Michael Caine: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
2. Jasper Palmer - Children Of Men (2006)
Children Of Men is a great film in its own right, but the reason why it's one of Michael Caine's best performances is largely due to how different the role was for an actor who was largely known for playing stern and serious roles. The film focuses on a dystopian, future world where the human race has become completely sterile. With the death of the world's youngest person (eighteen) punctuating the start of the film and humanity facing extinction, protagonists Theo Faron (Clive Owen) and Julian Taylor (Julianne Moore) discover a woman that has become pregnant, and attempt to escort her to safety. Theo eventually decides to visit his old friend Jasper, a bohemian, stoner hippie that spends his days caring for his catatonic wife. Caine stated during interviews at the time of the film's release that he based his performance on the interactions he had with Beatles star John Lennon. Aside from the fact that Caine's performance was a little unflattering for Lennon, it helped Caine to gift us with a performance that enabled him to let loose and be an ageing bum. Caine's character smokes cannabis and nonchalantly passes wind during the film, and watching the British stalwart do such things on-screen is such a stark contrast to his previous roles is what makes the performance so memorable.
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.
