The new action movie Bullet Train allows Brad Pitt to play a character who is both intelligent and befuddled. Pitt has made a terrific career of characters ranging in intelligence with some seeming like they can't string one intelligent thought together and others being the smartest person in every room.
It is a testament to Pitt's skills as an actor that he is able to play this wide range of intelligence in such a compelling and funny way. Looking at some of his most famous roles, fans can see which of these characters were brilliant, which were dense, and which ones fell somewhere in the middle.
Chad Feldheimer - Burn After Reading (2008)
The Coen Brothers always have a lot of fun throwing dumb characters into high-stakes situations. Burn After Reading is maybe the best example of this, following various oblivious people who put themselves in the middle of a game of spies with Chad Feldheimer as the most ill-equipped of them all.
Chad is an energetic gym trainer who joins his colleague in blackmailing a CIA worker. Chad tries to play this game of secret intelligence but always just looks lost and does not know what to do. This eventually leads to his hilarious demise.
Aldo Raine - Inglourious Basterds (2009)
Aldo Raine is the leader of a group of intimidating Nazi soldiers. He is a good leader who teaches his soldiers to be brutal and especially effective at killing Nazis in their guerilla-style warfare.
However, when Aldo and his team get brought into an espionage plot, it becomes clear Aldo is not a keen strategist. He seems to take the approach of just going ahead and seeing how far they can get. His attempt to pose as an Italian filmmaker while not remotely attempting an Italian accent shows he is better suited for the battlefield. In the end, Aldo is the rare movie hero with no effect on the narrative.
David Mills - Se7en (1995)
There is no doubt that David Mills is a brave cop. He seems like the kind of man who would be the first one through the door at any crime scene and he chases down the fleeing suspect in Se7en, putting himself in harm's way.
But when it comes to the actual detective work, Mills is not as competent as his partner Somerset. He is seen reading Cliffnotes of important reference work and his anger tends to get in the way of his more rational thinking which leads to the unforgettable twist ending.
Cliff Booth - Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
Hollywood stuntman Cliff Booth is the kind of guy who looks like he doesn't have a care in the world. In that sense, it can make it hard to determine how intelligent he is. He is obviously a man efficient in violence, but that seems to be more instinct than intelligence.
As a friend, he is able to talk sense into Rick Dalton and calm his fears. On the other hand, he threw away his job by getting into a fight with Bruce Lee which he at least can admit after the fact was not a great idea.
Jackie - Killing Them Softly (2012)
The slow-burn crime movie Killing Them Softly centers around a mob hitman named Jackie who is sent to clean up a situation and kill some people after a mob-run poker game is robbed. And Jackie is a much more level-headed gangster than audiences are used to seeing.
Jackie takes a very calm and collected approach to his job, wanting to make things as painless and clear as possible. He makes a few errors in some of the people he brings onto the job, but it is still compelling to see someone so professional in such a grim profession.
Billy Beane - Moneyball (2011)
The sports movie Moneyball tells the true story of how mathematics became used to build a winning baseball team. Billy Beane is the manager of the Oakland Athletics who uses this new approach to compete with the richer MLB teams that can simply buy the best players.
While Beane isn't the one to invent this approach, he is smart enough to see how it could work. He is able to see the potential at hand and recognize what needs to be done in order to pull it off. While he is not great about helping everyone else understand this vision, he achieves a lot with his smart approach.
Tyler Durden - Fight Club (1999)
Tyler Durden is a hard character to pin down. He is shrouded in mystery and it is eventually revealed that he is not even real. But as he exists in the story of Fight Club, it is hard to deny that he has immense intelligence as a leader – which is what makes him so dangerous.
Tyler is able to identify a certain aspect of society that can be manipulated. He becomes something of a guru or cult leader, convincing many people to follow him with blind loyalty and to increasingly dangerous ends.
Mickey O'Neil - Snatch
When audiences first meet Micky in Snatch, he does not come off as particularly bright. His thick accent and fast manner of talking make it nearly impossible to understand him. As a boxer, he can knock an opponent out with one punch. But his refusal to take a dive as agreed upon suggests that he is reckless and doesn't consider the consequences.
But after his mother is killed by a ruthless gangster, Mickey's true intelligence is shown. He orchestrates a revenge plan that has him winning the big match and wiping out the gangster's entire operation in one swift move.
Gerry Lane - World War Z (2013)
In this adaptation of the zombie novel, World War Z stars Pitt as a UN worker who finds himself a vital part of the mission to save the world from a zombie outbreak. While the zombie movie genre is not always filled with the most intelligent characters, Gerry Lane is the kind of hero who uses his brain.
Once danger strikes, he seems to fly into survival mode, making the quick decisions that keep himself and others alive. He also plays a big role in identifying a cure for the virus and helping to set the world right again.
Rusty Ryan - Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Though it is an all-star cast of characters who make up the criminals in Ocean's Eleven, Rusty often seems like the most intelligent of them all. He is a cool and calm operator who sees all the moving parts of the plan and knows just how they should fall into place.
He is good at thinking on his feet when trouble arises and keeps a much calmer demeanor than many of his colleagues. While Danny Ocean might be the ringleader, it is clear the whole thing would fall apart without Rusty.