Rating action stars as actors

[stj]

How do you rate these action movie stars as all round actors? 1 the best, 11 the worst

Christian Bale Batman Begins
Russell Crowe Gladiator
Matt Damon Bourne trilogy
Keanu Reeves Point Break, Speed, Matrix Trilogy
Kurt Russell Escape movies, Big Trouble in Little China, Stargate
Arnold Schwarzenegger too many to count?
Steven Seagal ditto?
Will Smith Independence Day, I,Robot, I Am Legend, Wild, Wild, West
Sylvester Stallone Rambo series
Claude van Damme too many to count?
Bruce Willis Die Hard series

Giving out points before my rating---
Bale gets 1 for playing ordinary/weak (Laurel Canyon); 1 for playing heavy, sort of (The Machinist); 1 point for risky (playing gay in Velvet Goldmine); one for strong presence; no points for multiple leads as Equilibrium or Reign of Fire were bad. total 4

Crowe gets 1 for playing heavy (3:10 to Yuma); 1 for playing ordinary/weak (The Insider); 1 for risky (Romper Stomper---or was that typecasting? and gay in The Sum of Us); 1 for variety in lead roles; 1 for strong presence. total 5

Damon gets 1 for playing ordinary/weak (Syriana); 1 for comedy (Dogma); 1 for risky (gay murderer in Talented Mr. Ripley); 1 for variety in leads (The Good Shepherd). Total 4

Reeves gets 1 for playing ordinary/weak (Hardball); 1 for comedy (Bill and Ted movies); 1 for romance (Sweet November, Lake House); 1 for playing heavy (The Gift; 1 for risky (gay hustler in My Own Private Idaho---this would be the memo that Reeves sucks?). total 5

Russell gets 1 for comedy (Overboard); one for playing heavy (Dark Blue); one for playing ordinary/weak (Mean Season). total 3

Schwarzenegger gets 1 for multiple leads; 1 for strong screen presence; 1 for comedy (Last Action Hero). total 3

Seagal---I can't remember anything with him. total 0

Smith get 1 for comedy (Men in Black); 1 for multiple leads; 1 for strong presence. total 3

Stallone gets 1 for comedy (Oscar); 1 for strong screen presence; 1 for multiple leads (Rocky series). total 3

van Damme get 1 for working in second language. total 1

Willis gets 1 for playing ordinary/weak (Sixth Sense); 1 for multiple leads; 1 for comedy (Death Becomes Her); 1 for romance (Moonlighting). total 4

My ratings then,
1 Russell Crowe
2 Keanu Reeves
3 Christian Bale
4 Bruce Willis
5 Matt Damon
6 Kurt Russell
7 Sylvester Stallone
8 Arnold Schwarzenegger
9 Will Smith*
10 Claude van Damme
11 Steven Seagal

PS Omission corrected, Highlander, but disputed.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

Hmmm, my problem is I only consider Arnie and Seagal to be action stars. The rest are movie stars who have done some action movies. I'd be more prone almost to rank which actors are the best action stars.

 

[highlander]

You left out the best action star of them all..... Van Damme baby!!!

 

[captcalhoun]

You left out the best action star of them all..... Van Damme baby!!!

um, he put 'claude van damme' not JEAN-claude Van Damme.

right there at no. 10

 

[Hermiod]

I don't consider Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Keanu Reeves, Bruce Willis and Will Smith to be action stars. They are all quite capable of doing non-action roles.

 

[Good Will Riker]

Keanu Reeves

He can't even act.

And, as for Speed and The Matrix (and the sequels...), we didn't run out to the theaters to watch Keanu Reeves in these popular action films, but rather these just happened to be popular action films that Keanu Reeves happened to be in them.

 

[highlander]

You left out the best action star of them all..... Van Damme baby!!!

um, he put 'claude van damme' not JEAN-claude Van Damme.

right there at no. 10

Whoops my bad...Thanks for pointing that out and not being sarcastic about it.

 

[stj]

Highlander was right that I omitted van Damme at first. My bad about forgetting the Jean.

The dubious entry on the list is Kurt Russell, on the grounds that he's not a star at all. Maybe I should have included Harrison Ford. And what about Tom Cruise?

Mr. Adventure has a point. Still, I'm pretty sure that none of these fine gentlemen would be considered a star but for their action movies. Of course, in the Hollywood definition of star, an actor who can guarantee box office, probably the only star on the list is Will Smith. Maybe Russell Crowe?

 

[aladinsane]

Keanu Reeves

He can't even act.

And, as for Speed and The Matrix (and the sequels...), we didn't run out to the theaters to watch Keanu Reeves in these popular action films, but rather these just happened to be popular action films that Keanu Reeves happened to be in them.

I agree with this post 100 percent. Reeves is perhaps the worst actor to star in major hollywood productions ever.

 

[stj]

Are you sure you guys aren't inadvertently thinking of who you'd like to marry you sister? I wouldn't have nerve enough to claim that Jean-Claude van Damme and Arnold Schwarzenegger are better actors than Keanu Reeves, even if I didn't put any value on the ability to play villains or do comedy and romance as well.

 

[Dream]

Most people think that Keanu Reeves can't act.

 

[IJD GAF]

The list is also missing some of the newer crop of action stars, notably Vin Diesel and The Rock.

 

[stj]

I've seen Vin Diesel in that movie where he babysat the kids. Liked that, but it's not an action movie. I don't think I've seen The Rock in a movie, or was he in The Mummy. Which reminds me---Brendan Fraser!

The fixation on Keanu Reeves seems to be so intense that many posters can't even think about any of the others. Because they really don't want to admit that Reeves is better than anyone? What exactly is going on with that? It's hard to believe that people are so uptight about the art of acting.

 

[MeanJoePhaser]

Bruce Willis's big break was a (mostly) non-action comedy role, MOONLIGHTING. His first films included BLIND DATE. I remember that DIE HARD seemed to cast him against type.

 

[Mr. Fergy]

My ranking:

1. Matt Damon.

2. Will Smith.

3. Bruce Willis.

4. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

5. Sylvester Stallone.

6. Kurt Russell

7. Russell Crowe

8. Steven Seagal.

9. Christian Bale.

10. Keanu Reeves.

11. Claude Van Damme

BTW: where do Vin Diesel, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, and Tobey McGuire (And so many more) fit in?

 

[stj]

^^^Diesel, Johnson and McGuire belong on the list of someone who's seen one or more of their action movies. Perhaps you or Mr. Adventure should do an improved version of the thread.

Why Oscar winners Will Smith and (especially) Russell Crowe are ranked lower than Matt Damon (whose Oscar is for writing?)

 

[Daedalus12]

1. Keanu Reeves - Matrix Trilogy, Point Break, Speed, Johnny Mnemonic, A Scanner Darkly, Constantine, The Devil's Advocate, Bill & Ted
2. Russell Crowe - 3:10 to Yuma, Master and Commander, Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind, The Insider, LA Confidential, American Gangster
3. Matt Damon - Saving Private Ryan, Rounders, Bourne, Syriana, Good Will Hunting, The Departed, The Good Shepherd
4. Will Smith - Independence Day, MIB, Enemy of the State, Pursuit of Happyness, I Am Legend
5. Christian Bale - Batman, 3:10 to Yuma, Equilibrium, The Prestige
6. Bruce Willis - Sixth Sense, Die Hard, 12 Monkeys, The Fifth Element, Pulp Fiction,
7. Kurt Russell - Escape, Overboard, Big Trouble in Little China, Death Proof,
8. Arnold Schwarzenegger.- Twins, Terminator, Truth Lies, Predator, Total Recall,
9. Sylvester Stalone - Rocky, Rambo
10. Jean Claude Van Damme - Bloodsport, Univeral Soldier
11. Steven Seagal - <don't own any of his movies>

 

[Temis the Vorta]

No particular order within their categories...

The Good
Christian Bale
Russell Crowe
Matt Damon
Will Smith
Bruce Willis
Vin Diesel (surprisingly good in non-brainless drama roles)
Tobey McGuire

The Bad
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Kurt Russell
Sylvester Stallone

The So Bad They're Ugly
Keanu Reeves
Steven Seagal
Claude van Damme

Jury's Still Out
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - probably bad, but haven't seen him enough to say for sure

 

[Kegek]

If I rated them by the number of films I owned in which those actors star... Christian Bale. If I rated them by which actor I liked the most; it'd still be Christian Bale. Aside from that, I like Will Smith (but can probably count on one hand the number of Will Smith vehicles I like), and think Russell Crowe, Matt Damon and Bruce Willis are all good. Saw Vin Diesel in one movie, he was okay. I thought Keanu Reeves was dull in the Matrix pictures but good in A Scanner Darkly - he's good at playing an addled drug user, but a little weak as a postmodern messiah. Schwarzenegger isn't an actor. He's a body builder. His performances follow that principle - great physicality, but nothing else. Not fond of Stallone. Never seen Seagal, Russell, Maguire or van Damme movies.

 

[Mr. Fergy]

^^^Diesel, Johnson and McGuire belong on the list of someone who's seen one or more of their action movies. Perhaps you or Mr. Adventure should do an improved version of the thread.

Why Oscar winners Will Smith and (especially) Russell Crowe are ranked lower than Matt Damon (whose Oscar is for writing?)

Will Smith was nominated for an Oscar, Damon actually won one fro writing, "Good Will Hunting", and he actually acts well. Plus he did all 3 Bourne movies. Damon is a solid action bad-ass in my book.

BTW: Ben Afflick, well...