An endlessly talented character actor, Jude Law already played at the National Youth Music Theatre as a teenager. Whether you like psychological dramas, rom-coms, Harry Potter universe, or online slots with bonus buy feature, you will find in Law’s incredible filmography a movie you will like. Think only of The Aviator, Gattaca, Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword, The Young Pope, and the Fantastic Beasts franchise! In this article, we have compiled five outstanding Jude Law movie performances. In our opinion, they showcase the full force of Law’s talent. Of course, there are many other Jude Law movies out there to admire, but our article could be a certain beginner’s guide to Law’s acting talent.
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
The portrayal of wealthy heir Dickie Greenleaf was a defining performance in Law’s acting career. It has brought him his first Academy Award nomination. While Tom Ripley (Matt Damon) tries to scam his way into elite society, Dickie Greenleaf (Jude Law) is an embodiment of elite society itself. Young, charming heir Dickie, enjoys his time in Italy and plays with women and life. Law perfectly showed in this movie his full force of talent: his character Dickie is a very interesting man. He is glorious, charming, and terrifyingly cold at the same time.
“A.I. Artificial Intelligence” (2001)
Jude Law has starred not only in heart-wrenching dramas and action mysteries but also in sci-fi films. In this Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi drama Law delivered a performance of an android Gigolo Joe. In the world of the future, mankind has managed to avoid the grave danger of global warming and the threat of frightening scientific discoveries. People live peacefully in the neighborhood with robots and use them as workers. But the problem is that the android Joe can feel empathy, love, fear, and other human feelings which lead him to a crisis of identity.
“Road To Perdition” (2002)
In this thriller, Jude Law co-stars as a hitman Harlan Maguire who has to murder the main protagonist Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks). Sullivan is not only a decent family man for all neighbors, but a ruthless gangster. One day his son Tommy (Tyler Hoechlin) decides to find out what kind of business his dad is doing. After that Michael wants to leave his life in the mafia behind and tries to escape the mob. Hitman Law is the one who tries to find him. Law’s acting range in this movie is impressive: He is an unconventional and charismatic, chill-inducing villain.
“Cold Mountain” (2003)
Set in the American Civil War, “Cold Mountain” is a dramatic gripping movie about the Confederate soldier Inman (Jude Law). He abandons his post and returns to his beloved woman Ada (Nicole Kidman). Ada struggles alone to survive in these devastated and destroyed places. She meets a vagabond Ruby, who begins to teach the socialite lady the basics of farming and survival in extreme conditions. Inman’s journey home is arduous: he has to overcome lethal obstacles and difficult situations to return to Ada. A brilliant portrayal of Inman nominated Law for an Academy Award again, and this time it was in the category the Best Actor.
“Closer” (2004)
A young and ambitious unethical journalist Dan (Jude Law) has feelings for a stripper Alice (Natalie Portman). At the same time, he doesn’t want to miss the opportunity to have an affair with a photography enthusiast Anna (Julia Roberts). Anna begins dating Larry (Clive Owen), who is in a romantic relationship with Alice. A love square emerges, and all the heroes find themselves in a strange psychosexual environment. Law’s powerful performance certainly made the character of Dan not only unethical and selfish, but also very complicated.
And which one is your favorite?