Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

I decided to take a page from the Gideon58 playbook and do a personal countdown of the characters performed by my favorite actor, Joaquin Phoenix. This will be a list of 32 performances from 1995 to 2019. I've not seen most of the work he did as a child actor so I've not included them. I've also excluded the narration he did for the documentaries Earthlings and Unity as I don't really consider those to be acting performances.

Please keep in mind that this countdown will be of his performances, not of the films he's in. I will post a ranked and rated list of his movies once the countdown is complete.

* * *

32. Jesus (Mary Magdelene, 2018)
31. Karl (Lou, 2018)
30. Jack Daglish (Hotel Rwanda, 2004)
29. John Marczewski (It's All About Love, 2003)
28. Charlie Sisters (The Sisters Brothers, 2018)
27. Jack Morrison (Ladder 49, 2004)
26. Kenai (Brother Bear, 2003)
25. Max California (8MM, 1999)
24. Merrill Hess (Signs, 2002)
23. Jimmy Emmett (To Die For, 1995)
22. Joaquin Phoenix (I'm Still Here, 2010)
21. Ray Elwood (Buffalo Soldiers, 2001)
20. Lucius Hunt (The Village, 2004)
19. Toby N. Tucker (U Turn, 1997)
18. Clay Birdwell (Clay Pigeons, 1998)
17. John Callahan (Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot, 2018)
16. Larry "Doc" Sportello (Inherent Vice, 2014)
15. Willie Gutierrez (The Yards, 2000)
14. Freddie Quell (The Master, 2012)
13. Leonard Kraditor (Two Lovers, 2008)
12. Bruno Weiss (The Immigrant, 2013)
11. Abe Lucas (Irrational Man, 2015)
10. Ethan Learner (Reservation Road, 2007)
09. Bobby Green (We Own the Night, 2007)
08. Lewis McBride (Return to Paradise, 1998)
07. Johnny Cash (Walk the Line, 2005)
06. Joe (You Were Never Really Here, 2017)
05. Doug Holt (Inventing the Abbotts, 1997)
04. Arthur Fleck (Joker, 2019)
03. Commodus (Gladiator, 2000)
02. Abbé de Coulmier (Quills, 2000)
01. Theodore Twomley (Her, 2013)

* * *

* * *

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Number one should easy. Joker. The best performance of his entire career so far.

Jesus

Mary Magdelene, 2018
Directed by Garth Davis

I've done my best not to let my overall opinion of the individual films in this list sway my rankings of the performances too much, but for Mary Magdelene it just can't be helped. Though I can't find anything in Joaquin's performance to fault (or to praise, to be honest), I despised this film and was utterly bored by it. As an atheist I went into this film without any already established investment in its story or characters, but even Joaquin Phoenix couldn't make me give a damn.

This is also the only film on the list that I have seen only one time. I just couldn't bear to endure such torture again.

Rank: 32
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: -5 (Jesus just ain't sexy)
Write-Up: April 22, 2019

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Jesus = tortured beyond belief.

Miss Vicky = had it worse watching this movie. :p

I haven't seen this movie myself. I'm not sure I knew of it. Anyways, I'm looking forward to following this list. Joaquin is definitely my favorite actor working today and has been for quite some years. I know you didn't like The Master too much, but you said so yourself you judge by the performances... that should be pretty high. I hope. My personal favorite performance of him (until Joker came along and I was suddenly conflicted).

Karl

Lou, 2018
Directed by Clara Balzary

This performance lands itself near the bottom of this list by default. Lou is a short film and Phoenix is in roughly 3 minutes of its 12 minute runtime. He does well enough as the single father of a lesbian teen but simply isn't given much to do.

I found the performance - and the film itself - rather forgettable.

Rank: 31
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: 0 (He's neither attractive nor unattractive in this.)
Write-Ups: I've not written this film up.

You're really not missing anything. :laugh:

Besides just the fact that it sucks, Mary Magdelene was an inadvertent victim of the Me Too movement. It came out around the time of the Harvey Weinstein scandal and got little advertising, limited distribution, and a very delayed DVD/blu-ray release on account of being from The Weinstein Company.

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Lol I love the hotness factor. Nice touch.

I was thinking: this gal will make a hotness ranking on Joaquin’s, that’s what’s she’s doing, then I saw the meter and I’m seeing this differently now.

You know what. When I looked this up on IMDb I didn’t see the year first I saw the plot first (despite you actually writing the year with big ass letters). And my first thought was “this seems like some #metoo kind of ****”. And then I saw the year and became more suspicious. I forgot to include it in my reply but glad my assumptions was confirmed. I’ll definitely stay away :laugh:

I forgot to say that too (I appearently forget a lot today). Brilliant.

I've never heard of the first three films mentioned here but I am looking forward to seeing what's on the rest of this list.

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

I hope Leaf Phoenix's role as "Garry" in Parenthood (1989) ranks #1! ;)

Jack Daglish

Hotel Rwanda, 2004
Directed by Terry George

Joaquin does well with what he's given here - as a cameraman documenting the genocide in Rwanda - but there simply isn't enough meat to this small role for me to rank it any higher.

Rank: 30
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: 2 (I like the scruffy look, but it's not my favorite.)
Write-Ups: November 2, 2019

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Rooting for Signs and Gladiator obviously.

John Marczewski

It's All About Love, 2003
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg

I've ranked this performance above those from Lou and Hotel Rwanda mainly because he's given more to do. Unfortunately, however, this performance is... not great. He does what he can with it but the character is bland and poorly written, much like the movie itself. Also, like the movie, he looks gorgeous, but that's about the only redeeming feature.

Sometimes even the best actors can't rise above the material.

Rank: 29
Film Rating: -
Hotness Factor: 4 (He looks great, too bad the movie sucks.)
Write-Ups: February 27, 2016 November 18, 2019

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

I've only seen Rwanda so far and it was so long ago that I don't even remember him in it.

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Not really a fan, but I did like his brother, River Phoenix. Stand By Me was incredible.

MJ, just curious: is your signature (or whatever they call the words we put under our avatars) a signature or some sort of official designation you did not put there yourself?

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

She put it there.

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

I should probably go back and watch a few more of his 00's films, I doubt many stand up to his best work since then but I do remember say We Own The Night being a very good performance in an otherwise pretty average film.

That said I think someone like Phoenix or Daniel Day Lewis is naturally tied to their material, compared to say someone like Chris Walken or Sam Jackson he isn't going to be playing up a certain character regardless and so is going to depend a lot on what the film offers him.

Charlie Sisters

The Sisters Brothers, 2018
Directed by Jacques Audiard

Joaquin really seems to have had a lot of fun with this role, and I can appreciate that, but his is the least complex character of the four main roles in the film. As the volatile and mentally unstable Charlie, Phoenix comes off as one-note and the only thing that makes this performance stand out from the slew of other unstable characters he's played is that this one's in a Western. His talent is a bit wasted here, but the movie is solid overall and he looks good so... I'm not complaining too much.

Rank: 28
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: 4 (His character is nuts, but I'd still **** him.)
Write-Ups: November 8, 2018, October 20, 2019

Jack Morrison

Ladder 49, 2004
Directed by Jay Russell

Because the man can't ever seem to half-ass anything, Joaquin Phoenix spent a month training at a fire academy and then spent another month working with a Baltimore fire crew and going out on real calls. He also had to overcome a severe fear of heights.

But there's more to this than just the physicality of the role. He also hits all the right emotional notes in this strong performance as a man who must balance being a devoted husband and father with being a firefighter who risks his life to save the lives of others. Unfortunately, the film itself isn't really exceptional in any way, but it's decent enough.

Rank: 27
Film Rating: -
Hotness Factor: 4 (Let's just say the fire isn't the hottest thing in the movie. :randy:)
Write-Ups: October 30, 2019

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

I can’t believe I’m an avid follower of a thread where a woman explicitly shares her undying (or undrying) thirst of Joaquin Phoenix....


I love it.

Kenai

Brother Bear, 2003
Directed by Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker

This is the only performance Joaquin Phoenix has done for an animated film - and he did a pretty damn good job it. Kenai is a young Inuit man who, through the magic of the ancestral spirits, is taught a lesson in brotherhood and responsibility by being transformed into a bear. Phoenix has great chemistry with his co-star, Jeremy Suarez, and makes this lesser-known (and, unfortunately, lesser regarded) Disney film quite the charmer.

I'd rank it higher, but it's kind of a shame not to be able to see his face.

Rank: 26
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: -5 (Not into bestiality, tyvm.)
Write-Ups: October 30, 2019

Max California

8MM, 1999
Directed by Joel Schumacher

In need of a battery operated vagina? How about some help infiltrating the seedy underworld of pornography? Max is your man. He doesn't buy it. He doesn't endorse it. He just points the way.

Joaquin is pretty adorable as the porn store-clerk turned P.I.'s sidekick who assists in investigating the authenticity of a snuff flick. Max is much more intelligent than he likes to let on and has a quick wit, adding a bit of levity to an otherwise very dark and disturbing film.

Rank: 25
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: 3 (I kinda dig the blue hair.)
Write-Ups: May 30, 2016, November 10, 2019

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Don't know how accurate my count is but I've seen only 10.

Merrill Hess

Signs, 2002
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Merrill's not the brightest guy around, but this "miracle man" loves and idolizes his older brother, is fiercely protective of his niece and nephew, and sure knows how to handle a baseball bat.

Joaquin is wonderfully dopey in his role as the comic relief of the film. His character is also an athlete - which means we get to see him in fine, fit form and I do love me some eye candy.

Rank: 24
Film Rating: -
Hotness Factor: 4 (I'd like to handle that... uh... bat myself.)
Write-Ups: October 25, 2019

Jimmy Emmett

To Die For, 1995
Directed by Gus Van Sant

Jimmy's a dim-witted, horny teen who gets seduced by an "on-air correspondent" (read: weather girl) for the local news channel and is convinced to murder the woman's husband when she claims that he beats her. Despite his stupidity and the horrible things he does, there's a sweetness to Jimmy that makes him weirdly endearing.

Rank: 23
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: 0 (He's practically a baby in this.)
Write-Ups: November 16, 2019

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

This thread reminds me I need to see more Joaquin than I thought I already had...

Excellent, straight-to-the-point comments on these. In here you know what you get. It's never hit or miss with Miss Vicky!

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Merrill already saddens me.

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Wow, thought you were half joking, but you would actually f**k the man, wouldn’t you?

If the opportunity presented itself, sure.

Joaquin Phoenix

I'm Still Here, 2010
Directed by Casey Affleck

Joaquin Phoenix: Rapper. I don't know if this is a brilliant piece of performance art or the worst thing the man's ever done, but I gotta give him respect because he sure had a lot people convinced that he'd lost his damn mind. On the other hand, I'm still not convinced he hasn't lost it.

Rank: 22
Film Rating: -
Hotness Factor: -5 (Dude looks f***ing homeless. He's dirty in all the wrong ways. :sick:)
Write-Ups: November 17, 2019

Ray Elwood

Buffalo Soldiers, 2001
Directed by Gregor Jordan

This lovable rogue is fond of the finer things and has no qualms about his black market dealings in everything from wholesale heroin to Mop N Glo. Not exactly an upstanding citizen and definitely not a model soldier, but he's funny and looks great in a uniform, so... who cares?

Joaquin Phoenix does a great job with this character and it's a blast (sometimes literally) watching him go toe to toe with the newly arrived Sergeant who is ruthlessly determined to shut him down and will stop at nothing to win the battle between them.

Rank: 21
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: 4 (I mean, that uniform.)
Write-Ups: November 16, 2019

Lucius Hunt

The Village, 2004
Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Lucius is a quiet and reserved character who is deeply in love with Ivy, the blind girl he's known since childhood, but doesn't know how to express it. A character like this performed by a lesser actor could easily come off as wooden or even cold, but Phoenix is a master at conveying emotion in his expressions, body language, and tone of voice. The film's expected Shyamalan "twist" might be a bit silly, but the romance between Phoenix's Lucius and Bryce Dallas Howard's Ivy is really beautiful and their chemistry is impressive.

Rank: 20
Film Rating: -
Hotness Factor: 3 (Lucius is more adorable than sexy.)
Write-Ups: November 20, 2019

Toby N. Tucker

U Turn, 1997
Directed by Oliver Stone

Don't be making time with his girl, Jenny, or Toby will beat you where you sit. Folks 'round Superior call him "TNT" because he's just like dynamite and when he goes off, somebody gets hurt.

Phoenix is a riot as the hot-headed, air-headed Toby, who makes Sean Penn's hellish time stuck in the podunk Arizona town just that much worse. It's a really small role, but Joaquin really makes the most of it and steals every scene he's in.

Rank: 19
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: 3 (Dumb as a rock and I'm not digging the 'stache, but someone that hot-headed could be fun in the sack.)
Write-Ups: November 10, 2019

Clay Birdwell
http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walt...aybirdwell.jpg
Clay Pigeons, 1998
Directed by David Dobkin

This role is a little different than most in that he's playing the straight man in a comedy, rather than the comic relief in a non-comedy film. Phoenix still gets some laughs as Clay, a man who's been sleeping with his best friend's wife and must cover up the truth when that friend commits suicide in his presence because of the affair. Not long afterwards, he unknowingly befriends a charming serial killer and when that killer's victims start turning up, the FBI turns their eyes on Clay as their prime suspect.

For me Vince Vaughn is the real star of the show as that killer, but Phoenix really brings to life Clay's feelings of shock, panic, and rage as things spiral out of control and he finds himself in one seriously hellish situation.

The film was also produced by both Ridley and Tony Scott (under their Scott Free Productions), which helped to get his foot in the door for a certain iconic role that would come just a couple years later.

Rank: 18
Film Rating: -
Hotness Factor: 4 (A little more wiry than I normally go for, but he looks pretty damn good in flannel.)
Write-Ups: October 31, 2019

John Callahan
http://www.angelfire.com/music6/walt...hncallahan.jpg
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot, 2018
Directed by Gus Van Sant

The film definitely has its faults, but Phoenix turned in a really strong performance as the wheelchair bound cartoonist struggling with alcoholism and feelings of inadequacy. His journey from embittered drunk who lashes out at those around him to someone who is at peace and is able to forgive himself and those who he feels have wronged him feels very real and very touching.

Rank: 17
Film Rating: -
Hotness Factor: 0 (The hair, it bothers me so much!)
Write-Ups: October 12, 2018, November 5, 2019

Larry "Doc" Sportello

Inherent Vice, 2014
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Doc is kind of a one-dimensional character (like the rest of the people in the film), but this hippy private investigator sure brings the laughs as he gets deep into his very confusing case. Probably my favorite of Phoenix's comedic roles and also the only Paul Thomas Anderson movie I like.

Rank: 16
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: 0 (Just, no.)
Write-Ups: November 8, 2019

Willie Gutierrez

The Yards, 2000
Directed by James Gray

Bribery, property damage, assault, murder - Willie will do whatever it takes to help his boss win the contracts to repair the transit authority trains. He's a bad man but - like the other bad men Phoenix has portrayed - I can't help but feel a little for him because Joaquin brings him to such believable life.

Unfortunately the film is dragged down by a dull lead performance from his pal Marky Mark.

Rank: 15
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: 5 (2000 was definitely his prime. Also, that ass.)
Write-Ups: November 3, 2019

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

What’s the scale of the hotness factor? 1-10? 1-5?

Up to 5 points in either direction.

Freddie Quell

The Master, 2012
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

Simple minded and animalistic with an unquenchable thirst for jet fuel (no, seriously, he makes moonshine with it) and sex, Freddie is violent and erratic. By chance, he hooks up with a cult and develops a strange camaraderie with the organization's leader, becoming so close that it's practically a romance.

Phoenix plays this role masterfully and is mesmerizing to watch. Philip Seymour Hoffman is equally great, but the film crawls along at a snail's pace and features s***ty people doing s***ty things to each other and I find myself bored with it. It is really beautiful though.

Rank: 14
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: 2 (Too gaunt for my tastes but Freddie would definitely be up for it.)
Write-Ups: November 8, 2019

Leonard Kraditor

Two Lovers, 2008
Directed by James Gray

Leonard is a man child who has let his anxiety, emotional trauma, and suicidal thoughts arrest his psychological development. He is dependent on his parents and isolates himself from others - until he meets his free-spirited but troubled neighbor and becomes infatuated with her. He's not a particularly likable guy - especially since his obsession with his neighbor obscures his ability to feel for the other young woman he meets (who actually cares for him) - but he's easy to relate to and Phoenix plays him very convincingly.

Rank: 13
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: 3 (He looks good, but the character's personality drags him down.)
Write-Ups: November 17, 2019

Bruno Weiss

The Immigrant, 2013
Directed by James Gray

Like Leonard Kraditor, Bruno is a man obsessed with a young woman he meets (and, like Gwyneth Paltrow's character in Two Lovers, I don't get the woman's appeal beyond her physical beauty). But Bruno isn't the man child Leonard is. He's manipulative and seeks to exploit the women he encounters, taking advantage of their poverty and vulnerability.

He's a bad man who, in the end, finds some good inside himself and I've long been drawn to characters like that.

Rank: 12
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: 3 (He's a literal pimp and looks good in a suit.)
Write-Ups: November 17, 2019

Abe Lucas

Irrational Man, 2015
Directed by Woody Allen

Struggling with alcoholism and erectile dysfunction, and no longer seeing any meaning in his life, this professor of philosophy finds that lost meaning in an act of murder.

I called Doc Sportello my favorite of Phoenix's comedic performances but I suppose that's not quite true. That said, the laughs that Abe brings come from a very uncomfortable and dark place as his thoughts and actions go from exhilaration at the execution of what he thinks is the perfect crime to desperation as he discovers it might not have been as perfect as he thought.

Rank: 11
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: 2 (That final act kind of kills it.)
Write-Ups: January 14, 2016

Although never wanting to be put into a box and always doing a variety of roles, Joaquin Phoenix is at his best when he's playing broken or unhinged men with no real sense of purpose.

https://66.media.tumblr.com/1fa799d3...26e7e8ba5f.gif

But not only that, the next film he can be singing Walk The Line, frightening you with accuracy (wait, is Johnny Cash still alive, what's going on?), with a hard exterior yet warm tenderness on the inside. Or maybe he takes that warmness and turns it into something intimate and sad like Her (from the scrawny dude who dressed up as a naked granny in one of the Jackass movies).

https://66.media.tumblr.com/5ad289e6...26db5176d1.gif

The guy has infinite range, without having to go full chameleon like Daniel Day-Lewis or Christian Bale. Speaking of which, I once said Bale was the best actor of his generation...

Great post, Cynema!

Well, except for that last bit about Bale. :sick:
He's so damn wooden.

Ethan Learner

Reservation Road, 2007
Directed by Terry George

Ethan is a man obsessed. After his young son is killed in a hit and run accident and the police have no suspects, he takes the investigation into his own hands and hunts down the boy's killer - hardly taking notice as his marriage begins to crumble and his remaining child is left to grieve and to struggle to understand the loss without his fatherly guidance.

Phoenix and his castmates Jennifer Connelly and Mark Ruffalo all turn in really solid performances that make the characters seem authentic even when the rest of the film sometimes feels contrived.

Rank: 10
Film Rating: -
Hotness Factor: 2 (Grief isn't exactly sexy, but he looks good.)
Write-Ups: November 19, 2019

Bobby Green

We Own the NIght, 2007
Directed by James Gray

Phoenix is mesmerizing as Bobby, who begins the film as a manager at a night club owned and frequented by gangsters, who treat him like hes's family. His life is one big, flashy party. But this is 1980s New York and what his friends and employers don't know is that his real family - his father and his brother - are the very same police officers that are cracking down on the crime and drugs that run rampant there. When the two worlds violently collide, he is forced to assess his alliances and man up for his family.

Rank: 9
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: 5 (Bobby's style and swagger coupled with Phoenix's piercing eyes and brooding intensity? Oh yeah.)
Write-Ups: October 7, 2019

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

I didn't care for We Own the Night. Thought it was kinda weak.

And you and I agree on movies so frequently...

;)

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Sometimes. 4 of your top 10 are in my top 100.

Hedwig's one of the four, right?

No doubt!

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

I finally watched another Phoenix film, Her. It was very solid, and I’m sure his performance will rank highly on this list (well, clearly it already has).

The film is in my all time top ten so, yeah it’s pretty much a given that it’ll be high on this list. Glad you liked it.

Lewis McBride

Return to Paradise, 1998
Directed by Joseph Ruben

Although he gets relatively little screen time, Phoenix absolutely steals the show with this devastating performance as a young American environmentalist, full of hope and ideals, wasting away in Panang prison while he awaits execution for the crime of drug dealing. That is, unless he can convince his friends to return to Malaysia and take responsibility for their share of the hash, which they bought for personal use while the three were vacationing in the area.

It's a very difficult performance to watch, but it's also deeply affecting.

Rank: 8
Film Rating: -
Hotness Factor: 0 (This one's all about the emotions.)
Write-Ups: June 9, 2019

Johnny Cash

Walk the Line, 2005
Directed by James Mangold

Phoenix really shines in this Golden Globe winning role as the legendary Man in Black. He completely embodied Cash (though the real Johnny was never that good looking) and did all his own singing, resulting in a performance that felt fully authentic. Too bad a certain other awards ceremony failed to reward him for his work.

Rank: 7
Film Rating: -
Hotness Factor: 5 (He is smoking. It's actually distracting how good he looks.)
Write-Ups: November 8, 2019

Joe

You Were Never Really Here, 2017
Directed by Lynne Ramsay

Joe is a man traumatized by his life experiences. He's closed himself off to most of the world - both socially and emotionally. He's a man full of hurt who copes with his pain in acts of self suffocation and brutal violence. But neither give him any real relief and that anguish remains written plainly across his face and in his eyes. It's a powerful and affecting performance but it's one that's hard to watch as both the character and the film are completely without joy.

Rank: 6
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: 3 (He doesn't look his best here, but the intensity he brings to the role is very attractive.)
Write-Ups: November 1, 2019

Doug Holt

Inventing the Abbotts, 1997
Directed by Pat O'Conner

Doug is a young guy who tries and fails to be cool. He's an embarrassment to his much more confident and experienced older brother and his attempts to impress the ladies are awkward but also endearing. It's a performance that, though simple and straightforward, feels very genuine and very sweet.

Rank: 5
Film Rating: +
Hotness Factor: 3 (I wouldn't call him sexy here, but he is pretty cute.)
Write-Ups: October 8, 2019

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Guessing the Top 4:
4. Her
3. Joker
2. Gladiator
1. Quills

You've got the movies right. ;)

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Could be any of the 4 at the top. I'll guess Her.

I really loved this movie. I could relate to his character since we're both in wheelchairs.

Arthur Fleck

Joker, 2019
Directed by Todd Phillips

Joaquin Phoenix is absolutely mesmerizing - and terrifying - as the downtrodden, mentally ill man who is driven to lash out at the society that ignores and abuses him. His transformation into Gotham's most iconic villain is chilling and his motives feel very authentic and - almost - understandable.

The film itself has been very divisive, but even most of the people that hated it have praised Phoenix's performance. It's a huge standout in a pretty amazing career and I am absolutely in awe of it, but I hesitate to call it his best and cannot bring myself to rank it any higher. I've seen the film three times and have been more and more impressed by him with each viewing, but he has other performances that blow me away and have been doing so for far longer. Perhaps with time, this will ascend the ranks even further, but for now I think #4 is more than fair.

Rank: 04
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: 2 (Clowns creep me out and I'm not into the skeletal look.... but it could be interesting.)
Write-Ups: October 5, 2019, November 1, 2019

Commodus

Gladiator, 2000
Directed by Ridley Scott

In the hands of a lesser actor, this sniveling emperor who lusts after his sister, fails to win the love of his father, and envies a man he sees as beneath him could easily have come off as caricature. Instead, we get a villain who is at once repulsive, terrifying, and just sympathetic enough to remind us that this monster is still very much human. And he looks pretty damn good doing it. :randy:

This is also the role that earned him his first Oscar nomination. Nearly 20 years later, he still has yet to go home with the trophy. I'm hoping 2020 will be the year that changes that. The academy vexes me. I'm terribly vexed.

Rank: 03
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: 4 (He'd be a 5 if he wasn't so damn creepy.)
Write-Ups: February 23, 2016, January 19, 2018

Abbé de Coulmier

Quills, 2000
Directed by Philip Kaufman

The "Plot Keywords" section of the IMDb page for Quills includes, among others things: pubic hair, bondage, oral sex, penis, dildo, self-flagellation, writing with feces, child bride, severed head, masturbation, pyromania, rape, homoeroticism, and necrophilia. Sounds like a damn good time, right? I sure think so.

But despite how pornographic those words make the film seem, it's actually a well crafted drama (not a biopic, though) that comments on censorship, artistic and sexual freedom and expression, and the effects art can have on its creators and consumers. And what make this movie so wonderful - and have secured its place on my list of favorite films - are the performances.

Costars Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, and Michael Caine are all wonderful in their roles (Rush even got an Oscar nomination for his performance), but Joaquin is the standout for me. He is absolutely phenomenal as the Abbé, a priest who runs an insane asylum that houses the infamous Marquis de Sade. He's a kind man of principles and ideals but - as his life's work is destroyed and his ethics are corrupted - he descends into madness and depravity. Phoenix has a fair number of lines, but this is primarily a performance of facial expressions and body language and he completely embodies the character.

Although I loved him in Gladiator, this is the role that made me a fan.

Rank: 02
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: 5 (Forgive me, father, for I want to sin... so very, very much. I'll get on my knees, but I ain't prayin'.... :D)
Write-Ups: September 26, 2012, November 4, 2014, February 6, 2016

Theodore Twomley

Her, 2013
Directed by Spike Jonze

In Her, Joaquin Phoenix was given an opportunity to shine like no other and to really show us what he's made of as an actor. He's in every scene of the film, often interacting only with a phone, and conveys so much emotion in his voice and his expressions. He is joyful, angry, confused, heartbroken, and lost and I feel all those emotions with him. It's a truly amazing performance and probably his most relatable character as well. This is, without a doubt, not only my favorite performance from him, but my favorite performance from any actor. Absolutely stunning.

Rank: 01
Film Rating:
Hotness Factor: 2 (More cute than hot, but not un-f***able. Let's leave out the dead cat, though.)
Write-Ups: April 26, 2016

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Loved the list! Her is definitely my favorite Joaquin Phoenix movie as well.

I found this film really unsettling. I also felt that the role was written with Phoenix specifically in mind, as I think with anyone else playing it, it wouldn't have worked as well.

Anyway - great list! I would probably place Her at the top, as well. Amazing film.

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

I got it right! Id say Gladiator is my favorite performance of his and I am a Her can too. Still haven't seen Joker so I'll be waiting for that DVD.

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Great final pick, Phoenix’s is truly something special.

1. Quills
(Philip Kaufman, 2000) IMDb


2. Gladiator
(Ridley Scott, 2000) IMDb


3. Her
(Spike Jonze, 2013) IMDb


4. Joker
(Todd Phillips, 2019) IMDb


5. Clay Pigeons
(David Dobkin, 1998) IMDb
-

6. Walk the Line
(James Mangold, 2005) IMDb
-

7. Return to Paradise
(Joseph Ruben, 1998) IMDb
-

8. Inventing the Abbotts
(Pat O'Connor, 1997) IMDb
+

9. You Were Never Really Here
(Lynne Ramsay, 2017) IMDb
+

10. Irrational Man
(Woody Allen, 2015) IMDb
+

11. U Turn
(Oliver Stone, 1997) IMDb
+

12. Buffalo Soldiers
(Gregor Jordan, 2001) IMDb
+

13. To Die For
(Gus Van Sant, 1995) IMDb


14. Hotel Rwanda
(Terry George, 2004) IMDb


15. Reservation Road
(Terry George, 2007) IMDb
-

16. The Village
(M. Night Shyamalan, 2004) IMDb
-

17. Signs
(M. Night Shyamalan, 2002) IMDb
-

18. Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot
(Gus Van Sant, 2018) IMDb
-

19. We Own the Night
(James Gray, 2007) IMDb
+

20. Brother Bear
(Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker, 2003) IMDb
+

21. The Sisters Brothers
(Jacques Audiard, 2018) IMDb
+

22. Inherent Vice
(Paul Thomas Anderson, 2014) IMDb
+

23. The Immigrant
(James Gray, 2013) IMDb
+

24. 8MM
(Joel Schumacher, 1999) IMDb


25. I'm Still Here
(Casey Affleck, 2010) IMDb
-

26. Ladder 49
(Jay Russell, 2004) IMDb
-

27. The Yards
(James Gray, 2000) IMDb
+

28. Two Lovers
(James Gray, 2008) IMDb
+

29. The Master
(Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012) IMDb


30. Lou
(Clara Balzary, 2018) IMDb / YouTube


31. It's All About Love
(Thomas Vinterberg, 2003) IMDb
-

32. Mary Magdelene
(Garth Davis, 2018) IMDb

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Damn I got a lot to catch up on.

My favourite performance from him is prooobably Arthur Fleck.

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

Well done, honey. That was quite the undertaking, especially the discipline needed to distinguish between how hot he looks, how good a performance it is, how and good you think the film is. Not sure I could do the same with Drew. :D

Re: Joaquin Phoenix: Ranked
 

"Jocker" is the best film with this actor :)

:(

Aside from the hurtful clown comments, this was a fun thread to catch up on. The explanations for your "Hotness Factor" ratings were amusing and . . . um, informative? (Note to self: Make sure I'm well groomed in the event I ever try to sex you up.) I've seen 24 of the films. Inventing the Abbots, Return to Paradise and Clay Pigeons are the main ones I need to seek out.

My favorite performance from Phoenix is probably a toss-up between The Master and Joker. I'm pleased to see how favorably you responded to the latter. Great movie, amazing performance. Joker is really just a dark character study à la Taxi Driver, and yet the movie has done gangbusters at the box office. The comic book connection feels like a sneaky way to trick mass audiences into watching a film that's darker and more daring than they'd typically pay to see, but I'm all for it.

Joker. Living legend.