Michelle Monaghan Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Michelle Monaghan-whose latest project "The Family Plan 2" begins streaming on Apple TV+ tomorrow. 

Michelle Monaghan's Filmography Ranked:

19.Playing It Cool (C)

18.Pixels (C)

17.The Bourne Supremacy (C)

16.Mr. & Mrs. Smith (C)

15.Machine Gun Preacher (B-)

14.Unfaithful (B-)

13.Sleepless (B-)

12.Eagle Eye (B)

11.Patriots Day (B)

10.Nanny (B)

9.Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (B)

8.Constantine (B)

7.MaXXXine (B)

6.Mission: Impossible III (B)

5.Due Date (B)

4.Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol (B+)

3.Mission: Impossible-Fallout (B+)

2.Source Code (A)

1.Gone Baby Gone (A)

Top Dog: Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Ben Affleck makes one of hell a first impression as a filmmaker with this gripping, emotional and surprisingly thorny noir mystery thriller about a Boston couple who work as private investigators (Casey Affleck, Monaghan) who are hired by another couple (Amy Madigan, Titus Welliver) to locate their missing 4-year-old niece (Madeline O'Brien). It's been a minute since I've seen this tremendous movie, so a rewatch is definitely in order.      

Bottom Feeder: Playing It Cool (2015)

Playing It Cool is a romantic comedy starring Chris Evans, Monaghan, Aubrey Plaza, Topher Grace, Ioan Gruffudd and Anthony Mackie. If you haven't heard of it, there's a good reason: It effectively got buried as it was an indie production that toiled around in the ether for a few years after it wrapped shooting until Vertical picked it up and quietly put it on VOD in the spring of 2015. While it's unfortunate that any movie would meet this fate, I can't sit here with a straight face and say that it deserved better. Plain and simple, it's an instantly forgettable watch that only staves off a worse fate because the solid cast genuinely does their best to try and elevate the flat material they had to work with.     

Most Underrated: Source Code (2011)

The downward trajectory of Duncan Jones' career over the last decade or so is kind of unfathomable given how good Moon and Source Code are. I'm particularly fond of Source Code as it blends high-concept sci-fi with the urgency and propulsion of a thriller, making it a uniquely intense, entertaining viewing experience. Jones will be making his return to filmmaking with the animated feature Rogue Trooper, which is in post-production and is currently expected to release sometime next year. Fingers crossed that he's able to get his groove back.    

Most Overrated: The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

While The Bourne Ultimatum-which is often cited as one of the greatest action movies ever made-is considerably more overrated in my book, I still have plenty of gripes with the second installment of the Bourne franchise. Supremacy was the installment where Paul Greengrass got his hands on the Bourne franchise and immediately sent the series spinning into the depths of mediocrity with its flaccid pacing and relentless use of choppy, quick-cut editing that went onto become the industry standard for action movies until John Wick came along a decade later and provided a much-needed shakeup with its long takes/fluid editing. I look forward to honoring Jason Bourne by forgetting to watch the next inevitable future reboot of this franchise.