Best Actor 2001: Results

5. Sean Penn in I Am Sam- A performance that is forced in every single possible way. Penn overplays his mannerisms and his voice. His character is overly positive and really just comes off as one dimensional.

4. Will Smith in Ali- A very poor imitation but also just a bad performance on a whole which lacks any intelligence or depth.

3. Denzel Washington in Training Day- Washington gives a broad turn that is often entertaining and suited to making the most out of the film's lack of certainty regarding what type of film it is trying to be.

2. Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind- Crowe gives a very fine performance of a very troubled man. He plays man with severe mental problems yet he never overplays any scene, and instead remains realistic throughout the film despite the obtuse man he plays.

1. Tom Wilkinson in In the Bedroom- Wilkinson is perfect as the father who tries to hide the grief over his son. Every layer he builds into his performance is without fault. In his quite scenes he adds so much with only his eyes and face, and when he becomes a little louder he does not fault instead he excels.

Best Actor 2001: Tom Wilkinson in In The Bedroom

Tom Wilkinson received his first nomination of two (so far) for playing a father who revenge for the death of his son in In The Bedroom.

In the Bedroom is a very interesting film, and Wilkinson who is always a great character actor gets a meatier part here. In the Bedroom follows the story of the father and the mother and their relationship with their son, then to the different ways they deal with his murder.

Wilkinson gets the bigger part here and he does everything with it. Wilkinson is just completely brilliant throughout the whole film, and his performance only gets better and better as the film progresses. Wilkinson smartly plays the loving and supportive father and husband very well. I like how he handles every scene with Nick Stahl. Wilkinson shows so much without saying that much, he really creates layers to the character that requires a great actor like him. Later after the untimely death of his son, Wilkinson gives one of the most effective portrait of restrained grief put on film. His facial expressions and his one breakdown and crying scene hit the perfect tone, and are hard to forget. Wilkinson is perfectly quiet until his big fight seen with his wife played by Sissy Spacek. This seen simply could not have been done better by either actor, they are just so raw and effective. Thanks to the actors the scene is simply unforgettable and amazing. Their fight is interrupted and when they wanted to forgive each other this scene is just the same, perfect. His last scenes which certainly could have gone the wrong way, but they do not. His scene of revenge is not overdone or over the top in anyway. Instead he delivers the proper amount of subtle anger and a sort of satisfaction that is as perfect as the rest of the performance. For this he gets:

Best Actor 2001: Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind

Russell Crowe received his third nomination of three for playing a troubled mathematician John Nash. Nash is a brilliant thinker but he also suffers from severe mental problems.

A Beautiful Mind is partially just a showcase for Crowe as it follows him through all of Nash's problems and breakthroughs. I found the movie's twist of sorts to be very interesting the first time I watched it but after that I will admit it becomes a lot less effective, just like the movie as a whole. I do not hate it like many do but I do think it definitely could have been better.

One of the things that is good about the movie is Crowe's performance. Crowe properly does his accent, he never overdoes it or under does it. The accent just aids the performance. Crowe plays Nash when he fully believes he is sane as a smart but socially awkward man with the proper intelligence and believability the part needs. In the scenes where Crowe is telling of his different ideas and mathematical thoughts, he never overdoes what the character is saying but rather conveys the ideas in just the right manner. Crowe then goes to his scenes of insanity which again he never overplays which an actor could easily do. Instead Crowe really seems to be a man with a real disorder not just acting like he has a disorder. Crowe truly sells his dementia which is rather difficult but Crowe gets it. Later on Crowe ages which neither his performance nor the makeup sells but that is just the ending and does really effect the whole performance.Overall though Crowe develops an interesting portrait of a rather strange man, that has the right balance of eccentricity and realism .
For this he gets:

Best Actor 2001: Denzel Washington in Training Day

Denzel Washington won his second Oscar from his fifth nomination. Washington plays a corrupt narcotics detective, Alonzo Harris, who goes through extreme measures to do his job and to pay back a debt.

Training day follows the first day of the new detective Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke). Alonzo is his guide and he gives Hawke's character a baptism of fire.

Looking at this performance it is easy enough to take a look at the broader larger than life style that Denzel Washington brings to the role. It is not an overtly realistic approach especially when compared to Ethan Hawke's far quieter performance as the primary lead of the film, despite his nomination in the supporting category. From my time on originally reviewing this performance, which was one of my first reviews, though I have to admit I've come a long way towards the proper realization that performances are dependent not on a realism as compared to the world we live in, but whatever is the existence of the film they live in. Washington's read of this material, quite honestly is the right one as written, even if it slightly disagrees with Antoine Fuqua's attempt to adhere towards some sort of reality in his straight forward direction. Washington's read is closer to David Ayer's script, which is less of a honest "training day", but rather this descent into a ridiculous criminal/cop world of Los Angeles that runs more akin to some massively interconnected spy network almost, than even just a complex story of cops and criminals.

Washington's performance frankly stands as the representation of the Ayer's over the top story, while Hawke attempts garner some reality. This actually in the end makes enough sense, even if it is definitely not a truly cohesive film when it comes to tone, with Hawke and Washington playing polar opposites when it comes to the characters. Alonzo Harris the seasoned narcotics cop and all about boisterous soul who treats the streets like his personal playground. Washington's turn then in that sense has a logic in playing it as almost a kid in a playground. Washington has certainly the charisma and screen presence to pull of this approach. This as he does indeed control a scene through sheer power of the ego Alonzo as a man who will say things others won't and also will do things others would never dare. Washington is able to create the sheer will of the man partially through this rather broad behavior who is as much gangster as he is cop. It also must be said, that Washington is quite entertaining in this approach. It is easy to say that he is fun to watch in all his braggadocios glory as a man who believes he owns the street. This is even if there's perhaps just a little too much of a contrast between Hawke trying to portray an absolute reality, and Washington definitely going for a heightened turn.

Of course Washington's performance isn't all those big moments, and there is definite variation in his work. This as with that smile of his even he does make a genuine menace as this sly snake. Washington is able to create the sense of a captivating presence that is also off-putting. This is as you gain the idea successfully from his work that this also means that he'll do whatever he wants when it is that he wants to. Beyond the menace though there are moments of genuine nuance in his work, that I wish there was more of quite honestly, and there was at least one that nonsensically hit the cutting room floor. In the finished film though there is one major one after he, Jake and his crew have hit a house to "bust a drug dealer, but rather in reality steal and murder from a man who appeared to be an ally of Alonzo's. It's a great scene for Washington this as he very quietly tries to inform the way things need to work for Jake. There's even a hint of shame that I love that Washington brings alluding to the only bit of guilt within Alonzo's hide. This as he tries to prod Jake to fall in line, in turn exist in what has become his reality of being a cop, and also probably hoping that he wouldn't have to kill him either. That scene though does take a backseat to the rest of the film as really as this villain that needs to be defeated. In that sense Washington's performance also works in that broader sense. I mean there's not a lot of subtle ways to deliver "King Kong Ain't Got Shit on Me", but what Washington does is sell the line as a raging egomaniac. I'll also give Washington credit in that same scene though in tempering in the final moments as he brings a real desperation in his eyes when Alonzo's nearly pleads Jake for the money since it will save his life. Again I don't think the film quite matches what Washington is doing all the way through, and I do think his best moments are his more subdued ones. Having said that Washington's turn is a daring one, an entertaining one to be sure, and still largely an effective one that does elevate his film that isn't quite sure what it wants to be.

Best Actor 2001: Sean Penn in I Am Sam

Sean Penn received his third nomination of five for playing Sam Dawson a man who is mentally disabled who fights to keep the custody of his daughter.

I Am Sam is a manipulative movie from beginning to end. It practically  throws you through  a meat grinder to get an emotional reaction. Everything is forced in the movie, with extreme predictability.That makes it so Penn does actually not have a good movie to work with, but that does not automatically cause a performance to, it just does not help it.

Penn though plays the type of character  that it seems actors like to play but it never impresses me either way. His Sam is just a completely positive man with his disability, and shows his simple knowledge that is beyond the normal human. Penn does not really sell the character that well and he plays him too positively really. He is just great and so simply smart, yes that is the script too but Penn does not get beyond it. He does actually go a bit far with the voices and the mannerisms and the are not effective in the least. Something that does not help his performance is some of the time he surrounded by real mentally disabled people which makes his acting look like just that, acting. Penn in this goes right along with the manipulation of the movie and really fails to elevate the material.

Best Actor 2001: Will Smith in Ali

Will Smith received his first of two nominations for playing Muhammad Ali. Ali goes through Ali's life and Smith plays him the whole time through this rather shaky biopic.

This performance is not a good one at all. Smith here falls in the many pitfalls of a bad performance a real life person. Smith never ever seemed like Muhammad Ali to me, he always seemed like Will Smith failing to try to act like him. His voice is odd and improper rather than effective. The voice does not really sound like Ali one bit, which is just one part of the performance that does not work. The mannerisms are equally faulty, lacking any real effect and they just come off as distracting and false.

Smith is on screen for most of the film and for a performance like that the actor really needs to be on the ball but Smith is not up to the task. For most of the performance Smith just gives the same dispassionate look no matter what is happening, like the scene where Malcolm X breaks down in front of him. All he does is sit there almost not noticing him, what was that exactly. He does do other things he yells but he is never convincing in those scenes either, partially because of the awkward voice. Finally there are all the big show boating sequences at the press conference again he does not come off as natural, charming or funny. For these scenes to work well Smith needed more charisma in his performance which he lacks. Not a good performance but I do not really hate Smith as an actor. He is limited it seems.

Best Actor 2001

And The Nominees were:
Denzel Washington in Training Day

Sean Penn in I Am Sam

Will Smith in Ali

Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind

Tom Wilkinson in In The Bedroom