The Best and Worst of Thandie Newton

“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 “Solo: A Star Wars Story” star Thandie Newton.

Films starring Thandie Newton that I've seen:
Grid'lockd
Mission-Impossible: II
The Chronicles of Riddick
Crash
The Pursuit of Happyness
Norbit
Run Fatboy Run
RocknRolla

Best Performance: RocknRolla (2008)
Aided by some well-delivered sarcastic quips and an excellent rapport with costar Gerard Butler, Newton's sharp performance went down as one of the most memorable parts of this terrific Cockney crime comedy.

Worst Performance: Mission-Impossible II (2000)
Westworld has proven that Newton is a pretty badass action hero. After watching Mission-Impossible II for the first time earlier this month, I discovered that this wasn't always the case. Newton's turn as a renowned thief that teams up with Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) to thwart a crooked IMF agent's (Dougray Scott) plans to sell a lethal bioweapon on the black market is a first ballot entry in the wooden acting Hall of Fame. The dead expression that inhabits her face and shaky line readings she offers up over the course of this overly serious dud will be haunting my dreams for at least the next several weeks.

Best Film: RocknRolla (2008)
Guy Ritchie's return to the gangster comedy genre that helped him rise to prominence in the industry is a film that I really need to revisit. While it fails to replicate the manic magic of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, RocknRolla is still a strong showcase for Ritchie's underrated ability to craft vibrant characters, witty dialogue and elaborate criminal schemes that go horribly wrong for all parties involved.

Worst Film: Norbit (2007)
Let me tell you, I can't think of many things that are funnier than 90 minutes of Eddie Murphy doing cartoonish accents while wearing a fatsuit and/or facial prosthetics. It's honestly disheartening to watch a talented comedian be reduced to appearing in a project that's essentially an obnoxious, scripted game of dress-up that makes the Nutty Professor series look like the apex of comedy. If nothing else, Murphy can at least take solace in the fact that Norbit isn't quite as unfunny or mean-spirited as Adam Sandler's Jack & Jill.


Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Action Point” star Johnny Knoxville.