The Best Performances I've Seen from Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes

If you've been reading this blog since about July this year onwards, you will know that I am a little bit obsessed with British actor Ralph Fiennes (full name: Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes, which is a name I'm equally as obsessed with). This year I've come to watch many of his films, but there are also many that I haven't seen (like Spider, The End of an Affair, Sunshine and Coriolanus). As today is his 49th birthday - I know what you're all thinking, he looks a lot younger than that - I'm going to list my ten favourite performances of his that I have seen. Because this year wouldn't have been so awesome had I not had a wee obsession with this impossibly good-looking and talented guy. And my teddy wouldn't have such a kick-ass name (Twisleton) if it wasn't for him.

10. Mr. Kendrick in Cemetery Junction

It may seem like an odd choice, given how this movie was unfortunately missed by a lot of people, but Ralph is pure awesomeness here. As Mr. Kendrick, he plays a man who purely does not give a shit about anything or anyone. He hasn't thanked his wife for a cup of tea in years, which is quite heartbreaking. But there is one scene where he gives a speech at a function, as he says goodbye to someone who has been working at his firm for years and years. He was so horrible I was in stitches. I love how funny Ralph can be even when he's insulting everyone.

9. The Duke in The Duchess

Admittedly, I don't remember a lot of this film as I watched it just about three years ago, but I do remember Ralph's performance above anything else in the film. Like a lot of his characters, he isn't very likeable in this film, to the point that you just want to punch him in the face for being such a royal pain in the butt. Still, even though his character is quite distant and insensitive, there's still plenty to like about Ralph's scene stealing performance.

8. Michael Berg in The Reader

I had a fair few problems with The Reader, which became increasingly evident when I rewatched it back in October. Despite that, Ralph, who plays the older version of Michael Berg (the younger version being equally as well played by David Kross), is still very good. It's undeniably Kate Winslet's movie, but I love how Ralph has to also confront the demons of his past, and learn to get over there. He's the centre of most of the heartbreaking moments of the movie, and that final scene kills me.

7. Count Laszlo de Almásy in The English Patient

I watched The English Patient back in July, and while I liked it, I still had some problems with it (I really do need to watch it again). However, Ralph's Oscar-nominated performance is one to treasure. He plays a rich, yet shy Count in two periods of his life: one where he is in love with an already married Katharine Clifton (Kristin Scott Thomas) and one where he is severely burnt due to a plane crash. Here is in full romantic mode - there is no way anyone with ovaries can't fall in love with him. Add that with the fact that save for the burnt scenes, this movie serves as some bloody good eye candy of him, and you have one of the best things he has ever done. As I said, I need to watch it again, mainly so I can fully appreciate everything this film has to offer, but he is great here.

6. Harry in In Bruges

He doesn't appear until an hour through the film, but when he does turn up he is pure awesomeness. He is absolutely hilarious as Harry, who is the definition of a complete asshole. And he uses the F-word five times in a normal sized sentence. Plus, he gets the best lines, like calling his wife an "inanimate fucking object!" and then following it up with "I'm sorry I called you an inanimate object. I was upset." The film itself is bloody great, too.

5. Justin Quayle in The Constant Gardner

This film isn't one of my favourites, and even though it was Rachel Weisz who got the acclaim and the Oscar for her performance, I was more blown away by Ralph's performance. In among the array of villains he has played, here is a film where he plays a shy, mild-mannered diplomat who's wife has been murdered, and he sets out on a journey to find out what happened. He is so good-hearted in this movie, even looking past his wife's horrible infidelities to do what needs to be done. He is also heart-breaking, particularly when he is breaks down crying at his now empty home, and especially in the final sequence. Quayle, in my opinion, is one of the best characters he has played, even if I didn't like the film all that much.

4. Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter series

While his screen time is scattered throughout the five films he appears in, his presence is always there, which makes Ralph's performance as the nose-less villain of the decade quite eerie. You may take away his nose, his hair and his good-looks, but Ralph's talent shines through, delivering the best overall performance in the series. He gets his voice and evil-ness pitch perfect, and the way he carries himself is just scary. Ralph looks like he is having an absolute ball with his character, too. But just make sure that you don't piss him off, because he has a wand and he is not afraid to use it.

3. Lenny Nero in Strange Days

One of my greatest moments this year was discovering this movie buried deep in the messy shelves at Blockbuster and giving it a whirl. I'm not sure that I know many fans of Kathryn Bigelow's vision of Y2K, but I absolutely loved it. Ralph, who plays an ex-cop turned street-hustler who uncovers a police conspiracy  by looking at other people's recorded memories, is the definition of badass here. Give him a long hairdo, some stylish yet questionable clothes and a gun, and you have something unlike Ralph has ever done: be an action hero. I'm not talking about an action hero like those overly buff beef-heads. I'm talking about an action hero with heart, soul, and a pretty bad past. Such a shame that this movie is so under-appreciated.

2. Charles Van Doren in Quiz Show

When I saw Quiz Show, I instantly fell in love with it. A film about the quiz show scandals of the 50s, which has Ralph playing a pretty and privileged boy who is fed answers so he can beat geeky Jew Herb Stempel (John Turturro). While on the surface it could be said that Charles is at fault, the film digs deeper and shows things from his point of view. Ralph is perfect in this film, both in the way that he is insanely good looking (and that is an understatement), and in the way that he is silently in anguish underneath it all. When the story comes out, it is really sad watching him try and pick up the pieces, especially when he admits to what he has done in front of everyone. If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it. I think it is, for lack of a better word, a masterpiece.

1. Amon Göth in Schindler's List

This definitely won't come as a surprise for most of you, as I have said time and time again that this is my favourite performance of all-time. I just can't stress enough how utterly perfect he is as ruthless Nazi Amon Göth. Reading about the actual person, I found it hard to believe that someone like him existed, but what I found even harder to believe is how anyone could throw themselves so completely into playing him. Ralph is utterly terrifying, even from just one look. Every single moment in his performance qualifies him for being the best performance of all-time - it is bloody ridiculous that he didn't get the Oscar. You look at him and you see death, right the way through him. Which, as an actor, is not a very easy thing to convey.

Happy Birthday, Ralph! What are your favourite performances from Ralph Fiennes?

Rewind - The Constant Gardener

2005's line-up for the Best Supporting Actress category at the Oscars was pretty impressive. It had the always amazing Catherine Keener for her performance in biopic Capote. Previous winner Frances McDormand was nominated for her stellar performance in the gritty drama North Country. Michelle Williams was in there for her stunning turn in Brokeback Mountain, a.k.a the film that should have won Best Picture. And the brilliant Amy Adams was nominated for her first time thanks to her show stopping performance in Junebug. But who was the one who got the award over those four equally amazing performances? Rachel Weisz in The Constant Gardener. She had considerably less screen time than most of her competition, and probably a least 'flashy' role. Though I was a huge fan of Amy Adams and her electrifying performance in Junebug, a performance that is done with so much heart, even though her character wasn't the nicest, and that genuinely sparks up the screen instantly even though most of her time is used for flashbacks, deserves a win. My question is, why the hell wasn't Ralph Fiennes nominated for his leading performance?

Fiennes and Weisz, both giving it everything they've got, star in what is effectively a love story, just set within the confines of a political thriller. It's all about Fiennes, who plays British diplomat Justin Quayle, who is trying to seek out the real explanation as to why his wife Tessa, played by Weisz, was murdered during their stay in Kenya. Though this is not a true story as such, there isn't anything that is too unbelievable in this movie. As Justin looks into the reasons that could possibly point to his wife's murder, the film switches gears and also looks at the horrible world of drug-testing on humans. Now, Justin is running up against a corporation who uses poor Africans to test a tuberculosis drug, and he has the power to expose their secret, so naturally, they want him dead, too. People want Justin to stop with this little quest of his, but does he want to? No. Because he loved his wife dearly, even though the many secrets he uncovers after her death probably would have broken their marriage anyway.

This movie set out to be a provocative thriller, and in that, it succeeded. Whether that be because of the fierce portrayal of the slums in Kenya, or the amount of corruption that happened because of this drug testing thing, the film certainly shows a whole lot of anger towards nearly everything. The best thing is that, even though it definitely doesn't want to shy away from being a Hollywood thriller of sorts, it remains completely realistic. While there isn't a whole lot of human brutality shown on screen (something which I thought there should have been more of), the vision it has on corruption is truly blood-curdling. But even though this movie has some things to say about some shocking stuff, there were a few times when I switched off from it. Particularly when Justin returned to Britain. There was some truly heartfelt stuff in that segment of the movie (especially when he breaks down outside of Tessa's house...just one of the many reasons why I love Ralph Fiennes and his acting skills), it was just a little on the boring side. The movie, despite it's brilliant material, fails to be anything ground-breaking or great. Mind you, it ends really well, with a hint of justice for it's more serious plot strand, and a sense of beautiful closure for it's romantic storyline.
 

The romantic storyline is something which makes this film good, but it also lets it down. Fiennes and Weisz have this undeniable chemistry which is evident from their first meeting, which happens to be a cracker of a scene. But the one thing I really struggled with was all of the secrets that Tessa had and the fact that Justin wanted to keep going with his little plight. He was such a shy character, and I thought he would have been the kind who would have given up easily. While his love for Tessa was admirable, I don't know how he could have possibly kept fighting for her considering the way she effectively used him and his status. His resilience is...I don't know...inspirational, but in the romantic context of the movie, I found it impossible to connect to. However, when you put his resilience into the whole corruption storyline, he comes out as quite the hero. Without the partnership between Justin and Tessa, and maybe the good old 'you-think-you-knew-someone-but-you-really-didn't' theme, this film probably wouldn't have been that enjoyable for me. But while I'm sure it was supposed to give me something to root for, I was left a little dumbfounded by it.
 

As I said, Fiennes and Weisz give top performances. They both master the art of subtlety, with most of the pain in this movie being written across their face. Oh yeah, and I guess it's worth mentioning that Fiennes is really hot in it too...those eyes of his make me die inside, as does his sweet performance. Pete Postlethwaite was a stand-out too, even though he turns up really late in the piece. Along with the performances, this film has high points in it's direction and editing. Fernando Meirelles gives a dark film plenty of colour and vibrancy when it's in Africa, which is also backed up by some thrilling direction in the more action-esque scenes. He uses plenty of interesting angles which keep things interesting to watch. The cross cutting between when Tessa was alive and when she wasn't didn't turn out to be as corny as it should have been. The romantic strand always seems to come in at the right time, especially with the flashbacks incorporated into the ending. There's so much to like about The Constant Gardener, but there is a lot that I didn't like about it as well. I would definitely watch this again, because I felt that there was enough to outweigh the large amount of flaws the film has. It's certainly not a bad movie unworthy of a watch...it just isn't the great movie that I wanted it to be.
 
THE VERDICT: Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz give stellar performances in a thought-provoking movie with brilliant direction, which is ultimately let down by flaws in it's story-telling.
 
What I hoped for:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
What I got: