Welcome to "Ranked", 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 Josh Hartnett-whose latest project "Verity" releases in theaters today.
Josh Hartnett's Filmography Ranked:
15.Pearl Harbor (D)
14.40 Days and 40 Nights (D+)
13.Wicker Park (C-)
12.Hollywood Homicide (C)
11.Trap (C)
10.The Virgin Sucides (B-)
9.The Faculty (B-)
8.Fight or Flight (B)
7.30 Days of Night (B)
6.Oppenheimer (B)
5.Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (B)
4.Black Hawk Down (B)
3.Lucky Number Slevin (B)
2.Wrath of Man (B+)
1.Sin City (A+)
Top Dog: Sin City (2005)
Seeing Sin City at 13 years old was sincerely one of the most unbelievable experiences of my life. The meticulously crafted black-and-white visuals that feel like they're ripped from the pages of its graphic novel source material, immersive sleazy noir atmosphere and outstanding performances from the veteran actors (Mickey Rourke, Bruce Willis and Powers Boothe are the top standouts to me) who were tasked with bringing this collection of mortally dubious characters to life will never cease to blow me away. Plus, the whole thing is just relentlessly cool and badass.
Bottom Feeder: Pearl Harbor (2001)
Any regular reader of this blog is aware that I'm an ardent defender of the work of Michael Bay. However, there are a smattering of titles of his that I won't go to bat for and Pearl Harbor tops that list. While Bay's maximalist action proficiency come out in full force when the time comes to stage the attack, the rest of the movie is a melodramatic slog driven by a love triangle between Kate Beckinsale, Ben Affleck and Hartnett that is so relentlessly flat that it's borderline psychotic that so much of the film's attempts at building up emotional weight are centered around it.
Most Underrated: Wrath of Man (2021)
Even Ridley Scott would be stunned by the ridiculous level of output Guy Ritchie has produced during the 2020's. Over the last 6 years, the 58-year-old British icon has released 7 movies, has another 2 that are already shot and awaiting release and is currently involved in 3 television series in some capacity. When it comes to the movie slice of this insanely large creative pie, I believe that Wrath of Man is the best of the bunch. Ritchie reuniting with Jason Statham for the first time since 2005's Revolver provided him with enough of a creative jolt to break free from his quippy crime comedy mold and make a propulsive heist movie that prioritizes meathead grit over snarky levity.
Most Overrated: Oppenheimer (2023)
There's really not much to say here that I haven't said ad nauseum recently. Oppenheimer is a textbook example of Christopher Nolan undercutting his gift for delivering top-notch spectacle with his overly cute non-linear storytelling, questionable writing of every single major supporting character and steadfast refusal to use ADR during scenes where there's a shitload of background noise that drowns out the dialogue.
