# Great Two-Main-Character-driven movies (not love stories) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 11, 2010, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827 "2010-10-11T21:38:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/21 "2010-10-12T02:38:15Z")
Michael Caine and Steve Martin in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. ---
**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:** [October 12, 2010, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/22 "2010-10-12T03:25:34Z")
**Secondhand Lions** – it’s all Michael Caine and Robert Duvall, with Haley Joel Osment as a catalyst. **My Favorite Year** is about Peter O’Toole and Mark Linn-Baker. **Gods and Monsters** – Ian McKellan and Brendan Fraser. **The Last King of Scotland** – Forrest Whitaker and James McAvoy ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/23 "2010-10-12T04:04:23Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > **Becket** A tug of war over power by Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton. Thank you for that reminder. Watching it now… ---
**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:** [October 12, 2010, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/24 "2010-10-12T07:02:15Z")
Deathtrap The Duellists Inherit the Wind Misery Of Mice and Men QB VII (although it was a TV miniseries not a movie) Scarecrow ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/25 "2010-10-12T07:10:35Z")
The original “saw” was about two characters locked in a room. ---
**Author:** ![Promethea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Promethea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Promethea)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/26 "2010-10-12T08:12:35Z")
First one that springs to run was \*Midnight Run \*with Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin. On paper, it’s a standard ‘odd couple’ type comedy where the humour comes from how unlike the two lead characters are and therefore how much they annoy each other (De Niro plays a bounty hunter trying to bring Grodin back to LA under the noises of both the Feds and the Mob). However, both De Niro and Grodin do a fantastic job both in adding depth to their individual characters but also in the way they relate to each other. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/27 "2010-10-12T10:12:42Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. My first thought, but I’m not sure if it quaifies as ‘not a love story.’ ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/28 "2010-10-12T11:48:28Z")
I was going to say _A Life in the Theatre_ but clearly my memory is going because not only was this a _Great Performances_ television broadcast rather than a movie but whereas I would have sworn blind it was Richard Dreyfuss performing with Matthew Broderick, it turns out to have been Jack Lemmon instead. I R old and senile. But it’s still a great two-hander - I saw Patrick Stewart (excellent) and Joshua Jackson (meh) doing it on stage a few years back. Stewart is now doing it again with T R Knight. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/29 "2010-10-12T13:16:47Z")
_Time After Time_–H G Wells & Jack the Ripper _All of Me_–Lily Tomlin & Steve Martin (who should have gotten the Oscar!) ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/30 "2010-10-12T15:02:01Z")
_The Defiant Ones_ with Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/31 "2010-10-12T15:07:09Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > _Time After Time_–H G Wells & Jack the Ripper Meh - I think too much of the plot involves the girl for it to be a great two-character story… ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/32 "2010-10-12T15:52:40Z")
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Tim Roth and Gary Oldman. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/33 "2010-10-12T15:59:19Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > **'Night Mother** with Anne Bancroft and Sissy Spacek. A daughter discusses her suicide plans with her mother. > > **Badlands** Another Sissy Spacek, this time with Martin Sheen. Based on the Starkweather/Fugate story. > > **Becket** A tug of war over power by Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton. How is BADLANDS not a love story? ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/34 "2010-10-12T16:04:54Z")
> [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](#): > > _The Man Who Would Be King_ - Michael Caine and Sean Connery. Love 'em both. Glad I re-read the OP before I suggested this one. ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/35 "2010-10-12T16:20:27Z")
> [@Wile\_E](#): > > Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Tim Roth and Gary Oldman. Ohmygosh, yes! I’m loving the suggestions, everyone! I’m adding _Sweet Smell of Success_ - Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis. \*Agony and the Ecstasy \*- Charlton Heston and Rex Harrison _Lion in Winter_ - Peter O’Toole and Katharine Hepburn (an exception for me where it isn’t a love story but the two characters are married – a true test of wills between two power-house actors) _Papillon_ - Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman _Equus_ - Richard Burton and Peter Firth _Elephant Man_ - Anthony Hopkins and John Hurt _Wall Street_ - Michael Caine and Charlie Sheen \*Remains of the Day \*- Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson (yeah, kind of a muted love story although never consummated) ---
**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:** [October 12, 2010, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/36 "2010-10-12T17:44:42Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure? Seriously, though. I’d nominate the sequel, Bogus Journey, as one of the better movies with 2 main characters. > [@Aspidistra](#): > > **The Fugitive**. “I didn’t do it!” “I don’t care!” Yeah, but Harrison Ford is clearly the main character since they spend a lot of time with him on his own and the movie is named after his character. I’ll also add: In Bruges - Ray and Ken are both main characters and drive the narrative. Very funny and touching. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/37 "2010-10-12T18:38:30Z")
No love for Planes Trains and Automobiles? ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/38 "2010-10-12T18:47:34Z")
Heavenly Creatures–the story of two teenage girls who have a really intense friendship and end up murdering one girl’s mother when their friendship is threatened. Based on a true story. One of my favorite films of all time. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/39 "2010-10-12T19:00:13Z")
_Silence of the Lambs_: Foster and Hopkins _Rear Window_: Stewart and Kelly _Cape Fear_: both versions ---
**Author:** ![Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Fried\_Dough\_Ho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fried_Dough_Ho)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827/40 "2010-10-12T19:05:24Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > _Silence of the Lambs_: Foster and Hopkins > > _Rear Window_: Stewart and Kelly I don’t necessarily see these _character_-driven films. Yes, they involve two strong characters, but the thrust of the films is not the arc of the characters but external plot devices. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-two-main-character-driven-movies-not-love-stories/556827.md?page=3)