instances where he was given a good amount of screen time and holy hell, did he make the most out of it. His turn as Chris Mannix, the mysterious sheriff of a small town in post Civil War-Wyoming, was arguably the most unforgettable part of Quentin Tarantino's claustrophobic subzero western.

Worst Performance: Maze Runner: The Death Cure (2018)
With his strong work in Justified, Predators and Django Unchained, Goggins has solidified himself as one hell of an antagonist. That flawless track record of on-screen villainy finally got tarnished with Maze Runner: The Death Cure. He isn't menacing or engaging enough to make violent resistance leader Lawrence an interesting bad guy.

Best Film: Django Unchained (2012)
To stop short of going completely overboard with hyperbole, I'll just say that I love the shit out of this movie. A slew of spectacular performances, over-the-top shootouts and a script that seamlessly blends dark comedy with an unflinching look at the unspeakable horrors of slavery made Django Unchained my favorite Quentin Tarantino movie since Kill Bill Vol.1.

Worst Film: Straw Dogs (2011)
Straw Dogs is a movie that I hadn't thought about in quite some time, but as soon I saw the title in Goggins' filmography, I quickly remembered how much I didn't like it. Respectable acting from the bulk of its primary cast (James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, Alexander Skarsgaard, Dominic Purcell) can't save this from being an overlong, sloppily-made horror flick that's bizarrely melodramatic and completely lacking in suspense. 

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation” star Andy Samberg.