Kiefer Sutherland: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. Nelson Wright - Flatliners

Flatliners is not a great film. It's confused and somewhat pretentious. What can be said about it, though, is that it contains one of Kiefer Sutherland's most interesting and therefore essential performances - one that resonants from the very first frame to the very last. If you haven't seen Flatlines, the Joel Schumacher-directed film touches on the subject of life versus death. As Nelson Wright, Sutherland's role is integral: wanting to explore what happens when you die, he's the medical student who convinces his friends to assist him in a bizarre experiment. Unhinged, delusional or downright crazy, Sutherland is oddly mesmerising as the ambitious and overzealous Wright. Indeed, as we try to go along with him for the sum of the picture, Sutherland's confident performance manages to stay with you long after the movie is over - far more than those performances offered up by big names like Julia Roberts and Kevin Bacon. If the film ultimately stretches all logic asks too much of its audience, it's worth checking out purely for Sutherland's work; there's a lot going on beneath the surface, and it's gripping.