The Best and Worst of Jeffrey Wright

“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 “The Goldfinch” star Jeffrey Wright.

Films starring Jeffrey Wright that I've seen:
Shaft
Lady in the Water
Casino Royale
Quantum of Solace
Cadillac Records
Source Code
The Ides of March
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Broken City
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 1
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2
Game Night
Hold the Dark


Best Performance: Hold the Dark (2018)
While Jeremey Saulnier's bleak mystery thriller is not without its rough patches, Wright's tremendous lead performance is a key part of the reason why Hold the Dark manages to overcome its flaws and go down as a pretty great movie. As a wolf behavioral expert hired by a distraught mother (Riley Keough) to investigate a string of disappearances in a small Alaska town, Wright brings a realistic blend of determination, fear and self-reflection to his character that helps keep the proceedings grounded even as the film slowly transforms from a pretty routine procedural to an almost surreal tale about the unspeakable evils mankind is capable of.  

Worst Performance: Lady in the Water (2006)
On Westworld, Wright manages to consistently shine even though the material routinely veers into nonsensical and incomprehensible directions. His first exposure to this brand of suspect writing didn't go nearly as smoothly. As a resident of a Philadelphia apartment complex who aids in the rescue of a wounded water nymph (Bryce Dallas Howard) that appears in the building's swimming pool on one fateful evening, Wright seems just as confused as most audiences were by M. Night Shyamalan's absurd fairy tale.  

Best Film: Game Night (2018),
Along with This is the End and Popstar, Game Night sits atop my list of best mainstream R-rated comedies of the decade. By weaving a thriller-esque component into a goofy ensemble comedy centered around a group of friends (Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury) whose typically mundane weekly game night takes an unexpected turn when the host (Kyle Chandler) is actually kidnapped during a role-playing mystery party, Game Night becomes a slick, unique standout that flawlessly blends huge laughs and legitimate suspense.    

Worst Film: Lady in the Water (2006)
Part of me respects Lady in the Water for just how batshit insane the last half hour or so is. The other resents it for how dull, convoluted and horribly-acted the rest of it is. In other words, it's the perfect encapsulation of Shyamalan's infuriating yet bizarrely endearing career.

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Ad Astra” star Brad Pitt.