Willem Dafoe: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

1. Jesus - The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)

There have been many great on-screen portrayals of Jesus Christ, each bringing a very different quality or emphasis to the part. Robert Powell in the mini-series Jesus of Nazareth is still but determined; Jim Caviezel in The Passion of the Christ is willing and accepting of all the pain that is given to him; and Ralph Fiennes in The Miracle Maker is warm and comforting while mindful of what awaist him. It's very hard to call Dafoe the best on-screen Jesus, since no one actor can capture every facet of God in human form. But boy does he give it his best shot, turning in what remains his finest performance. While the other films I referenced emphasise the divinity of Jesus, The Last Temptation of Christ looks at Jesus' humanity - specifically how he was subject to the same desires, temptations and agonies of those He came to save. Reuniting Martin Scorsese with Paul Schrader (the writer of Taxi Driver), it depicts Jesus as angst-ridden and self-loathing, saving people through His ministry but always a little uncertain in his identity. The film courted great controversy by exploring Jesus' sexuality, suggesting that he had a relationship to Mary Magdalene long before Dan Brown came along. The Last Temptation of Christ is a truly extraordinary piece of work which continues to divide Christian and secular audiences alike. Its cast is fantastic throughout, including Harvey Keitel as Judas Iscariot and David Bowie as Pontius Pilate, but Dafoe is simply outstanding. He does a fantastic job of balancing the inherent goodness of Jesus with a darker, more brooding aspect, working overtime so that neither one overpowers the other. It's a beautiful balancing act which makes the story all the more intriguing and ambiguous. Considering just how good Dafoe is here, it's odd that he has never worked with Scorsese again. Having seen Dafoe as the Messiah, now let's look at the times when he was a very naughty boy (SORRY)...