From awestruck “Star Wars”-obsessed 12-year-olds to small-town losers and drug-cooking military grunts, Phoenix is the kind of actor who can turn a simple role into something extraordinary. He’s also known for tackling some very nasty characters.
In this film, Joaquin plays a mercenary who takes on difficult missions. It’s a profound drama about dreams, hope and reality.
1. To Die For
While this movie may not have the high-brow appeal of other films on this list, it offers a gripping thriller experience. The 2023 Lifetime film is available to stream on DIRECTV, offering audiences an easy and convenient way to access the thrilling story.
Nicole Kidman stars as Suzanne Stone, a small-town cable news reporter who dreams of a bigger career and feels her middle-class husband is holding her back. She enlists the help of her horny high school friend Jimmy (Joaquin Phoenix) to seduce her naive husband, and they devise an elaborate plan to have him murdered.
This is the kind of movie that could be dismissed as farce, but director Gus Van Sant and writer Buck Henry have a merciless eye for their characters. Despite her stupid, vain and egomaniacal behavior, Kidman manages to make Suzanne human.
2. Hotel Rwanda
After years of not appearing in many films, Phoenix came back to the spotlight with this Gus Van Sant drama. His performance as Suzanne, a TV meteorologist who seduces a teenager to make him kill her husband, is dark and funny.
This based-on-a-true-story movie follows hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina as he houses and protects displaced Tutsi during the 1994 Rwanda genocide. His actions help him save hundreds of lives.
Phoenix has a knack for playing damaged characters, and this is on full display in Lynne Ramsay’s bruising thriller. His performance as a mercenary-for-hire could have come off as stale, but Phoenix brings his usual twitchy energy to the role, making it utterly believable. This gomovies film shows off the depths of Phoenix’s acting abilities. He also demonstrates his ability to work with innovative directors. Like Spike Jonze, M. Night Shyamalan, and Paul Thomas Anderson.
3. C’mon C’mon
Director Mike Mills has a knack for making movies about family, and C’mon C’mon may be his most tender. Joaquin Phoenix plays Johnny, a radio journalist tasked with looking after his precocious nephew Jesse (Woody Norman) while traveling for work.
While the premise is a bit cliche, it’s hard to dismiss given the quality of the performances. Phoenix, in particular, is a revelation. He’s far from the scrawny psychopath he played in Joker, and the movie is all the better for it.
Gaby Hoffmann is also excellent as Viv, the widowed mother who feels pulled in multiple directions while struggling with her husband Paul’s mental illness. The film debuted at Telluride and will be released by A24 this fall. It’s an emotional yet humble portrait of a family’s deepening connections. And it may feature the best performance from Phoenix yet.
4. You Were Never Really Here
Joaquin Phoenix delivers a bleak and demented character in this twisted drama. He is a mercenary who tracks down missing girls for a living, but it’s clear that he’s damaged. He makes the film a bit difficult to watch, but his performance is impressive nonetheless.
Lynne Ramsay and her team of actors are all at their peak in You Were Never Really Here, but it’s Phoenix who is the center of attention. The film isn’t about solving a mystery or fetishizing violence, but rather exploring the psychological damage caused by traumatic childhood experiences.
The director relies on Phoenix to hit the movie’s edgy, dark beats. He nails every aspect of the mercenary’s psyche, from his desperate and lonely nature to his sense of hopelessness that everything will always go wrong. His performance earns him an Oscar nomination.
5. The Sisters Brothers
In The Sisters Brothers, a criminally efficient pair of hitmen take on a murder mission for a ruthless boss in the wild west. The older brother Eli (Reilly) is fretful and worried while his younger brother Charlie carries himself with an attitude of jovial recklessness.
The film follows the brothers as they travel from Oregon to California on their quest. Along the way, they encounter a number of different characters, including an irresponsible gangster and a tyrannical woman.
Director Jacques Audiard delivers a dark and wry Western, featuring outstanding performances from Phoenix and Reilly. Although the characters aren’t exactly complex, they feel real. It’s also refreshing to see a film that challenges the notion that good morality will lead to personal success. The Sisters Brothers is an unconventional western that is a must-see for Joaquin fans.