Warning: The article contains a brief discussion about suicide.
The long-awaited Bullet Train has just hit theatres, and though it hasn't gotten the best response from critics, it's worth seeing for the incredible ensemble cast alone. The movie has been criticized for its incoherent story and the high-speed action having no end in sight, but there's no denying how impressive the cast is.
Between Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, and Michael Shannon, the movie is full of incredible seasoned actors, and they all have a filmography full of colorful movies. Unsurprisingly, the best movies is full of the most beloved superhero movies ever made, but there are some of the worst, too.
Bad Bunny: F9 (2021) - 5.2
While Fast fans loved the movie, 2021's F9 was a huge disappointment, and any Bad Bunny fan who paid to see the movie would have been disappointed, as he's barely in it. Bad Bunny's appearance in the 2021 movie is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo, but it's the only other movie on the pop star's resume.
The Fast and Furious franchise has always indulged in cameos from rappers and popstars, whether it's Ja Rule in the first movie, Ludacris in 2 Fast 2 Furious (and returned in Fast Five as a recurring character,) or even Cardi by in the 2021 film. However, all of those had much more screen time than Bad Bunny.
Karen Fukuhara: Suicide Squad (2016) - 5.9
It's no secret that Suicide Squad is a mess, whether it's the bizarre editing that makes it feel like a two-hour trailer or the damaging portrayal of the Joker. But the Joker wasn't the only beloved comic book character that the movie did dirty.
Karen Fukuhara plays Katana in the team-up superhero movie, and the character's whole wonderful and deep backstory was reduced to a single, albeit very long, line of dialogue. Rick Flag goes into detail about Katana's origin in the clunkiest exposition monologue ever, and it's one of the DCEU's cringiest one-liners. Following that, she doesn't even have all that much screen time.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson: Kick-Ass (2010) - 7.6
Aaron Taylor-Johnson has become a go-to actor for action movies, starring in Avengers: Age of Ultron, Godzilla, Tenet, and now Bullet Train. Those movies see him as an action hero or superhero, and in every case, he was the best in his squadron or had full control of his powers.
That's pretty ironic given his best film sees him playing a scrawny kid who wants nothing more than to be a superhero, and fails at it miserably. Where movies like Deadpool have made so much success out of being superheroes full of bloodshed and vulgar jokes, Kick-Ass did it first, and it was more unapologetic than the Deadpool series, too. The movie sees the actor at his funniest, too, which is something that has finally made a return in the new movie.
Sandra Bullock: Crash (2004) - 7.7
In 2004, Crash was all anybody could talk about. The movie cleverly tied a multi-stranded narrative together, had a mouth-watering cast that includes Don Cheadle and Matt Dillion, as well as Bullock, and it won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The movie follows several different characters in America in the aftermath of 9/11, and Bullock plays a prejudiced wife to a district attorney.
However, while it was universally praised upon release, the 2004 film has recently gotten a fair amount of backlash for how two-dimensional the storytelling is compared to similarly themed films like American History X. And many now believe it's one of the most overrated movies. But for as lambasted as the film is today, there's no denying that Bullock gives a powerful dramatic performance, and it was essentially the warm-up for her Oscar win for her role in The Blind Side.
Michael Shannon: Knives Out (2019) - 7.9
Michael Shannon is one of the best and most seasoned actors working today, and he's best known for his signature intense ora, which just happens to be the tone of most movies he stars in. However, Knives Out is ironically his best film, which is a fun and not-so-serious murder mystery movie.
Shannon plays Walt Thrombey, the son of the murder victim and one of the prime suspects in the case, and though it isn't a heavy movie, Walt still hilariously carries Shannon's typically dark vibe. The actor rarely ever acts in comedies, so it was refreshing seeing him do something so unexpected and refreshing.
Logan Lerman: The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012) - 8.0
Logan Lerman is having a quietly successful career since the first Percy Jackson movie in 2010. However, it seemed like he peaked at the age of 20, as The Perks of Being a Wallflower is still his highest-rated movie on IMDb.
The movie is about a 15-year-old high schooler who struggles to cope after his best friend's suicide, and it's one of the best movies about millennials. While it's a romantic drama, the 2012 movie doesn't hold back on the difficult subjects, as it tackles abuse and suicide, but it's ultimately an uplifting movie that every teenager should switch on. Lerman gives a quiet performance in the movie, especially compared to his costar Ezra Miller, but it's no less effective.
Joey King: The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - 8.4
At 23 years old, Joey King is still an extremely young actor and hasn't had a ton of leading roles outside of Netflix's series The Kissing Booth and Hulu's The Act. However, she also has some big movies in her filmography, including the epic conclusion to the Dark Knight trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. The actor actually has a small but important role in the movie, as she plays young Talia al Ghul in the flashbacks.
The scenes make for one of the greatest plot twists of the 21st century, as viewers are under the impression that the child in the rags escaping the prison is Bane, but it's actually Ra's daughter. Though the movie divides fans when it comes to most of the creative choices, there's no denying just how clever the flashback sequences are. And the sequence show just how agile King was from such a young age, almost foreshadowing her antagonist roles in action movies.
Zazie Beetz: Joker (2019) - 8.4
Joker is another Batman movie starring one of the cast members of Bullet Train, but only Zazie Beetz's role in the movie is much bigger. However, interestingly, her role also plays with time and messes with audiences' perceptions, and it's not all that different from King's role in The Dark Knight Rises.
Beetz plays Sophie Dumond, who is Arthur's love interest, but it's soon revealed that not everything is as it seems. The scene where Beetz finds Arthur on her couch is one of the most unnerving sequences in a comic book movie, and it's a perfect showcase of Beetz's acting range. However, it seems like Arthur has quickly moved on, as the in-development Joker 2 will feature a new love interest, Harley Quinn.
Brian Tyree Henry: Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018) - 8.4
Brian Tyree Henry might not be an A-lister yet, but he seemingly appears in every huge movie that's been released in the past few years. The most loved of them all is Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, one of the most innovative animated movies ever made. It's also one of the highest-rated animated movies of all time on the movie database. Henry plays Jefferson Davis, Miles Morales' father and a police officer who disapproves of Spider-Man. Henry was the perfect actor for the character, as he has an animated voice, but he can sound just as stern and commanding at the same time.
However, Into the Spider-Verse isn't Henry's only 8.4 movie, as he also featured in Joker. But it was a tiny role, as he played Clark, a clerk at Arkham State Hospital. Between a Spider-Man movie, a Batman movie, and Eternals, Henry has his fingers in every superhero pie.
Brad Pitt: Fight Club (1999) - 8.8
While it might be hard to believe given its firm hold on pop culture, Fight Club underperformed at the box office and was negatively received by critics (via Box Office Mojo). Not even a bankable movie star like Brad Pitt could save film's performance. However, in the 23 years since, the 1999 movie has become a cult classic, and Tyler Durden is considered Pitt's best role.
The actor plays a soap maker, brawler, cult leader, and terrorist, and he's the most three-dimensional imaginary character there's ever been. The performance is so great because he commits such despicable acts, and Pitt plays it so heinously, but he still comes off as the man that every other man wants to be, and that's what makes Fight Club a great satire. The movie is now one of the highest-rated films of all time, and if there's any character whose actor is irreplaceable, it's Tyler Durden.