10 Great Performances Lost In Unwatchable Movies

8. Samuel L Jackson (The Spirit)

Pennywise Tim Curry
Lionsgate

Riding high on the success of Sin City, Lionsgate Cinema gave that film's creator and co-director Frank Miller the reigns to The Spirit, a vehicle for the Will Eisner character of the same name. Unfortunately, without the expertise and smarts of Sin City director Robert Rodriguez, Miller's follow-up didn't fare nearly so well...

Samuel L. Jackson, no stranger to redeeming terrible, terrible movies, is the best thing about The Spirit, as its villain, Octopus. Jackson doesn't so much chew the scenery as devour it, putting poor star Gabriel Macht to shame.

"Toilets are always funny!" Jackson cackles as he bludgeons the Spirit over the head with one, in one of the film's few bright spots. And that's precisely where this movie belongs, Samuel L. Jackson or no.

Contributor
Contributor

A film critic and professional writer of over ten years, Joel Harley has a deep and abiding love of all things horror, Batman and Nicolas Cage. He can be found writing online and in print, all over the Internet and in especially good bookstores.