1. The Limits Of Control
After a successful collaboration with Broken Flowers, Murray put in an appearance for director Jim Jarmusch in this obscure assassin picture from 2009. His part was that of "American", a bland, suited exec in an office, and the eventual target of roaming whack jobber The Lone Man (Isaac de Bankolé). The character holed himself up in a desert compound but that didn't stop the film's mysterious protagonist from liquidating his assets with extreme prejudice. Jarmusch revisited the territory he'd covered in 1999's Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai. Whereas that combined spiritualism and violence in an intriguing and distinctive way, this slab of pretentiousness couldn't make up its mind what it wanted to be. The Lone Man travels from place to place, having conversations with such luminaries as Tilda Swinton and John Hurt, all written with the ear of a film school student fearing a deadline. It even had a brief explanation of what the title was supposed to have meant after the end credits. Too little, too late! Murray's role was intended to be bland and anonymous, so maybe it's best the movie faded into the background. The sheer, awe-inspiring lack of inspiration contained in this effort nails it squarely to the number one post.
