Top Five Underrated Movie Tough Guys
by Jeffrey JenaI just finished voting for the Screen Actors Guild awards and after wading through the five “screeners” they sent me I started wondering about the leading men of today.In this day of confused metro-sexual male stars one might wonder where all the real men have gone.
Look at the leading men of today. When I saw Leonardo DiCaprio as a tough guy in Gangs of New York I wasn’t sure if it was a drama or a comedy. Matt Damon isn’t too bad but I‘m not convinced he could take a punch. I like Bill Pullman but he looks like he is always on the verge of breaking into tears. George Clooney, please my sister could throw him down and twist him up like a pretzel.
Here are my top five unrecognized real men of filmdom. I skipped the obvious choices like The Duke and Clint and went for some guys who are well known but not often looked at as Alpha dogs. Can you imagine any of these guys sitting in anything but a leather barber chair? Can you see any of them wondering if they should get frosted tips or a mani-pedi? Just being a tough guy wasn’t enough for my list they also had to have the craft of acting down too!
Even modern actors who seem to know their way around a good street fight like Vin Diesel and The Rock don’t have the acting chops that a lot of the classic tough guys did. What’s that? Chuck Norris, Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme? I like Chuck’s politics and Seagal’s new reality show has promise but please don’t waste my time trying to convince me that those guys wouldn’t wilt under the steely eyed stare of any of the five guys in my list. Hum… While you’re reading I’m stepping out for a burger.
5. Richard Roundtree
One word – Shaft! They say this cat is a bad mother….and he is! Richard is a New Yorker, football player and manly enough to beat a rare form of male breast cancer.
4. Lee Marvin
One of my favorite all time movie bad guys is Liberty Valence. So much pure evil without a hint of any redeeming social value he could have been a Democrat. He served in World War Two and was wounded in the battle of Saipan. He would have been higher on my list but I have talked to a few people who knew him and he was apparently a pretty nasty guy in real life. They invented the word “palimony” for this guy.
3. Charles Bronson
From The Magnificent Seven to his series of Death Wish films he was a man of few words. He hung in with wife Jill Ireland as she suffered through cancer. That’s a man!
2, Edward G Robinson
The real OG! From being Little Caesar Rico to the evil Dathan and then slapping down a straight flush on fellow tough guy Steve McQueen in the Cincinnati Kid nobody was more the quintessential American tough guy than Eddie G. Not bad for a Jewish kid from Romania!
1. Denzel Washington
The epitome of the modern strong silent type. Who else could play Malcolm X, the rogue cop in Training Day, a stoic naval officer and a tort lawyer and make them all sympathetic? I can’t wait to see the Book of Eli. My favorite Denzel tough guy line is when as Detective Keith Frazier in Inside Man he enters a restaurant and the maître d asked him, “May I have your hat?” He comes back with, “No get your own!” Shades of Philip Marlow!
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230 Comments
I'd have to put Christian Bale on the list. He's done artsy fartsy stuff when he was younger, but his action flicks are pretty good too, imo.
WILLIAM SMITH. Clint Eastwood's longest fist fight was with William Smith in "Any Which Way You Can" and William Smith almost won!
Other runner-ups would have to include Michael Madsen, Powers Booth & Sam Elliott
In what sense are these guys underrated? Except for Denzel Washington, they are all on every Classic Tough Guy list I've ever seen.
Bronson is a thousand times more of a man than John Edwards. Charles stuck with his love of his life in the hardest time of their lives, to the end of her's. When Elizabeth Edwards got TERMINAL breast cancer, it was licensee for Edwards to party and father a child with another woman.
I guess we know what a real tough guy would do! Not every fight you use your fists, you use your moral character.
And we see each man's character just fine.
Joe Don Baker was a pretty good bad a in Walking Tall
Richard Boone, Robert Ryan (heck all the guys in the Wild Bunch–Holden could play the metrosexual lead ad well as a convincing hard-ass–see the Earthling) totally blow away anything Denzel has ever done. Put your game face on!
Chow Yun Fat's gotta be on the list. Good with guns, bad *ss martial arts and looks cool in dark shades and sharkskin.
You are correct. Edwards was so bad, the libtards threw him under the bus… and justifiably so.
Those are definitely tough guys. Now contrast them with the spineless eunuch we have for president who's bowing to a mayor for cryin' out loud. Hussein you bedwetting pansy, others bow to the American President if there's to be any bowing at all. You are such a pitiful embarrassment; step down for the good of the nation.
The mayor must be thinking "what is wrong with this imbecile? I hope there are no cameras for his sake."
http://minx.cc/?post=297685
"In this day of confused metro-sexual male stars one might wonder where all the real men have gone"
Why, they're blogging of course!
Kurt Russell. Criminally underrated tough guy. Damn near perfect as McReady in Carpenter's "The Thing," among others.
How about Clint Walker — no one throws a better right hook.
Also, what about the late, great Leo Gordon. Now that's a tough guy!
And Ron Ely. Did all of his stunts for Tarzan and was the only saving grace in Doc Savage: Man of Bronze.
Lee Marvin, Eddie G and Charlie Bronson underrated tough guys? I don't think so but I'll throw in a few names. Paul Newman in Hombre, Alan Ladd in Shane, William Holden in the Wild Bunch,Robert Redford in Jeremiah Johnson, Robert Taylor in the Last Hunt and Jack Palance in Anything.
GS- you may find this amusing. It is rather amateurish, but my first effort at robotic theatre.
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6039781/
On Deadwood, I was pretty sure Powers Boothe's character could survive on a diet of nails and blood.
In your description of Denzel, you failed to mentioned his role as Creasy Man on Fire. I had no problem believing that guy could survive multiple gun shot wounds.
Edward G. is definitely overlooked however the others I say are always on most lists. Your shot at Norris is unfounded. Yes he supported Huckabee but apart from that he is pretty tough.
I would like to add Aristotelis “Telly” Savalas. That guy was the man! He could act his ass off, from what I could tell he was tough and generous. Nobody can walk around with a lollipop and look good doing it if he wasn't tough!
His quotes: "Who loves you baby?" and my favorite "Everyone's born bald, baby!"
Denzel is good but I don't know if he's number one though.
Is that Will Smith of the Fresh Prince of Bellaire and Independence Day fame. Not saying he is not a tough guy I just did not realize he did a movie with Clint Eastwood?
Uh, how can we overlook the GREAT Rudy Ray Moore as Dolemite! Seriously people…
MITCHELL!
Creasy was one of the greatest tough guy characters in film history.
Too true. Let's also not forget his work in Big Trouble in Little China.
Add to that, Eric Bana in "Black Hawk Down" and Kevin Costner in "Open Range".
I like it. Can you make President Bush kick Hussein?
That's a great movie.
You know I think that the top of this list of underated bad guys should probably be John Travolta. He plays really cynical and terryfying bad guys when he is not dancing disco.
What about John Amos? A long career toiling in the character-actor salt mine, (+sitcoms)- but from Roots to Die Hard 2 this guy's sweat dripped more testosterone than DiCaprio has in his whole girlie-man body.
No, it's the William Smith who was also in "Red Dawn" (he played the Russian Special FOrces officer brought in to take down down Swayze and the Wolverines).
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0810342/
Robert Mitchum
Absolutely. The guy cut off another guy's finger and cauterized the wound with a car lighter….and I bought every second of it. At no point in that film did you question that he was capable of everything he was doing.
"Tombstone!"
My vote would have to go to Jack Palance. He had about 5 spoken words in Shane, but he became the quintisential tough guy for me from there after; sometimes good, a lot of times bad.
I'd also have to give a vote to Richard Boone, particularly for his work in Hombre and Big Jake.
Not sure if he'd qualify as underrated (then again Bronson shouldn't either) but any Tough Guy list is not complete without Captain Quint himself – Robert Shaw.
If I were half the man Charles Bronson was, I could kick anyone's ass on the planet…
I tried to write Chuck, but I immediately edited it…that's tough…
Right here, baby…
Although he is more well-known for his TV work, how about Chuck Connors. Tough and wise; that's what I like.
Don't sell Seagal short…akido is one badass martial art…like Chuck Norris, he's the REAL DEAL…
But on film, all of these guys were hard, capable tough guys…
DiCaprio…? Damon…? Pullman…? CLOONEY, fer cryin' out loud…?
Give me a friggin' break…
Let's add, in no particular order:
Edward Woodward
Patrick McGoohan
James Garner
Gregory Peck
Richard Boone of course
And among the younger set (contemporary):
Damien Lewis (Band of Brothers, Life)
Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Chuck, My Bodyguard)
Liam Neeson (Taken)
If you haven't seen Life, see it on Hulu or NBC.com (it's free). Amazingly tough character by the lead, Lewis, including some very shockingly tough moves totally in character. Tough without being posturing-bravado.
Sorry to go all Euro here, but the best candidate for number one is…Jean Gabin! A slow moving rockface with superb acting skills and camera sense. Didn't waste a blink. Best at playing relentless, code-driven tough guys.
By the way, he never required rescuing: a decorated hero, Gabin was with the Free French forces that entered Paris with the Yanks.
Mind you, Telegony's got a point about Richard Boone.
As my room mate once put Damien Lewis' Life character: "So basically the guy's an enlightened badass. Sweet."
Yes! Robert Shaw is the quintessential Bond henchman (From Russia with Love) and I can't describe his roll as a Mossad agent in Black Sunday without using the word "badass."
And Jaws. And Pelham One-Two-Three (the good one). Hell, even Force 10 From Navarone.
For your enjoyment, GS
http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/6042445/
Oh, hell yes.
When I think of "tough guy", I think of that one scene in Tombstone when he is smacking around Billy Bob Thorntons character.
"You gonna do something, or just stand there and bleed?"
Do not forget Yul Brynner when you talk about bad-asses people.
The love of Charles Bronson's life happened to be the wife of David McCallum when he met her …
"The Killer" and "Hard Boiled" – Two Hong Kong CLASSICS!
Just before he bumps off a pleading Angie Dickinson in The Killers the already shot and dying Lee Marvin mouths, "Lady, I don't have the time." Classic.
"Black Sunday" is an underrated classic, and well ahead of its time in terms of Islamic terrorism coming to the US.
And Richard Boone in "The War Lord" is one of my all-time favorites. For all those metrosexuals out there, he even shows his sensitive side at the end! (well, sort of)
Awwww yeah. Great line. I love that movie.
John Wayne. The original tough guy.
It's too bad more people didn't see Death Proof.
How can you be so hard on little Johnny? He channeled himself and went with his heart… and Rielle. Surely you can't blame him.
Edwards is simply in the wrong profession. He'd be the perfect modern leading man. Hypocrite is the technical word for actor.
He's been acting for years.
Smile when you say that, pardner.
See James Earl Jones in The Great White Hope.
Mickey Rourke, anyone?
Okay – WHAT IS IT with you reviewers that you have something against Russell Crowe?! REPEATEDLY commenters on this board have said how much they like his various performances…and y'all? NADA.
So here is me: RUSSELL CROWE – tremendously underrated by even the article writers here. From stealing the stage out from under your vaunted Sharon Stone's nose in The Quick and the Dead to commanding a brilliant performance in A Beautiful Mind to a glorious personification of Jack Aubrey. The man is constantly short shrifted.
Yes, Im a fan, dammit. Sue me.
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Good stuff.
Off topic….
In regards to the pro-life Tebow ad that’s going to run during the Superbowl, renowned feminist bitch, abortion cheerleader and publicity whore, Gloria Allred, is laughably demanding that the Tebow ad have some sort of disclaimer. Who the phuq does this little leftwing tyrant bthink she is? Disclaimer? How about this for a disclaimer, “Gloria Allred is worthless ambulance-chasing parasite. I’m deeply disappointed that her mother chose life.”
For those who like Charles Bronson,you may be interested to know he was a B-29 gunner in the the 314th Bomb Wing. James Garner was a rifleman in the the 45th Division in Korea and James Arness was a rifleman, i think also 45th Division at Anzio.
Di Caprio? My spayed Golden Retiever has more manhood than that little twerp(Brighter as well)
If you're going to watch Mitchell, watch it on MST3K.
I heartlly agree! He is one rough looking customer. He's probably best know as the evil Falconetti in Rich Man, Poor Man. Here's a clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yyeF-XDZrTo
What a country where it's controversial and offensive to advocate letting babies live.
Don't forget about Snake Plissken in Escape From New York. Awesome movie.
that's the only way to watch Mitchell
Richard Boone – there you go! Very underrated tough guy. Wouldn't have wanted to meet him in a dark alley.
Humphrey Bogart
James Cagney
Two words: Bud White.
James Garner. Wounded twice in Korea. Played crazy funny characters in Support your Local Gunfighter/Sherrif. Got the crap beat out of him with the French middleweight champ in Victor/Victoria. Hint- don't piss off a middleweight. Below them they can't really throw a knockout punch; above they probably can't catch you- but a middleweight can both throw a punch and run ya down. In the case of middleweights ALWAYS bring a gun to a knife fight.
On second thought how about George Kennedy. Enlisted in the Army in 1941 at age 14. Jumped into Normandy and Holland. Retired as a LTC, US Army Airborne Infantry.
Liked Liam Neeson in Taken. Took my daughters to see it- age 22 and 20. Afterwards I told them I thought his character was a p&ssy- he left too many people alive in his wake- and that if that happened to them I wouldn't make the same mistake. "Course I wouldn't let them go to european city as teen-agers without me… just sayin'
Good tough guys, all. But remember the words of Tom Powers: "I ain't so tough."
Charles Durning- may be the last surviving actor to go ashore at Normandy.
Christian Bale's tough guy imagine took a nose dive with his infamous rant at a crew member. Tough guys don't whine like little bit#ches.
Current era:
The great Roy Scheider. (practically everything)
Tim Roth. (Tweeker division.) Little Odessa, Hoodlums
Jean Reno.(Makes up for being French in a big way)
Earlier:
Dan Duryea. (Background scumbag roles)
Peter Lorre. (Gritty in some roles, waaaaaaaaaay past metrosexual in others.)
Point taken, but then again Bale is method and no one messes those freaks. Besides, Mr. Jena admits that #4 was reportedly a 'nasty guy' and yet he's on the list.
Steve McQueen, Mel Gibson…. Hybrid DiCaprio?? Pretty Boy Damon? LOL
No Bruce Lee? Tough as all get out, capable of turning most of your list into little piles of shrubbery. With just one toenail. In his sleep.
A.MEN.
Sam Elliott is probably one of the few men out there who could ask another man on board his boat for tea and still ooze masculinity and toughness while doing so. I've always loved his work.
Maybe the funniest MST3K ever (and they're all great).
Wakeup people..Steve McQueen and Karl Maulden ..Lee J Cobb…Richard Widmark..Bruce Lee
Klaus Kinski..(the dude whose eye was twitching in the bar in fistfull of dollars).
Good for you, Jim Bob; my dad was (and is—and I'm 47 and married) tghe same way.
Hard as Iron.
A bad dude, who managed to hold onto Goldie, without a ring I might add, for years… If I was hittin' that, I'd be bad too…
True, but killing him in the end–though very "Christ-like" was a bummer…
Charles Bronson, yes. Richard Boone, yes. Lee Marvin, yes. Liam Neeson, yes. Add Gene Hackman.
Did anyone mention Burt Lancaster? He did all his own stunts!
I thought this was for UNDERRATED tough guys. Marvin, Palance, Bronson, et al are all headliner tough guys. How about Bob Hoskins in A Prayer for the Dying? How about Tom Berenger? The first Sniper is a great performance, but check out the short-lived series Peacemakers. Saving the best for last, how about Scott Glenn? The Right Stuff, Silverado and Hunt for Red October were all great tough guy roles for him.
Anthony Quinn in The Guns of Navarrone, Lawrence of Arabia, etc.
In "Hard Times" Bronson invented a whole new level of "tough guy". His character was a hard as his fists. Highly underrated actor. If you doubt it then name an actor who could play that part today. Gerard Butler maybe.
Kit- thanks for the supportive comment. I grew up in a time where men didn't abuse women and survive it. No onwe will kidnap my daughters and survive. I told told them that if necessary, I will lay waste to whatever city they are in to rescue them. Not hyperbole- just serious intention.
Whenever someone talks about movie tough-guys I immediiately think of James Cagney in White Heat, man was he tough and crazy in that film. Gary Oldman was a creepy sci-fi tough guy in the Fifth Element and Air Force One. Excellent actor. Russell Crowe was grimly tough in Romper Stomper, Virtuosity, and as Bud White in L.A.Confidential and 3:10 to Yuma. What about Gene Hackman in the Unforgiven or the politician in No Way Out,very menancing.. And let's not forget Kurt Russell as Snake Plisskin.
Nice list!
Nope, Bale is a wuss who only has two looks for his acting – constipated (which I think is supposed to be his tough looks) and confused.
Neville Brand – "The one person you don't want to meet in a dark alley is a fightin' man."
Edmond O'Brien – pugnacious as hell. He always looks like he is ready and happy to punch somebody.
Lawrence Tierney – Don't let the suit fool ya.
Every list is of course subjective, but I would say that Marvin and Bronson have always been recognized tough guys. After you do The Dirty Dozen – and Mr Myjestik? Or the Death Wish series????
Heard an interesting story about Lee Marvin – he and Richard Burton became good friends while filming The Klansmen, a rather forgettable movie. They both liked to drink in the evenings, and Burton said to Marvin that he
wanted to have a part in a particular movie coming up-, but he was worried that he couldn't have a believable American accent. Marvin told him that "You are a great actor, and you can learn anything!". Burton took that compliment to his grave, always remembering it.
This was told by Burton's daughter. Oh, to see ourselves as others see us.
Richard Roundtree – yes, I would agree as Denzel Washington. Robinson? Thought he always had that personna.
But that of course is just my opinion.
Well you are hardly alone. To me he is one of the most versatile actors today playing everything from a Roman general turned gladiator to a brilliant scientist.
The only actor with similar range to me is Lawrence Olivier.
How many could play everything from Hamlet to Joseph Mengele (The Marathon Man) to his hunter (Simon Wisenthal – The Boys from Brazil). And play each convincingly?
Mr. Bronson would beeyoith slap ever member on your list with the exception of Lee Marvin, in which he starred with in Death Hunt.
If there is one under-rated actor that should be given consideration on your list, I would like to nominate Ben Kingsley. Sexy Beast is one of the most underrated movies of the decade, and his character pisses on the floor to "mark his territory."
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