It goes against the very fabric of the universe to suggest that Marlon Wayans - the proud auteur of motion picture travesties such as Little Man and White Chicks - was ever good in anything. But if you're still avoiding Requiem For A Dream because "is there really ever a good time to sit down and watch a depressing movie about the pitfalls of drug addiction?," you've also avoided watching Marlon Wayans in his greatest ever acting performance. Seriously: you'll never look at Wayans in the same way after having glimpsed him in Darren Aronofsky's modern classic. Whilst most other Wayans roles have required the actor to merely shriek and mug to camera, pulling bemused faces, Requiem for a Dream asks him to, you know, act. Here - as heroine addict Tyrone - he's the right combination of desperate and tragic, as Wayans proves he has an ability to do what nobody ever thought possible: show some restraint.
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
