from esquire.com
The brilliant Samuel L. Jackson has just had his 67th birthday (crazy, right?), and his most recent foray into Quentin Tarantino territory, The Hateful Eight soon to come out in cinemas, I thought it apt a time as any to look into my top 10 favourite performances by the actor...(P.S. just in case you're wondering where his performance in Jungle Fever is, for the brief portions of that film I managed to sift through he was quite good, and if I ever muster the diligence to watch it in full he will get on this list easily.
Hon. Mention: John Shaft in Shaft
It's nothing close to a masterpiece but John Singleton's Shaft is a fun enough watch, with enjoyably hammy turns by Christian Bale and Jeffrey Wright as incredibly repulsive villains, and Jackson of course as the badass who saves the day. Definitely one of his simpler performance but out of his action roles, this is easily one of his more entertaining ones.
10. Carl Lee Hailey in A Time to Kill
I have many problems with the film's quality and message but Jackson is definitely not one of them. He plays his strong-willed, protective if somewhat hot-headed father very well and makes him into one of the more dynamic aspects of this rather routine courtroom film.
9. Richmond Valentine in Kingsman: The Secret Service
The film itself was a bit too much of...well, everything, really for my tastes, but one aspect of it I did like a great deal was Samuel L. Jackson's villainous turn with a strong comic bent. I loved his little lisp tic and even though the character was meant to be a bit of a joke, Jackson approaches him with enough conviction to make him both entertainingly cowardly in his fear of blood, but also properly menacing when the situation calls for it.
8. Black in The Sunset Limited
The film itself is a tad bit too heavy-handed, and the whole 'conversations in a room' structure gets a bit tiring after a while, but Jackson's performance as a strongly religious man. Far from his best sort of performance in this sort of role but he does well to avoid clichés and ends up striking a very effective dynamic with Tommy Lee Jones, covering some heavy issues in a very visceral, compelling manner.
7. Zeus Carver in Die Hard with a Vengeance
I think this scene alone demonstrates the excellence of Jackson's comedic turn in this, the third Die Hard instalment. What could've proved just to be an uncomfortably funny or just plain unfunny scene in another person's hands, is made uproarious by Jackson's performance. He's both kind of wimpy and yet so endearing, and has such fantastic chemistry with Willis that it just adds so much to the film, giving us two likable heroes to root for.
6. Coach Carter in Coach Carter
So what if Coach Carter is essentially just a showcase for Samuel L. Jackson motivational speech after Samuel L. Jackson motivational speech? I don't mind it at all since each of them are delivered so fantastically by the man as he makes the real-life story of a coach who required his atheletes to excel both on and off the basketball court so compelling. It's breathtaking how well his disappears into the quiet conviction of Carter, while using his natural charisma to breath into the role such passion and vigour to make this a performance well worth watching.
5. Ordell Robbie in Jackie Brown
In terms of just pure entertainment value, this performance probably tops all of Jackson's filmography. In this second collaboration with Tarantino it's clear the actor was given even more free rein to have as much fun as he pleased in this helluva entertaining villain role. Technically speaking it's a fairly simple character in that he's basically just a casually intense crook trying to tie up loose ends, but boy is it fun to watch him go about doing it. He has great chemistry with almost every cast member he interacts with, with his comic moments with Bridget Fonda, De Niro, and Chris Tucker contrasting well with the more serious menace he parlays into his terrific scenes wit Pam Grier's titular heroine. He makes for a great villain in a severely underrated Tarantino flick.
4. Elijah Price in Unbreakable
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| imagesdesigntrend.com I won't elaborate anything about this performance except go see it. Criminally underrated subversion of the superhero genre and Jackson gives one of his most intriguing performances. Quirky, funny, odd and yet ultimately rather chilling. No Spoilers.
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3. Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction
Well, then, was I really ever going to post any other scene? I mean this is quite possibly one of the most pop culturally relevant movie scenes, ever. I know plenty of people who can recite snippets of this scene off by heart, the testament of Mr. Jackson's impact on the movie world with his star turn here. He has iconic chemistry with John Travolta, is effectively naturalistic with the dialogue, just carries that strong badass presence so easily, and makes his arc from coldblooded killer to reflective pacifist not only realistic but strangely moving. Whenever he's onscreen spouting Tarantino's dialogue, you can't take your eyes off of him.
2. Stephen in Django Unchained
Playing what is effectively a caricature of the Uncle Tom figure of the willingly subservient black house slave, Jackson's performance in Django Unchained is definitely its most underrated factor. His over the top fussy manner and tics are just so uproariously entertaining as he makes Stephen into just the most pathetic, toadying presence and sets him up to be the comic highlight of the film, then in little bits here and there inserts a genuine menace and threat to the character by underpinning these comic follibles with an intelligent, chillingly aloof strategist who has effectively taken over his master Calvin Candie's (Leonardo DiCaprio) household so smoothly and incisively. Whether he's meant to be funny or scary, Jackson nails every aspect of his character so well that the only reservation one could have with this performance is its supporting nature and limited screentime.
1. Lazarus Woods in Black Snake Moan
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| filmschoolrejects.com |
Well here it is. My all-time favourite Samuel L. Jackson performance who plays a Mississippi bluesman who attempts to find salvation for a local nymphomaniac (played brilliantly by Christina Ricci) after finding her beaten by the side of the road. It's such a fascinatingly enigmatic, depthful performance, that really needs an article in itself to fully describe how wonderful Jackson is here. So here are some clips for the time being which showcase the intense passion and talent Jackson infuses into his blues musician with genuine heart and soul, giving his religious beliefs such incredible power and his character's griefs and remorse such a moving quality. He has incredible chemistry with Ricci and manages to turn a questionable, Lolita-esque surface relationship into something genuinely heartrending and even heartwarming despite the sexual subject matter. Each movement made and word spoken, and particularly those powerfuly soulful gazes, add so much to this terrific performance that not even Justin Timberlake's inadequate supporting turn can take away from.
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