Robert Pattinson has had no shortage of success. He rose to prominence after appearing in the Harry Potter and Twilight films as a teenager and as a young adult. Since then, he mostly preferred indie films that are created for the art rather than the thrills and the big bucks. However, he recently made a u-turn and dashed to the big leagues once again.
Robbert Pattinson will be portraying the savior of Gotham in The Batman. There has been endless skepticism around the decision by Matt Reeves top cast him for the role. Will he really fit the role? Judging from his performances in the following films, there's no reason to doubt him. He is clearly one of the era's best actors.
Reynolds: The Rover
In The Rover—a movie that constantly threatens to be a mini Mad Max—Guy Pearce is literally a rugged John Wick. He plays a man called Eric who relentlessly goes after a group of robbers that have stolen his car. But it is Pattinson who takes control of the movie as Reynolds, the brother to one of the robbers. Eric has been abandoned by the group after getting injured and he soon finds himself being used as leverage by Eric as he tracks down the gang.
Pattinson employs a different accent for this role, and this reveals his varied abilities as an actor. The setting is also a dystopian Australia, so the accent change is much welcome. The grimaces on his face as he portrays the pain he is feeling throughout the movie make you wish to hand a pack of paracetamols to him.
Eric Packer: Cosmopolis
In Cosmopolis, Pattinson is a wealthy asset manager who looks like he is just from killing aliens in Men In Black. He tries to have all the self control in the world but deep down, the unpredictable nature of his life is making him insane. Eric's shares take a hit one day as he is cruising through New York in his limousine to get a haircut.
This takes away a huge chunk of his wealth, and, as a result, his wife divorces him. His life quickly falls apart and at some point, he is even forced to kill his bodyguard. The twists and turns are quite remarkable, and Pattinson's character's battle with fate makes for great viewing. For this role, Pattinson won the Best Actor in a Canadian Film award at the Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards.
Henry Costin: The Lost City Of Z
The Lost City Of Z chronicles the real-life tale of the explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) who goes on a mission in the Amazon to find a hidden city. Percy teams up with Col. Henry Costin (Tobert Pattinson). While Henry is already excited, Percy waits till he sets his eyes on it first.
However, when they finally find the city, Henry ends up dissatisfied. He wonders why anyone would choose to live like the people there. He also believes that he wasted his time going there. As Col. Henry Costin, Pattinson's acting is incredible, especially how he switches from a state of excitement to one of total disappointment and regret.
Samuel Alabaster: Damsel
Damsel is not only a good western, it's a calm one that doesn't involve plenty of shooting. Pattinson's brilliance comes in the dialogue, which often includes absurd humor. Damsel is a movie that requires you to keep up with every word that's uttered in order to experience the fun. The only bits of action come at the very end.
In the movie, Samuel(Robert Pattinson), an affluent man, travels through the American Frontier to marry Penelope, the love of his life. In a later twist, it turns out that he was actually going to rescue Penelope from kidnappers. And, to his shock, Penelope rejects him because she is in love with one of the kidnappers.
Dennis Stock: Life
In Life, Pattinson is the renowned photographer, Dennis Stock. Dane DeHaan also stars as iconic actor James Dean who was the first person to receive a posthumous Oscar nomination. In Life, Dennis is asked to take photos of James just as he is about to film the movie East of Eden.
Dean is supposed to be the central figure in the movie, but it is Dennis who comes out as more interesting to watch due to Pattinson's effort. The dialogue isn't great and the plot is dull, too, which is a shame, but Pattinson does his best with what he is available. In the end, he pulls this movie through the mud and gets it to safer grounds
Edward Cullen: The Twilight Saga
To a good number of people, this is Pattinson’s most recognizable role. He's a handsome vampire who shines in the sunlight. He is also quite good-looking in this role. Very good-looking is the appropriate term, and Edward's romance with Bella is better than most love stories in telenovelas.
The Edward Cullen character was ranked 5th by Forbes on its list of Hollywood's 10 Most Powerful Vampires. That's correct. Did you think Forbes only ranks Mark Cuban and Jeff Bezos? Us too! It's sad that we might never get to see Pattinson in this role again.
Charles Marker/Prescot: The Childhood Of A Leader
This period drama chronicles the early years of a fascist military leader right after World War I. Here, Pattinson is given the responsibility of playing two roles: Charles Marker and Prescot (the military leader). The events of Prescot's childhood and the adults around him are what propel him to be a fascist statesman.
Director Brady Corbet scooped plenty of awards for making the film, but it is Pattinson's performance that made it a worthy watch. He is the glue that holds the different time periods together. He is only in the movie for about 30 mins, but that's all it takes for him to leave his mark.
Monte: High Life
High Life is a complicated sci-fi movie that's easy to switch off to if you don't have a patient heart and a mind like that of a Quantum Mechanics student. However, Pattinson's performance will keep you from pressing the stop button every time you feel like doing so.
Pattinson is Monte, a prisoner who is sent beyond the solar system with other inmates to be part of an experiment meant to test conception in outer space. Can humans reproduce close to the sun? That's the question. The trip is meant to take 100 Earth years to complete. There's constant backstabbing throughout the trip, but Pattinson's character still manages to come out on top.
Ephraim Winslow: The Lighthouse
The Lighthouse is a psychological horror film that follows two lighthouse keepers: Thomas (Willem Dafoe) and Ephraim (Robert Pattinson), who become entangled in a web of hallucinations and mysterious occurrences as they try to do their jobs.
Even though Willem Dafoe gives a performance of a lifetime, Pattinson keeps up with him without losing track. He is constantly frightened and curious in equal measure. Various film critic associations in the United States nominated him for Best Actor for his performance here.
Connie Nikas: Good Time
The movie's title might make you think that Pattinson plays a wealthy yacht owner who resides along the French Riviera, but his character hardly has a good time. In Good Time, Connie Nikas (Pattinson) is a flawed criminal who attempts to rob a bank with his disabled brother. After a negative turn of events, his brother gets arrested, and Connie is forced to do whatever it takes to come up with bail money.
Pattinson is sweating with desperation throughout the film. You can't help but scream "Take off your jacket, sir!" But he rarely does that because the jacket is the last thing on his mind. His brother has to be saved. This role earned Pattinson a whopping 13 Best Actor nominations across different award organizations.