Who's the best actor

Hi guys. It may not be the most original of subjects, but I wonder if you've ever asked yourself about where greatness stem from. In other words, what are the qualities that transform a man into a powerful acting machine. Is it dedication to the training, or courage and commitment to dominate the scene, or simply having the best body required for the physicality of it all ?

I know it’s difficult to answer to such a theoretical question, so I'll rephrase it : who is the best actor ? Remember, I'm not talking about a specific scene where greatness shows, but rather who has the objective qualities to be the best. So to answer that, we'll have to compare two actors of my choosing. Maybe you will have better ideas (let me know if that is the case) but in the meantime, I'll let you decide objectively based on a few facts, and much speculation.

So without further ado, let’s imagine Van Damme vs Uwe Boll. Since he’s got a few credits listed on IMDB, I believe it’s fair to consider him to be an actor. And because of the infamous event "Raging Boll" (during which he took severe revenge on his critics in a boxing ring), I consider him to be a fairly strong contender.

The guy has proved himself capable of packing a pretty solid punch. He’s a trained boxer with a killer hook, and he's all about no-nonsense, devastatingly quick attacks that could end JCVD in seconds.

Boll is a very aggressive actor, and at 51 he’s still strong like an ox. He also got what they call true grit : a dedication to beat the crap out of his opponents. Unfortunately, he’s got a sloppy defense and it’s possible that some trained fighter might take advantage of that.

Here comes Jean-Claude Van Damme. At 56, he’s a little older than his opponent, and has abused drugs and alcohol in the past. Fortunately for him, he has come full circle, and is now very much over his past addictions. Since then, he’s been taking really good care of his body by lifting weight and maintaining a healthy diet of uncooked vegetables and protein bars.

Van Damme is trained in many disciplines, including Muai Thai, Karate, and Kickboxing. Unfortunately, and although he was a champion when he was a teenager, he hasn’t fought for a long time.

All in all, Van Damme is a very wise and intelligent actor, very versatile, and we can but hope that it will show when he gets down to business.

So, who do you think is the better of the two ? Let me know ! And let me know if you have other interesting ideas for a matchup.

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I'd say Jean Claude Van Damme for his charisma, popularity, bankability, martial art skills, longevity and yes, acting chops in JCVD. He's reinvented himself with that role, even if it was featured in a mediocre film such as JCVD. Also, Bloodsport, case closed lol!

Michael Fassbender bud. Amazing as 'Magento', great in Inglorious Bastards and pretty much anything else. Tied with Daniel Craig for me I think.

So is this like Celebrity Deathmatch?

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It's a bit like that. Most often than not, those topics about who is the best are so subjective that I wanted to compare them on a more objective basis.

I've seen JCVD twice, actually, and I don't think it's a bad movie at all. Of course, it might be dissapointing if you're looking for an 80' balls-to-the-wall vibe (which might be expected in a Van Damme movie), but the truth is, it never tries to be that movie!

I didn't really have any expectations, and as a result I was completely baffled (but in a good way) the first time I saw it. I thought it really understood that audiences have changed, and I felt a lot of empathy for Jean-Claude (I'm from Belgium myself, so I allow myself to call him that).

The second time around, I was a little less impressed, but I still felt that empathy towards Jean-Claude, and I'm glad he managed that fantastic monologue. Even that second time, it was a powerful emotional moment. It might sound a bit pedantic, but I rarely get those, so it's always good to aknowledge them.

All in all, I must agree with you that he reinvented himself in that role, and I'll root for that persona of his if it must come to blows between him and Uwe Boll.

You're right, Fassbender plays his parts really well. But if we're talking greatness, he can't hand a candle to Daniel Craig, who is just more muscular and has better cardio training.

In Hollywood, i would go with Denzel Washington, Will Smith, Mel Gibson and Christian Bale. It's pretty hard for me to narrow it down but if I have a gun to my head, I would say Mel Gibson

'Jean Claude Van Damme for his charisma'

Yes! Love this guy. I'll never forget this day! haha

How the F did I forget Denzel Washington. He was INSANE in Courage Under Fire. I bet that's that movie that put him on the map.

Denzel has been acting since the early 80s... he'd been spotted a long time before Courage.


His proper breakout role was in Attenborough's Cry Freedom (1987) as Steve Biko.


For the thread though, my best actor is Tom Hardy

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Not Wayne Sweat. He's as horrible as eating feces. He probably is feces. He actually left his wife and quit his job to pursue acting despite sucking more than a pornstar.

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Thanks again, Mr Portridge.