Are they worthy of the accolades or should they be sent down...
The Accused:
OSCAR ISAAC
I think it's pretty safe to say that it was his performance in Inside Llewyn Davis that thrust him into the mainstream. This role saw him nominated for a Golden Globe. Personally I blow hot and cold when it comes to the Coen brothers and this is one of the films that I consider a bit chilly. In saying that I do think that Isaac's performance is near perfect for the role.
The first time I really started to take notice of him was after seeing him in Inside Llewyn Davis. All of a sudden I would see a preview or watch a film and stop and think "That's the guy with the cat in that Coen movie!"
Looking at his back catalogue I then realised that he also appeared in both Sucker Punch and Drive as well. He plays it rather menacing in Sucker Punch as Blue Jones the sadistic orderly. I will admit that this is one of my guilty pleasures. Having re-watched Sucker Punch just recently I can admire how Isaac plays this character after becoming more aware of whom he is now.
His role in Drive is not a huge one but he does grab your attention when on screen and the testosterone flows when he and Ryan Gosling share the screen. He gives his character just enough depth for you to feel sorry for the position he has gotten into; but also enough for you to not fully trust his motives.
One of his most recent movies which proved to be a bit of a fizzer at the box office (although admittedly with only a small release) was The Two Faces of January alongside Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst. This is one that deserves more attention as it is a solid crime thriller with a few twists and turns and again Isaac gives a very enjoyable performance.
Now we come to a bit of a controversial one next. A Most Violent Year got rave reviews but I found it so slow and boring. The film title comes from the fact that 1981 (the year the movie is set in) was the most violent on record in New York City. This is another film loved by critics but ignored by the cinema goers. I don't find it much of a surprise though because of two reasons: the film is not violent for one and secondly it does not take place over a twelve month period. It might have a clever title that makes it sound hard core but it is too misleading.
Regardless of that Isaac is terrific as Abel Morales a struggling businessman who is trying his hardest to do the right thing and stay on the straight and narrow despite his wife trying to convince him otherwise. She is played by the always excellent Jessica Chastain. It doesn't help Morales' situation that she is a mob boss's daughter so committing violent acts to get what you want comes naturally to her.
My personal favourite performance of Isaac's has to be his appearance in Ex Machina; one of the best movies to come out in 2015. He plays what is basically a mad scientist opposite Domhnall Gleeson's sceptical programmer who is there to judge if Isaac's robotic creation can pass the Turing test. That robot is played by Alicia Vikander with some extremely impressive CGI. All three actors are on form in this one. Isaac has one of the best on screen dance scenes since John Travolta hit the floor with Uma Thurman.
The latest screen appearance was in a little film called The Force Awakens as star pilot Poe Dameron. Isaac gives Poe a sense of swagger but I will cover this movie in more depth in my next article.
It might have taken Isaac a bit of time to start getting some seriously meaty roles but he is certainly making the most of each one. The wonderful thing about him is that he seems equally comfortable in the big budget films as well as the smaller more independent roles.
He is able to adapt his appearance enough to suit each character too. Not to Christian Bale lengths but enough to feel that it isn't just another person being played by Oscar Isaac. There are a few actors that if I hear they are in a film then I will generally try and catch it. Isaac has become one of those actors. I might not always think that the movie he appears in is the next best thing; but I will generally agree that Isaac's performance is often one of the highlights. Up to now I haven't hated anything he has appeared in which is a rare feat indeed.
Moving forward we have the next instalment of Star Wars to look forward to seeing him in; but the one that grabs my attention more will be Isaac's next collaboration with Alex Garland, who directed him in Ex Machina. He will also appear later this year as Apocalypse in the latest X-Men entry which is one I feel could go either way.
Oscar Isaac is definitely an actor on the straight and narrow. We will keep a close eye on this rising star to see if he begins to stray.
Splitting a portion of this persons back catalogue into what I would "go to" and what I would choose to "avoid"; given the choices I would categorise this entertainers output as thus...
The Scorcher's:
The Torture's:
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