# Best Facial Acting In the Movies **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914 "2017-06-14T01:25:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Marci\_Al](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Marci\_Al](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marci_Al)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/1 "2017-06-14T01:25:54Z")
No words. Just the face. Here are mine: 1. Michael Corleone hugging Fredo but looking at Al with something clearly different in mind. 2. Luca Brassi when called to Don Corleone’s office. 3. Camelot-When King Arthur announced Lancelot’s knighthood. Focus on the faces of Guenivere, Lancelot, and then Arthur. 4. Bridge too far-When the German general offered Col. Frost (Anthony Hopkins) chocolate. This was one of Hopkins’ best acting moments. 5. Joe Buck at the death of Ratso on the bus. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/2 "2017-06-14T01:27:55Z")
Kevin Spacey in his final scene in _L.A. Confidential_. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/3 "2017-06-14T01:33:13Z")
Laurence Olivier in _ **Spartacus** _, when Peter Ustinov tells him he already saw the man. ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/4 "2017-06-14T01:48:43Z")
Edward Everett Horton. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/5 "2017-06-14T02:10:30Z")
I can’t seem to find a clip of the full scene now, but: the end of The Third Man, when Harry Lime realizes he’s trapped and silently negotiates the end with Martins. Welles was just awesome in that movie. Really everybody was great in it. I especially liked Trevor Howard (“Callo\*way \*. I’m English, not Irish.”) I need to watch it again. ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/6 "2017-06-14T02:29:37Z")
James McAvoy in Split. Edward Norton in Primal Fear. Brie Larson in Room. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/7 "2017-06-14T02:52:14Z")
There’s a scene in The Rocketeer where Paul Sorvino (the mobster) realizes he’s been duped by the Nazis, and turns his gang against them. All of Sorvino’s expressions are great, ending up with [him and a G-Man fighting side-by-side](https://youtu.be/7YXXzwAgKCA?t=6117), and Sorvino gives a little grin when he realizes he’s finally working with the feds. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/8 "2017-06-14T02:54:26Z")
Obligatory porn joke. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/9 "2017-06-14T03:14:23Z")
Jim Broadbent as W.S. Gilbert in _Topsy Turvy_. In this scene, he comes up with the idea for The Mikado. Just himself, no words (other than some psuedo-Japanese gibberish) and you can see him thinking. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/unrqBYYTZI0/maxresdefault.jpg "Topsy-Turvy (4/10) Movie CLIP - Inspiration (1999) HD") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unrqBYYTZI0) ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/10 "2017-06-14T03:30:30Z")
In the last 30 seconds of _Catching Fire_ **Jennifer Lawrence** playing Katniss has just been informed her home village has been obliterated. Her facial expressions go from shock, to sorrow, to piecing together what exactly happened, to anger, to revenge in about 20 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/11 "2017-06-14T03:49:43Z")
Ben Affleck, twice. In **Good Will Hunting** , when his character Chuckie goes to Will’s house to find that Will had left Boston and had moved on to live his life. At first, Chuckie is sad that Will’s gone, and then he goes through a lot of emotions before coming out with being glad for his friend. And then again, Ben Affleck in **Dogma** , when his character, Bartleby, realizes on the train that the woman he’s talking to, Bethany, is the Last Scion that he’s been looking for. He just uses his face to reveal his feelings at that moment. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/12 "2017-06-14T05:06:51Z")
Richard Dreyfuss during the [Indianapolis scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO60RohuARY) in _Jaws_. Yes, it’s Robert Shaw’s scene but watch Dreyfuss. They’re all drinking and joking and then Quint mentions the Indianapolis. Hooper immediately turns serious, showing he already knows the story Quint’s about to tell. With just his facial expression, Dreyfuss changes the mood of the scene from funny to somber. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/13 "2017-06-14T07:50:04Z")
The final scene in "[The long good friday"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9SG-zYvPjk). Bob Hoskins, realising his goose is well and truly cooked, give us a whole facial soliloquy whilst Pierce Brosnan does “smug”. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/14 "2017-06-14T11:53:48Z")
Bruce Dern as the mercenary blimp pilot on Black Sunday. Hugo Weaving walking out of the police station after “The Interview”’ ---
**Author:** ![Tapiotar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@Tapiotar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapiotar)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/15 "2017-06-14T11:59:00Z")
Diane Lane in **Unfaithful.** After the first time with her lover, taking the train, he face moves from satisfaction, to lust, to shame, to guilt, to lust, to pleasure…I don’t remember the order of the emotions, just the way they flickered across her face. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/16 "2017-06-14T12:03:34Z")
Most famous is possibly [the closing scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEl-J7lTkKU) from _The Graduate_. One that impresses me most (both for the acting and the length of the cut) is [the opening scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlSRlCS8dbA) from _Free Zone_ (and _boy_ is “crying” not a flattering look for Natalie Portman!) Also, [the ballroom scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaArR4OQAfE) from _Enchanted_ (especially with Amy Adams and Adele Dazeem.) (Honorable mention goes to the facial animation for Rapunzel in _Tangled_.) ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/17 "2017-06-14T12:26:42Z")
Tom Hanks in \*Forrest Gump \*when he finds out he has a child. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/18 "2017-06-14T12:43:35Z")
It’s only a few seconds (but part of an amazing scene in the film ‘Manhunter’) when William Petersen (playing FBI profiler Will Graham) suddenly realises how the serial killer ‘Tooth Fairy’ picks his victims. Watch this video from about 7.00 onwards. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/19 "2017-06-14T12:48:52Z")
Harrison Ford has a great facial acting moment in Return of the Jedi, which is impressive since he has kind of developed a reputation of hardly moving his face. [It’s at the end when Leia says, “No, Luke is my _brother_.”](https://youtu.be/vF8HgstqG5U?t=36) She hugs him and he realizes he has misunderstood the Luke-Leia relationship and that he and she _will_ end up together. Confusion, realization, and relief/joy. Very well done. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2017, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914/20 "2017-06-14T13:20:34Z")
Katherine Helmond in _Brazil_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-facial-acting-in-the-movies/788914.md?page=2)