Top Ten Thursdays: Brad Pitt Movies

In light of my recent post about the brilliance of Tree of Life, I have decided to create a top ten list of my favorite Brad Pitt films.  This is partially a result of his excellent job in Malick's latest film, however, it is also an homage to an admitted man crush on the actor.  I have tried to grab a unique mixture of Pitt's work, but as always it is based on personal taste.

10. Babel (2006)

This is one of Pitt's briefer performances, however, his breakdown next to the pay phone will break your heart








9. A River Runs Through It (1992)

Starring a young Brad Pitt, A River Runs Through It is as tragic as it is beautiful.  Pitt masterfully plays a characters whose youthful angst leads to a spiral of trouble and an untimely death.

 8. Inglorious Basterds (2009)

 

 Brad Pitt is in the Nazi killing business, and as Lt. Aldo Raine his performance is booming.

7. Snatch (2000)

While was originally given the role of Mickey because of his terrible accent, Pitt's character manages to steal the movie with his quick right hand and indiscernible rambling.

6. Twelve Monkeys (1995)

 Brad Pitt only adds to Terry Gilliam's respectable adaptation of the classic short film La Jetee. 

5. The Assasination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (2007)

This severely under-appreciated film contains Pitt as an aging outlaw.  Pitt plays the part with minimal emotion causing an already sobering film to become much more stark.

 4. The Tree of Life

 My recent review of this film will help shed light on this choice.








3. Fight Club (1999)

Brad Pitt's performance as Tyler Durden in the adaptation of Palahniuk's novel helped revolutionize cinema as it transitioned into the new millennium.  Pitt also became the envy of workout gurus everywhere.

 2. Se7en (1995)

Arguably Pitt's most mature perfromance, Se7en displays him as a cop whose wrath leads to his brutal and undeserved downfall.

1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)

With the help of make-up and CGI, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button displays a synchronization of everything that is possible in Pitt's repetoire.  At times he plays a stoic aged man, at others a rebellious youth.  It still baffles me as to why he didn't receive the Oscar for Best Actor.

 Honorable Mention

Thelma and Louise (1991)

Seven Years in Tibet (1997)

Ocean's 11 (2001)

Burn After Reading (2008)