# Seriously... is Vin Diesel any good as an actor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 6, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974 "2008-08-06T00:54:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/41 "2008-08-06T22:52:10Z")
[QUOTE=Baker] A third vote for _The Pacifier_. [/QUOTE] Add another - although for me the funniest part was at the end, when he was “singing” the father’s nursery song. That never fails to crack me up. Pitch Black is much better than Chronicles of Riddick, IMO, particularly since the villain had a mullet with cornrows. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/42 "2008-08-07T13:21:49Z")
[QUOTE=SisterCoyote] Pitch Black is much better than Chronicles of Riddick, IMO, particularly since the villain had a mullet with cornrows. [/QUOTE] Yes, but it was Karl Urban, so I can forgive quite a lot. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/43 "2008-08-07T13:50:10Z")
I think he’s pretty good; the roles I’ve seen him in had a lot to do with his looks but he was playing nice guys, assholes, macho good guys… and pulled them well. All of them were roles involving a slice of “show off the biceps” but none of them was just that - which is more than I can say about many other guys I’ve seen in “blow stuff up” movies. And I love, love, love that he doesn’t take himself or his job terribly seriously. There’s quite a few “actors” out there who are a lot less “actors” and more “poster boys” than he is but who gab in interviews like their latest succesion of poses for the camera is the greatest thing since Hitchcock’s whole career. He knows it ain’t so, he’s happy with that and he intends to do his best at any job he happens to land. While teaching Dame Dench how to play D&D. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/44 "2008-08-07T17:36:50Z")
He was the voice of **The Iron Giant**. He could have spent the rest of his life doing nothing but direct-to-video sequels of Uwe Boll movies and he’d still be OK in my book. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/45 "2008-08-07T20:29:09Z")
Does anyone else find Vin Diesel pretty damn hot? He was very good in _Pitch Black_, I enjoyed that film a lot more than I expected to (despite the implausibility of it all, but hey, this is sci-fi). I haven’t seen _Chronicles_ but I’m tempted to pick it up now. ---
**Author:** ![Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleanor_of_Aquitaine)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/46 "2008-08-07T22:00:26Z")
There’s also an animated short, _The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Fury_, that takes place between the two movies. Netflix has it, or you can get a DVD with all three films. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/47 "2008-08-11T21:42:36Z")
He also directed a movie called [_Strays_](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0149171/) back in the 1990’s. Seems to have had some good reviews. A lot of Hollywood actors are better actors than you’d think. They get crappy roles & crappy direction in big-budget movies. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2008, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/48 "2008-08-11T22:27:53Z")
[QUOTE=foolsguinea] A lot of Hollywood actors are better actors than you’d think. They get crappy roles & crappy direction in big-budget movies. [/QUOTE] On that basis, how are we supposed to establish that they’re actually good, then? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/49 "2008-08-12T03:48:45Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] On that basis, how are we supposed to establish that they’re actually good, then? [/QUOTE] Well, haven’t you ever been pleasantly surprised? Haven’t you ever seen an actor you thought had no talent at all, and found yourself thinking, “Am I imagining things, or… is this guys actually GOOD?” To give one example, I’d always thought Rob Lowe was a pathetic actor, and was amazed at how well he handled Aaron Sorkin’s snappy dialogue on “West Wing.” Which made me wonder… in fairness, what could even a GREAT actor have done with crappy roles like Rob had in, say, “Oxford Blues”? ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/50 "2008-08-12T08:47:19Z")
No, my point was if actors are good but ONLY do crappily directed movies that require them to do hammy acting, how are we supposed to establish that they’re good actors? ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/51 "2008-08-12T10:26:22Z")
[QUOTE=Leaper] He’s the most heavily muscled geek I know of (besides MAYBE this one friend of mine). [/QUOTE] It’s a toss-up between him and China Miéville, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Sanity\_Challenged](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Sanity\_Challenged](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sanity_Challenged)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/52 "2008-08-12T15:05:48Z")
No love for _Knockaround Guys_? I really liked that movie. ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/53 "2008-08-12T16:08:06Z")
Somebody around here once described Brad Pitt as “a character actor trapped in a leading man’s body.” I would characterize Vin Diesel as a leading man trapped in an action hero’s body. Seriously - I think he is a fairly subtle actor limited only by his muscled, multiracial appearance. I wonder if anybody has ever asked him if he would be willing to lose the muscles if he thought it would help his career. As he ages, he will probably go on to directing or producing. I am looking forward to _Hannibal_. If done right, it could rival _Gladiator_ for historical manly-man movie coolness. (How’s that for a sub-genre?) Yes, he is a charmer and I wish him well. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/54 "2008-08-12T17:04:08Z")
[QUOTE=Illuminatiprimus] No, my point was if actors are good but ONLY do crappily directed movies that require them to do hammy acting, how are we supposed to establish that they’re good actors? [/QUOTE] I think you’re overlooking the qualifier, “big budget” in **foolsguinea** ’s post. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/55 "2008-08-12T17:34:50Z")
When I saw Riddick ,I was surprised how good he was. My expectations were on the Arnold level ,so they were not too high. He is better than Segal and Arnold by a long shot. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/56 "2008-08-12T17:39:13Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] Enjoyably stupid. It’s got the overblown grandiosity of David Lynch’s _Dune_, but there’s no source material to give it depth by association. [/QUOTE] Zombie space Nazis, Zombie space Nazis. That’s what makes Chronicles of Riddick awesome. ---
**Author:** ![ArizonaTeach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/45deac/32.png) [@ArizonaTeach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArizonaTeach)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/57 "2008-08-12T17:52:10Z")
[Here’s the self-directed short film](http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_YszYwOyAfw) that made Spielberg sit up and take notice. Yeah, he’s good. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/58 "2008-08-12T17:54:44Z")
I love Vin Diesel, and to be honest, he will probably draw me to a movie more than any other actor besides Brad Pitt. I love all his action movies, obviously Pitch Black is the best, but I loved Chronicles of Riddick. If you think of it as a Warhammer 40k movie, it’s just awesome. xXx is fun, Fast and the Furious is fun. Knockaround Guys and of course Find Me Guilty are good. He’s good in Saving Private Ryan. In general he’s just good at what he does. I think it’s fun to think that people aren’t good because they play in the more fun end of the movie pool, but Vin Diesel is pretty good. So is The Rock. If anyone’s seen ‘Southland Tales’, he’s great in that movie. These guys just get a bad rap because people cannot distinguish them from the stereotype. An incapacity of the viewer more than the actor. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2008, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/59 "2008-08-12T19:59:34Z")
[QUOTE=mswas] So is The Rock. If anyone’s seen ‘Southland Tales’, he’s great in that movie. [/QUOTE] The Rock is fantastic. He’s got a great sense of humor and plays well to the camera. Thanks for posting that video, **ArizonaTeach**. That was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974/60 "2008-08-13T03:08:43Z")
I liked Vin Diesel a lot in _Iron Giant_, where he had no face or muscles, just a voice that lots of people hate. “I am _not_ … a _gun_!” Made me cry. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-vin-diesel-any-good-as-an-actor/458974.md?page=4)