Ray Winstone: 5 Awesome Performances and 5 That Sucked

4. Fool's Gold (2008)

Of the innumerable roles throughout Winstone's career, this is the one that perhaps feels the most cynical and money-motivated, in a film that was itself high on production values and stars (Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson), but low on energy, romance, excitement, and just about anything approaching a good time at the cinema. Hudson and McConaughey play treasure hunters after their next big score, while Winstone is their wily rival, who teams with Kevin Hart to try and get there first. While the film is absolutely an embarrassment for just about everyone involved, Winstone at least has the good fortune to be pushed to the background while his higher-billed co-stars get to humiliate themselves on a much grander scale. This is easily one of Winstone's flakiest performances to date; he's clearly just in it for a quick pay day and, like everyone else, just to soak in some gorgeous sights while doing so. Winstone's accent is probably the most bemusing element; it's not his regular one but it's a bit of a pain to place exactly. Still, his signature Cockney leaks through, making it clear he, like everyone involved, is only going in half-assed. But really, we can't be too hard on him because we'd probably do the same thing.
Contributor
Contributor

Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.