Sean Penn's best performances
Realized a while back that I had only seen a few of Sean Penn's films, so I'm currently havning a Sean Penn marathon where I watch his movies, and here I will rank his performances.
Movies excluded from my marathon are:
Summerspell (1983) small part and nowhere to find
Judgment in Berlin (1988) - Couldn't find it
Loved (1997)
Hugo Pool (1997)
Pauly Shore is dead (2003)
Persepolis (2007)
What Just Happened (2008)
Movies excluded from my marathon are:
Summerspell (1983) small part and nowhere to find
Judgment in Berlin (1988) - Couldn't find it
Loved (1997)
Hugo Pool (1997)
Pauly Shore is dead (2003)
Persepolis (2007)
What Just Happened (2008)
List activity
4.5K views
• 3 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
- 35 titles
- DirectorNiels MuellerStarsSean PennNaomi WattsDon CheadleBased on real life events, Assassination is set in 1974 and centers on a businessman who decides to take extreme measures to achieve his American dream.The title scared me a little, but this is a great character study with an amazing performance. Taxi Driver light.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsSean PennJosh BrolinEmile HirschThe story of American gay activist Harvey Milk, who fought for gay rights and was elected as California's first openly gay official.Acting at its best. In my experience actors portraying homosexuals tend to act over the top by being "too gay" to make it credible. This performance is not to be placed in that tray. Penn made an honest, almost perfect achievement in acting as he won the Oscar for portraying politician/gay rights activist Harvey Milk's life during the seventies.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsTimothy HuttonSean PennPat HingleThe true story of a disillusioned military contractor employee and his drug pusher childhood friend who became walk-in spies for the Soviet Union.Didn't like the movie that much and it hardly engaged me at all, but Penn is brilliant.
- DirectorNick CassavetesStarsSean PennRobin WrightJohn TravoltaAfter being released from a psychiatric institution, a man tries to redeem himself in the eyes of his now-ex wife from the events that led up to his incarceration.Expecting a horrible film thanks to the title, i started watching this when I lacked something better to do in the middle of a summer night. But I was pleasantly surprised, and believe me I am rarely pleasantly surprised... this is indeed a odd film with very.. interesting dialogue throughout. Sean is great as a man released from a 10-year visit at a mental institution.
- DirectorRick RosenthalStarsSean PennReni SantoniJim MoodyChicago crime kid, Mick O'Brien, is sent to reform school after accidentally killing a rival's kid brother.Great early Penn-movie with an equally great Penn.
- DirectorJessie NelsonStarsSean PennMichelle PfeifferDakota FanningAn intellectually disabled man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family.There are many opinions on Sean Penn as Sam, personally I've seen it a few times and I must admit I cried at some point every time. I think this is a beautiful film with a beautiful performance!
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsSean PennSamantha MortonWoody AllenIn the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.Penn's unsympathetic character makes a great pillar to build a city of "mean comedy" on.
- DirectorOliver StoneStarsSean PennJennifer LopezNick NolteA man heading to Vegas to pay off his gambling debt before the Russian mafia kills him is forced to stop in an Arizona town where everything that can go wrong does go wrong.Some similarities to "She's so Lovely", again an unpredictable film which I liked really much. Love how Penn takes on these odd roles, he played brilliant here too. I feel the urge to praise Oliver Stone a little aswell for very intriguing directing.
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsSean PennTim RobbinsKevin BaconThe tragic murder of a 19-year-old girl reunites three childhood friends still living in Boston--the victim's gangster father, a detective, and the disturbed man they both suspect of killing her.Penn shines along with the rest of the great cast.
- DirectorBrian De PalmaStarsAl PacinoSean PennPenelope Ann MillerA Puerto Rican former convict, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of N.Y.C.Penn is really good as Carlito's coke-addicted lawyer (and I can ensure you this is the worst haircut he's ever had).
- DirectorTim RobbinsStarsSusan SarandonSean PennRobert ProskyA nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.I admire how Penn can change his voices like this and still sound believeable (compared to his latest film Carlito's Way where he has a high-pitched voice). This lower voice fits his character well just a small detail in his first Oscar-nominated performance.
- DirectorAlejandro G. IñárrituStarsSean PennBenicio Del ToroNaomi WattsA freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con.
- DirectorPhil JoanouStarsSean PennEd HarrisGary OldmanAn undercover officer rejoins Irish mob pals in Hell's Kitchen.
- DirectorPaolo SorrentinoStarsSean PennFrances McDormandJudd HirschCheyenne, a retired rock star living off his royalties in Dublin, returns to New York City to find the man responsible for a humiliation suffered by his recently deceased father during W.W.II.
- DirectorNeil JordanStarsRobert De NiroSean PennDemi MooreTwo fugitives pass themselves off as priests in the hope of evading capture and passing the police blockade at the border with Canada.
- DirectorJames FoleyStarsSean PennChristopher WalkenMary Stuart MastersonReunited with his career criminal father, tough teen Brad thinks he's found his ticket to an exciting life of crime, only to find out he's wrong.
- DirectorHarold BeckerStarsGeorge C. ScottTimothy HuttonRonny CoxMilitary cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.
- DirectorAmy HeckerlingStarsSean PennJennifer Jason LeighJudge ReinholdA group of SoCal high school students would rather ignore their studies and instead indulge in their teenage distractions.It's a stupid and stereotypical character, but a funny one that I would've liked to see more of.
- DirectorAnthony DrazanStarsSean PennKevin SpaceyChazz PalminteriHollywood movers and shakers dissect their own personal lives when everything seems to clash together.
- DirectorSteven ZaillianStarsSean PennJude LawKate WinsletBased on the Robert Penn Warren novel. The life of populist Southerner Willie Stark, a political creature loosely based on Governor Huey Long of Louisiana.
- DirectorRichard BenjaminStarsSean PennElizabeth McGovernNicolas CageIn 1942 California, two young men await induction into the U.S. Marines and say goodbye to their girlfriends.Very enjoyable little film though he doesn't stand out as much as in his other early films. Still liked it a lot, a little treasure!
- DirectorDoug LimanStarsNaomi WattsSean PennSonya DavisonCIA operative Valerie Plame discovers her identity is allegedly leaked by the government as payback for an op-ed article her husband wrote criticizing the Bush administration.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsBrad PittSean PennJessica ChastainThe story of a family in Waco, Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents' conflicting teachings.
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsMichael DouglasDeborah Kara UngerSean PennAfter a wealthy San Francisco banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down as he begins to question if it might really be a concealed conspiracy to destroy him.
- DirectorDennis HopperStarsSean PennRobert DuvallMaria Conchita AlonsoAn experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.
