Donald Sutherland: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. Michael - Panic (2000)

Donald Sutherland Panic If you've never heard of Panic, don't worry, not many people have. The film was lauded upon its release in 2000 for being an unabashed wryly comic take on the male mid-life crisis. Unsurprisingly compared to the almost universally-loved American Beauty, Panic follows the life of Alex (William H. Macy), a man who was reared at an early age by his father to be part of a family-run hit man business. The film largely focuses around Alex as he becomes infatuated with a younger woman and contemplates leaving his wife, all the while trying to escape his domineering father's grasp. Sutherland may only be a supporting cast member in the film, but his performance is no less memorable than any other of his more well-known films. In every single scene where Alex visits his father Michael, Sutherland performs the character so well that the audience progressively starts to understand why Alex dislikes his father and how he became such an efficient killer. If you're wondering what kind of father would start training their child to be a killer as a toddler, look no further than Sutherland's performance as Michael in Panic - the ruthless, controlling and psychological hold he has on his son is a treat to see acted.
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Joe is a freelance games journalist who, while not spending every waking minute selling himself to websites around the world, spends his free time writing. Most of it makes no sense, but when it does, he treats each article as if it were his Magnum Opus - with varying results.