The Best and Worst of Gary Oldman

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 "The Space Between Us" star Gary Oldman.

Films starring Gary Oldman that I've seen:
True Romance
Leon: The Professional
The Fifth Element
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 
Batman Begins
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Dark Knight
The Book of Eli
Red Riding Hood
Kung Fu Panda 2
Tinker Tailor Solider Spy
The Dark Knight Rises
Lawless
Robocop
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Criminal

Best Performance: Leon: The Professional (1994)
If you want to learn how to act in action movie, look no further than this godlike performance. Norman Stansfield is the greatest Die Hard villain to never appear in a Die Hard film and showcases why Oldman is one of the greatest scenery-chewing actors of all-time. 

Worst Performance: Criminal (2016)
Oldman's turn in the god awful Criminal is on the exact opposite end of the over-the-top spectrum as Norman Stansfield. Oldman pretty much just screams profanities for two hours in a performance that lacks the self-awareness and aplomb of his past action movie triumphs.  

Best Film: The Fifth Element (1997)
Before Luc Besson devolved into a frustratingly erratic filmmaker in the late 2000's, he was one of the most premier creative forces on the planet. Of all the masterful films Besson churned out in the beginning of his career, The Fifth Element is my favorite by a pretty wide margin. The Fifth Element masterfully blends stunning visuals with a captivating storyline that immediately drew me into this massive intergalactic world.

Worst Film: Red Riding Hood (2011) 
If there's one classic folk tale that wasn't designed for Hollywood's gritty live-action reboot treatment, it's Little Red Riding Hood. Catherine Hardwicke's 2011 film starring Amanda Seyfried as the titular young girl who encounters a werewolf in the woods next to the village in which she resides reconfirmed every ounce of skepticism I had about this project. Red Riding Hood is not only full of forced "edgy" content to try and appeal to an older audience, it's boring as hell and features a level of acting that is comparable to most daytime soap operas. This is a cinematic atrocity to the highest degree and I'm surprised that it's not brought up more in worst movies of all-time discussions.  

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 "John Wick: Chapter 2" star Keanu Reeves.