Not that it was necessary, but with his win for Best Actor in a Leading Role this past weekend, Joaquin Phoenix has solidified his spot as one of the greatest actors of all time. His chilling work as Arthur Fleck in Joker was nothing short of inspired, and his win was more than deserving.
But is Joker Phoenix’s best performance of his career? Most agree it is, but given the breadth of Phoenix’s cumulative work, it’s certainly up for debate. A debate we’re willing to wade into below. You coming with us? Good! Check out Joaquin Phoenix’s 10 best performances, ranked!
Two Lovers
One could argue that Phoenix began his campaign for the best living actor of this generation by showing his romantic bona fides in James Gray’s Two Lovers. Twelve years later, he has the Oscar to prove it!
In a role unlike we’ve ever seen him portray, Phoenix plays a suicidal burnout fumbling his way through life. But things turn up when Leonard (Phoenix) meets two women, Sandra (Vinessa Shaw) and Michelle (Gwynyth Paltrow), the former in his league, the latter far out. Leonard must choose who will make him happiest in the end, but at a severe cost.
The Sisters Brothers
Often cited as being difficult to work with, Phoenix showed what tremendous on-screen chemistry looks like with his both tough-minded and sentimental turn in Jaques Audiard’s The Sisters Brothers.
With a believable brotherly rapport with John C. Reilly, Phoenix gives the character of Charlie Sisters plenty of nuance and shading as the two infamous assassins make one last pilgrimage to their childhood homestead. Funny one moment, frightening the next, the contemplative western allows Phoenix to show all the colors in his toolkit.
Gladiator
Phoenix earned his very first Oscar nomination for his commanding role opposite award-winner Russell Crowe in the Best Picture Winner of 2001. Were you not entertained?
Indeed, Phoenix went toe to toe with Crowe in Gladiator, Ridley Scott’s sword-and-sandal epic about the Roman slave-fighters at the height of its empire. With an effeminate lilt, Phoenix plays heir-to-the-throne Commodus with a frightening countenance as he connives his way to defeat Maximus.
To Die For
One of Phoenix’s best early roles came in Gus Van Sant’s To Die For. Twenty-three years later, he reunited with Van Sant as the lead in this heartfelt examination of loss, grief, art, therapy, and compassion.
JP plays John Callahan in the film, a slacker who nearly loses his life after being struck by a car. Rather than drink his life away, John finds the strength to become sober and use his newfound handicap as a means of creating new artistic cartoons. Over time, John heals by becoming a witty cartoon satirist for a Portland newspaper.
Inherent Vice
While the jumbled mess of Inherent Vice leaves you more stoned than the characters in the film, there’s no denying the immersive transformation Phoenix underwent to play the hazy hedonistic detective, Doc Sportello. We can’t imagine anyone else in this role!
With werewolf mutton-chops and a killer 70s wardrobe, Doc finds himself hot on the trail of a former girlfriend who has suddenly vanished. His snooping leads to all sorts of unsavory characters, including Mickey Wolfmann (Eric Roberts).
You Were Never Really Here
In a performances of very few words, Phoenix’s tortured physical turn as a boiling cauldron of seething rage headlining Lynne Ramsay’s You Were Never Really Here is among his most impressive to date.
In the film, Phoenix plays Joe, a Gulf War veteran with severe PTSD who carves out a very particular niche when returning home. Inured to violence, Joe makes it his business to inflict violent revenge on those who kidnap underage girls in NYC. Phoenix expresses inward pain as he exacts outward violence, doing so in a way very few actors can.
Walk The Line
Phoenix earned his second Oscar nod for portraying the ultra-cool Man in Black, Johnny Cash, in the award-winning biopic Walk The Line. Many still feel as if he was robbed of the gold statuette for his inspired turn!
Starring opposite Reese Witherspoon, who did go on to nab the Oscar for her work in the film, Phoenix utterly embodied the spirit of Johnny Cash, the rebellious country-western singer with an unmistakable voice. A voice that Phoenix was able to capture himself, as he recorded all of the songs he sings in the film for real.
Her
In his softest, sweetest and most innocent turn to date, Phoenix blew audiences away as Theodore in Spike Jonze’s Her. We’ve never seen him give such a bright and beatific turn!
In the film, Phoenix plays a futuristic greeting card scribe who expresses feelings for people unable to do so on their own. However, when Theodore obtains a new dating app, he becomes romantically entangled with a fully interactive and romantic operating system (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). Phoenix melts hearts as a loner with ample love to give and nowhere to put it in the end.
The Master
Truth be told, Freddie Quell in The Master is even more frightening than Arthur Fleck in Joker, but the former didn’t make a billion dollars, so here we are.
As an alcoholic, psychologically damaged former sailor, Quell can’t quite reacclimate to life in normal society. Wayward and besotted, Quell finds solace of sorts in Lancaster Dodd, an L. Ron Hubbard-like cult-figure who forms his own quasi-religion in the 1950s. With a twisted physicality and combustible unpredictability, Phoenix has rarely embodied a character so thoroughly.
Joker
It seems like Phoenix’s entire oeuvre has led to this one moment distilled in time. As Arthur Fleck in Joker, Phoenix turns in a nervous, nauseous, and unnerving show-stopper of disturbingly epic proportions. His Best Actor award this past weekend was more than deserving!
As a standalone turn, Phoenix is nothing short of brilliant as Joker. However, when you consider the added pressure of walking in Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning shoes in the same role, the difficulty increases. And yet, with commanding brio and bravado, Phoenix delivered the best performance of his career!
