Not many actors can win an Academy Award just by uttering a few villainous lines and staring at the camera with their dead eyes. Anthony Hopkins, sorry, Sir Anthony Hopkins makes that look easy. However, behind the scenes, his preparation for his lines is quite extensive and rigorous that he often only needed a single take or try to convey that award-winning acting.
Such a method pays off and he’s one of the most recognizable and esteemed faces and personalities in cinema. Be it as Hannibal Lecter or Odin, Anthony Hopkins pretty much disappears in any role he takes. Those who aren’t convinced need only watch the best of his filmography and who better to judge which is what than an aggregator like Metacritic?
10 Noah (2014) – 68
Noah is more of a Russell Crowe movie where Anthony Hopkins takes a supporting role, but that’s where he shines most, anyway (even without the animals at his side). In this biblical apocalypse epic, Anthony Hopkins assumes the persona of an old, wise, and rambling man, which has become a norm for him these days.
That isn’t to say his role here was a piece of cake. He was Methuselah, Noah’s grandfather, and thus had to have a screen presence that’s as strong as Russel Crowe’s. Seeing as how his character is the one who nudged and inspired Noah, no one else could have done the part better.
9 Fracture (2007) – 68
Hannibal Lecter wasn’t the only sinister evil genius character Anthony Hopkins perfected. In Fracture, he’s an engineer, named Ted Crawford, who was tried for his wife’s murder but was eventually vindicated. The problem is, an idealistic attorney, named Willy Beachum, doesn’t believe Crawford’s innocence at all.
Beachum is played by none other than Ryan Gosling, and he goes out of his way to persecute Crawford in the name of justice. Hence, this film is a tense legal and psychological battle between the young and the old; it’s also a good chance to see Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling in an acting war.
8 The World’s Fastest Indian (2005) – 68
For those looking for a sleeper hit of an Anthony Hopkins movie, then look no further than The World’s Fastest Indian. Contrary to what’s implied in the title, Anthony Hopkins assumes the role of a New Zealander named Burt Munro. It’s only his motorcycle that’s Indian.
The conflict is that his Indian motorcycle is old and dates back to the 1920s, but it didn’t stop Munro from modifying and perfecting it for a land speed world record. For that matter, The World‘s Fastest Indian is a sports drama where Munro’s relationship with his motorcycle takes centerstage.
7 Thor: Ragnarok (2017) – 74
Out of all the MCU’s Thor movies, Thor: Ragnarok shines the most for veering off the usual path. Ironically, it was also where Anthony Hopkin’s role is most minimal (similar to Thor’s minimalistic outfits). He only says a few lines here and dies shortly afterward as a neutered Odin.
Even so, his importance in the story reverberates throughout the film as it was his death that set the plot in motion. In this movie, Thor has to deal with his estranged and powerful sister’s return after Odin (Hopkins) expires from old age and lack of power.
6 The Two Popes (2019) – 75
Apart from the most psychotic psychologist ever, another role that fits Anthony Hopkins like a glove is his pope stint in The Two Popes. There, he takes on a sensitive character, namely Pope Benedict during the Vatican’s transition into Pope Francis’ leadership.
Pope Francis was played by Jonathan Pryce; one could even say that the casting couldn’t have been better. The two of them walk around eggshells trying to reform and clean up the Vatican’s image after several years of misconduct reports and dissatisfied believers.
5 The Elephant Man (1980) – 78
The Elephant Man is a true story about a disfigured individual named John Merrick. He was afflicted with a disease that caused his face to look like that of an elephant. Surprisingly, it’s John Hurt who portrays Merrick.
Even more surprising is the fact that Anthony Hopkins plays a kind and caring character in this film. He steps into the shoes of Dr. Frederick Treves whose interest in John Merrick is benevolent as he wants nothing but to help Merrick.
4 The Remains Of The Day (1993) – 84
The Remains of the Day sees Anthony Hopkins in yet another sophisticated character. In here, he’s a butler who has dedicated his life to his craft and has become the most precise and professional head servant of an elite family.
The problem is, the said elite family are fascists in a WWII-era Germany. The butler, named James Stevens, gradually becomes aware and disillusioned with the reality of the world outside the mansion he serves and how his master plays a big part in it.
3 The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) – 85
The Silence of the Lambs is perhaps the film in which Anthony Hopkins is best-known after it netted him an Oscar. In this film, he expertly and peerlessly depicts Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a psychologist who lives a double-life as a serial killer and a cannibal, a classy one, albeit.
His screen time in The Silence of the Lambs is a measly 16 but he managed to steal the whole film; it was enough to warrant some lukewarmly-received sequels spotlighting Hannibal Lecter. Regardless, it will forever be Anthony Hopkins’ most haunting role to date.
2 The Father (2021) – 87
Even at 83-years-old, Anthony Hopkins is still a sharp Thespian, as is evident with his latest film, The Father. The film is about an old man’s plight as he refuses to accept help from his daughter, all the while struggling with his rapidly changing life and mental dispositions.
Funny enough, the main character’s name is also Anthony, and this time around, Anthony Hopkins is placed in the lead role, alongside The Crown’s Olivia Coleman. As expected, The Father is a film about the ordeal and difficulties of getting old; it’s an unexpected tearjerker from Anthony Hopkins.
1 Howards End (1992) – 88
Last but not least is the highest-rated film involving Anthony Hopkins, Howards End. It’s an adaptation of the 1910 novel of the same name. It’s a drama film surrounding two sisters as their life gets turned upside down due to a real-estate inheritance.
At the heart of the drama is Henry Wilcox starring Anthony Hopkins who makes the said inheritance scheme complicated after “falling” for one of the two sisters. As always, Anthony Hopkins is as intense as ever in one of his most human roles in cinema.
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