10 Best Mark Ruffalo Performances
Mark Ruffalo's 10 best movie performances ever. Where does Hulk rank?
Mark Ruffalo is one of the most interesting actors working today. He's been making films and receiving critical acclaim since the 90s, and has appeared in everything from scathing socio-political dramas, superhero action flicks and romantic comedies.
Since 2012, his popularity has boomed like never before thanks to his brilliant turn as Bruce Banner/The Hulk in the MCU, but even with this vast mainstream success he has continued to stick to his roots, starring in a wide range of indie dramas and exciting thrillers.
The true power of Ruffalo's talent is his uncanny ability to balance his skills as a character actor and an adept leading man. Charming, subtle, explosive, funny, compassionate - he is all of these things and more, and though he has yet to win an Oscar, his three nominations, recent Emmy win and various Golden Globe nods speak for themselves.
He has shone on film and TV, and has no issue moving between genre to show what he's made of. With that in mind, from the emotional biopics to the crime thrillers, here are the 10 best performances of Mark Ruffalo's career (so far).
10. Dave Toschi - Zodiac (2007)
David Fincher's stylish crime thriller is boosted to greatest by its brilliant lead performances. Jake Gyllenhaal leads the ensemble as cartoonist Robert Graysmith, and is aided by Robert Downey Jr's turn as complex journalist Paul Avery and Mark Ruffalo's performance as lead Zodiac detective Dave Toschi.
Ruffalo has a knack for playing real-life people in daring and passionate dramas, and Zodiac is one of the actor's earliest attempts at bringing someone real to life on screen. Dave Toschi himself is said to have been a big fan of the film, watching it numerous times and praising Ruffalo's performance.
As Toschi, Ruffalo is intense, obsessed, impassioned and frustrated. As the film escalates and the case begins to slip away from our protagonists, Toschi begins to feel the weight of the murders, and struggles to come to terms with the lack of results. Ruffalo perfectly balances the humour, bravery and flaws of Toschi, capturing the anger and complexities of the Zodiac case with both understanding and respect.