10 Times An Actor Went On An Insane Streak Of Great Movies
4. Philip Seymour Hoffman, 1999-2002
The Streak: Magnolia, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Almost Famous, Punch-Drunk Love, 25th Hour. The rare example of an actor who ended his career without even one bad performance, the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's entire filmography could've been used as his streak, the actor always the best thing on show despite the film, despite the quality, and despite the co-star. A character actor in the truest sense, Hoffman was great in films undeserving of his talents (Along Came Polly), great in films he stole in only a couple of scenes (Moneyball), and great in the films where he was occasionally granted top billing (Capote, The Master). His best period came in 1999-2002, where he played a succession of supporting characters to absolute perfection and established himself as perhaps the greatest actor of his generation. He'll break your heart in Magnolia, creep you out in Ripley - a film in which Matt Damon and Jude Law are doing their best ever work and owning until Hoffman shows up - and impart some genuine wisdom in his cameo as Lester Bangs in Almost Famous, the director of which I'll leave you with as he explains Hoffman's monumental talent:
"My original take on this scene was a loud, late night pronouncement from Lester Bangs. A call to arms. In Phils hands it became something different. A scene about quiet truths shared between two guys, both at the crossroads, both hurting, and both up too late. It became the soul of the movie... When the scene was over, I realized that Hoffman had pulled off a magic trick. Hed leapt over the words and the script, and gone hunting for the soul and compassion of the private Lester, the one only a few of us had ever met. Suddenly the portrait was complete. The crew and I will always be grateful for that front row seat to his genius." - Cameron Crowe.
