Well, the reason i’m asking this is because they are often compared actors, and would like to know what everyone else here thought? Who’s more versatile and better at his craft? Obviously i realise, Steve Buscemi is far more popular and people know him more.
I looked up my ratings and discovered -
Steve Buscemi 83.0004 - 98.4136 average 93.0405
John Turturro 82.8976 - 98.8672 average 93.0007.
Toss of a coin for mine.
Impossible to answer – they both rock.
But for the most part Buscemi gets a wider variety of roles. While they both can play weird and scary criminals, Buscemi often gets more unweird and unscary characters. This would seen to indicate a wider range.
But then again, watch Cradle Will Rock, Brain Donors, and The Luzhin Defense.
Funny, I was just going to say the opposite.
Turturro.
I still like Buscemi, but easily 80% of his performances over the last several years have been recapitulations of the same 2-note performances. He hasn’t become a bad actor, just tiresomely predictable. Pacino has become much the same–a tired self-parody of the same emotional note.
Turturro is, IMO, seriously under-rated. Though often typecast in teh “wierd supportig character” roles, he almost always manages to bring unique touches to his portrayal, and to show genuine human depth beneath the quirks.
I agree with Spiritus Mundi. Watch Quiz Show, O Brother, Where Art Thou? and The Big Lebowski back to back (to back) to see just how talented Turturro is. Or you could just watch Barton Fink.
I do like Buscemi as an actor I just think Turturro’s shown more talent of the two.
Yeah, I don’t agree at all that Turturro gets a lesser range of characters. I was actually thinking about him today and the three roles I was thinking about was:
Jesus - Big Lebowski. This is just the coolest/funnest character ever and worth watching the whole movie for.
Barton Fink - Barton Fink
And the role he playes in Rounders, which isn’t very good.
Three completely different characters. Buscemi on the other hand seems to have been pypecasted as the quirky supporting role quite a lot lately.
I’d vote for Turturro as better actor even though I think they’re both awesome.
Id go with Turturro too. I’m a big fan of Buscemi but I’ve not seen anything of his that could eclipse Turturro’s performance in Millers Crossing.
I’ll also agree with the Tuturro bias.Possibly had to with with his earlier roles which were more diverse.
With Buscemi-weird is what you’re looking for.Ex=while I liked watching Ghost Story and Buscemi’s job was decent as the schmo-I got the biggest kick out of the ending (after-before?) they starting rolling the credits.
Turturro’s everyman in the quiz show (well every nerd) was dead on.As with every role I’ve seen him in.
Buscemi,never for me,broke out of that weird role like Billy Bob Thorton did (I know he’s not part of the discussion) did.Like Buscemi,the first films (actually the first was Sling Blade) I saw him in were strange characters.Then I see him as the barber in the Coen’s? movie and he was perfect as the straight mild mannered guy.
Maybe Buscemi just needs more exposure in those type of roles?
I gotta go with Buscemi, only because I’m not familiar with the other guys work. I watch quite a few movies, and after seeing Buscemi the first time, read the credits to see who he was. I can’t say that’s happened for Turturro. YMMV.
Turturro just beats him, IMO.
If you want to see the both of them stealing every scene that they’re in, check out Miller’s Crossing. Such a great movie.
It’s actually the other way around for me. I remember seeing Miller’s Crossing for the first time and i didn’t know Turturro at the time, and i had to know who he was that played the part. And to this day i think that’s his greatest role.
I vote for Turturro, who can pull off weird, fidgety, on-the-edge characters as well as Buscemi, but also has the capacity for warmth and compassion (Jungle Fever, Fearless) that Buscemi has never really had an opportunity to show (probably 28 Days comes closest). Turturro has the advantage of having generally good/neutral facial features, which are easier to change into a wider variety of appearances, while Buscemi has more sickly/creepy looks that allow him to be typecast him in more marginal roles. Even when he’s in a romantic role (the very good Ghost World), there’s something naturally strange and awkward about the relationship.
It’s really a tough call. Turturro seems to be stuck on the “indies”, he doesn’t do main-stream stuff (and I give him a lot of credit for that, for not selling-out to do crap). Buscemi seems to do a lot of bit parts in whatever film he can get a casting. I like both of them very much. I have to give my vote for Turturro though. Does Buscemi have anything that would come close to a Barton Fink performance?
I would check out Trees Lounge–a small, remarkable little film which Buscemi directed and stars in.
Mr. Deeds and Anger Management?
Mr. Deeds and Anger Management?
Apparently I have been living under a rock. I will check these out, and Trees Lounge.