How long can one man coast on a reputation earned from a single (admittedly terrifying and brilliant) role? That seems to be the thesis that has kept Anthony Hopkins popping up on screens in more recent years. Yes, he was mesmerizing as Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs and, to a much lesser extent, in the prequel Red Dragon. But you may not remember that Hopkins' screen time in Silence of the Lambs is a paltry 15 minutes, so it's not as if he had to work exceptionally hard. In fact, it becomes obvious that whenever Sir Anthony is expected to carry a movie these days, the results are usually poor. (His finest post-90s moments have come from being a bit player.) Maybe he just doesn't have the stamina nowadays to pull off the type of spot-on performance he gave in The Bunker? Whatever the case, it's become a little painful to watch a man who studied at the Royal National Theater alongside Lawrence Olivier, and who was once considered one of the finest actors of his generation, repeatedly show up flat on the big screen. The last film where Hopkins received top billing was the "thriller" snooze-fest Kidnapping Mr. Heineken, which put even Hopkins to sleep. While he was on screen.
