Jesse Eisenberg: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked
From Facebook founder to billionaire megalomaniac… wait, is there even a difference?
Zombies, the CIA and Andrew Garfield – Jesse Eisenberg loves to pick a fight.
Probably best-known for his star-making role as real-life internet genius and billionaire Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher’s The Social Network, Eisenberg has popped up in a huge range of films, from surreal indie comedies like Zombieland and The Double to epic superhero blockbuster Batman V Superman.
Whether he goes, though, there is a distinct set of Eisenbergish traits that come with him: a skittish, manic energy, motor-mouthed intellectualism (like an American Russell Brand if you actually understood what he was saying) and a restrained quirkiness.
This week sees Eisenberg return as Danny Atlas, the head illusionist of the Four Horsemen in Now You See Me 2, a follow-up to the absolutely ludicrous but romping magician face-off from a few years back which audiences seemed to love – even if critics were less friendly to it (although it’s not the only Eisenberg-starring film to divide viewers and critics)/
Nearly all of Eisenberg’s performances are worth watching – even if some are a distinct step-up from others. Let’s take a look at five awesome appearances that really make the case for Eisenberg as one of the best young actors working today, before diving into five performances that sucked – showing even the greatest actors have off days…