The Best and Worst of Frank Grillo

“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 “Black and Blue” star Frank Grillo.

Films starring Frank Grillo that I've seen:
Edge of Darkness
Warrior
The Grey
End of Watch
Zero Dark Thirty
Homefront
Captain America: The Winter Solider
The Purge: Anarchy 
Captain America: Civil War
The Purge: Election Year
Wheelman
Point Blank 

Best Performance: Wheelman (2017)
After stating off his career as a bit player in a wide variety of projects (The Grey, Warrior, Zero Dark Thirty), Grillo has emerged as one of the most reliably strong B-movie leads in the business over the past five years. His sleazy magnum opus came as a vengeance-seeking getaway driver in this terrific under-the-radar Netflix project. Grillo's unrelenting intensity in a subtly difficult role that required him to not directly interact with other actors for the bulk of the runtime serves as the anchor for this white-knuckle thrill ride that likely would've crumbled in the hands of a less engaged actor.

Worst Performance: Captain America: The Winter Solider (2014)
Finding out that Grillo was in The Winter Solider was quite the shock. I remember him getting his ass kicked by Captain America in the sick opening fight scene of Civil War, but this Brock Remlow fella was introduced before then? Sorry, not ringing any bells. Could this lack of recollection be because Winter Solider is a movie that I've only seen once and am not very fond of? Sure, but I'm inclined to chalk it up to Grillo giving such an anonymous performance that any traces of his presence in Cap's solo sophomore big screen adventure were erased from my brain.  

Best Film: End of Watch (2012)
Preparing for this piece over the past couple days has reminded me of just how special End of Watch is. I remember expecting this to be another gritty Training Day-style cop drama from David Ayer only to leave the theater being absolutely blown away by how authentic and powerful it was. The found footage-style cinematography gives the film a uniquely tense, grounded feeling, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena have a natural chemistry that makes you believe in the brotherhood they forged on the job and the ending packs an emotional wallop that lingers well after the credits roll.    

Worst Film: Edge of Darkness (2010)
Edge of Darkness was Mel Gibson's first project after an 8-year hiatus and it wasn't exactly a roaring return to the big screen for the grizzled actor. Trying to combine a basic revenge plot with political thriller elements makes this a convoluted, tonally-challenged film that is frustratingly average on the whole.
   

Thank you for reading this week's edition of “The Best and Worst of”. The next victim of my praise and ire will be “Terminator: Dark Fate” star Arnold Schwarzenegger.