# Best performance in an utterly horrible movie?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [March 13, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123 "2003-03-13T16:24:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2003, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/1 "2003-03-13T16:24:16Z")
I was discussing this last night with a few friends, and thought I’d ask it here, too:
What is the absolute BEST acting performance in a movie that otherwise blew dog? A movie that, were it not for this performance, you’d rather pound your nuts (or nipples) flat with a wooden hammer than watch again?
The overwhelming response last night was Jane March in _Color of Night_. But that wasn’t what I was thinking of.
To me, this award should go to Raul Julia for _Street Fighter_. A completely horrible movie, saved only by Raul Julia as Bison. If nothing else, then just for the following lines:
“I think the food court should be bigger. The major fast food chains will want to get in on this.”
“You came here expecting to find a man, and instead, you found A GOD!!!”
“It’s merely electromagnetism. It’s used to power trains from Osaka to Tokyo. I use it to fly!”
Any other award-winning performances in movies that sucked the sweat off a dead man’s balls?
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### Author:  [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)
#### Post date: [March 13, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/2 "2003-03-13T18:15:58Z")
Al Pacino in “… And Justice for All.”
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### Author:  [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/3 "2003-03-14T00:57:07Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Superdude \*
> …A movie that, were it not for this performance, you’d rather **pound your nuts** … **flat with a wooden hammer** than watch again?..
:eek: Such a movie could not possibly exist.
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/4 "2003-03-14T01:10:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by davidm \*
> \*\*:eek: Such a movie could not possibly exist. \*\*
You’ve never seen _Rocky Road_.
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### Author:  [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/5 "2003-03-14T01:37:49Z")
My vote goes to _Darkman_. Even as a kid I recognized that the movie sucked ass, but I remember thinking that the guy playing the title character would go on to better things, and even told as much to my friends. Who knew then that Liam Neeson would go on to do movies like _Schindler’s List_ and _Rob Roy_?
_Darkman_ wasn’t his best performance, but it certainly outshone the rest of the film.
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### Author:  [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/6 "2003-03-14T03:34:10Z")
_Darkman_ was not early in Liam Neeson’s career. He had already done a number of good roles by that point. (And I didn’t think it was that bad.)
My choice is Danny Aiello’s performance in _Ruby_. It came out not that long after _JFK_ and was treated as just a weak imitation of it. The weird thing about it is that even though _Ruby_ has got an even stupider conspiracy theory in it than the one in _JFK_, it almost works because of Aiello’s performance. Kevin Costner couldn’t even put on a great performance in _JFK_ despite everything around him being set up to allow him to, but Aiello was great in _Ruby_ despite the stupidity of the plot.
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### Author:  [@japatlgt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/japatlgt)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/7 "2003-03-14T03:50:22Z")
I’ll move to nominate **Jeff Daniels** in **Gettysburg**. His portrayal of Col. Joshua Chamberlain of the 20th Maine was a contrast to the rest of the “Turner Films” production. His performance was top notch in an otherwise dud film.
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### Author:  [@Avalonian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avalonian)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/8 "2003-03-14T05:22:55Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Wendell Wagner \*
> \*\*_Darkman_ was not early in Liam Neeson’s career. He had already done a number of good roles by that point. \*\*
Well, it was the first time _I_ had seen him, then. And it was still a crap movie.
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Wendell Wagner \*
> \*\*(And I didn’t think it was that bad.) \*\*
I’m sorry.
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### Author:  [@SnugTheJoiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnugTheJoiner)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/9 "2003-03-14T05:38:33Z")
Although she has her embarrassing moments, Susan Hayward somehow manages to escape VALLEY OF THE DOLLS with about 85% of her dignity intact.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/10 "2003-03-14T05:52:58Z")
Rutger Hauer in _Surviving the Game_. Horrific movie, but Hauer’s excellent in his part. Oh, and I wouldn’t watch _Color of Night_ a second time, if you paid me! That was one gawdawful movie!
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### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/11 "2003-03-14T06:27:59Z")
William Marshall as _Blacula_.
No, really.
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### Author:  [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/12 "2003-03-14T06:48:49Z")
Malcom McDowell in _Caligula_.
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### Author:  [@Rib\_Eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rib_Eye)
#### Post date: [March 14, 2003, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/13 "2003-03-14T17:16:42Z")
Brad Dourif, in anything.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/14 "2003-03-15T02:05:36Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Rib Eye \*
> \*\*Brad Dourif, in anything. \*\*
Whoa, there, pardner! _The Exorcist III_ with him and George C. Scott was a damn fine movie! Being based, as it was, on the sequel to _The Exorcist_ by William Peter Blatty, and having nothing to do with the excretable _Exorcist II_. It’s the _only_ horror movie I own. (Yeah, I’ll get the original sooner or later.)
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### Author:  [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2003, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/15 "2003-03-15T02:20:48Z")
Sean Connery in The Green Man.
And on the TV front, I would nominate Ross Martin in any number of shows in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
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### Author:  [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/16 "2003-03-15T02:44:56Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \*
> \*\*William Marshall as _Blacula_.
>
> No, really. \*\*
There really was a Blacula?
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/17 "2003-03-15T02:52:52Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by asterion \*
> \*\*There really was a Blacula? \*\*
_Two_ of them!
[Blacula](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0068284)
[Scream, Blacula, Scream!](http://us.imdb.com/Title?0070656)
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### Author:  [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2003, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/18 "2003-03-15T04:55:50Z")
Almost anything Donald Sutherland has ever been in.
There are, of course, notable exceptions, like _Ordinary People_.
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### Author:  [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/19 "2003-03-15T06:10:23Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by japatlgt \*
> \*\*I’ll move to nominate **Jeff Daniels** in **Gettysburg**. His portrayal of Col. Joshua Chamberlain of the 20th Maine was a contrast to the rest of the “Turner Films” production. His performance was top notch in an otherwise dud film. \*\*
That’s the first one I thought of. “Gettysburg” was a generally horrible movie that basically looked like what you’d get if you handed some gool ol’ boy Civil War reenactors a camera and a LOT of film; it was ponderous, dull, long, and the hero worship made you want to barf. The battle scenes pretty much looked like Civil War reenactors stumbling through their paces after a tailgate party; the dialogue was horrific; the acting was mostly mediocre. But Jeff Daniels was utterly magnificent.
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### Author:  [@Rib\_Eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rib_Eye)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-performance-in-an-utterly-horrible-movie/161123/20 "2003-04-01T20:32:58Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \*
> \*\*Whoa, there, pardner! _The Exorcist III_ with him and George C. Scott was a damn fine movie! Being based, as it was, on the sequel to _The Exorcist_ by William Peter Blatty, and having nothing to do with the excretable _Exorcist II_. It’s the _only_ horror movie I own. (Yeah, I’ll get the original sooner or later.) \*\*
Tuckerfan, I agree. I too love Exorcist III, a worthy sequel to the first film and Dourif is outstanding in it as he is in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Mississippi Burning and the LOTR films. I even kinda liked him in Dune. But those are excepions that prove the usual rule of Brad Dourif movies: Dourif good. Movie bad!
Think Graveyard Shift or Child’s Play.
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