Top 5 Michael Shannon Movies You Should Watch
If there was ever a film that suited Michael Shannon, it’s this low-budget thriller. He’s a hallucination-addled Army deserter, and while the claustrophobic staging and psychological terror resembled William Friedkin’s classic The Exorcist, Shannon made it his own.
He’s not as creepy in this one and actually feels more lived-in than intense, but still, it’s a great performance.
Take Shelter
One of the most memorable Michael Shannon movies, Take Shelter follows a construction worker who begins having apocalyptic visions of a storm that threatens his family. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, the film won critical acclaim for its depiction of an everyman whose paranoid fears become real-life events. Shannon’s performance is powerful and convincing, earning him a Best Actor nomination at the Oscars.
Despite the success of Take Shelter, Shannon’s next project was much less well-received. In fact, Midnight Special was so mismarketed that many audiences were disappointed when they saw the movie. Regardless, Shannon’s performance is still top-notch, portraying a man whose delusions have reached new heights.
Sidney Lumet’s recession-set drama earned Shannon and Andrew Garfield award nominations for their work. The film is a bit uneven, but there are some truly memorable scenes, such as the infamous “dinner flip” scene that made Shannon famous. It also features a great performance from the late Philip Seymour Hoffman.
The Amphibious Man
While American films from the sixties often focused on hysterical fear of new technologies and The Bomb, The Amphibious Man looked at the world as it stood and showed how greed and selfishness can be so devastating. Shannon’s ferocious performance as the gill-breathing creature was memorable thanks to his tremendous energy.
It’s hard to go wrong with anything directed by Sidney Lumet, and this crime drama is no exception. Shannon has a small role, but his impact is felt throughout the film. He’s a perfect foil for Ethan Hawke and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, as the two brothers plan to rob their parents’ jewelry store.
In a change of pace, Shannon plays a happy family man by day and a ruthless hitman by night in this true story about Richard Kuklinski. This movie is a darkly funny drama with a stellar cast. Shannon delivers another memorable performance in this thriller.
The Cabin in the Woods
It’s a rarity that you leave the theater smiling and wanting to see the movie again, but Cabin in the Woods definitely does that. While the plot is fairly standard for horror movies (a bunch of college kids head to a cabin in the woods, there’s a scary guy who warns them off, doors blow open unexpectedly, etc.), the way the film goes about bringing in these otherworldly monsters is what truly makes it a wild ride.
This black comedy, which is actually a parody of slasher films, pokes fun at all the typical horror movie tropes and then twists them even harder. From a scene where Hemsworth yells “Jump!” to when The Director (Sigourney Weaver) tells Dana and Marty that they are the five archetypes being sacrificed in a ritual that will end the world, there’s plenty of clever humor to go around.
Drew Goddard, who directed Cloverfield and has worked on shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Alias, is adept at subverting cliches while still delivering the thrills.
Bad Boys II
In a career where his characters ran the gamut from Eminem’s contemptible trailer-park stepdad to a grotesque white supremacist, Shannon has always maintained an aura of mystery. Nowhere is that more on display than in this David Ayer thriller, where he’s the only character who knows what’s really going on under Bobby Andes’ ten-gallon hat.
The first of three collaborations between director Jeff Nichols and Michael Shannon, this 2007 indie was a breakout role for the actor. He plays Curtis, a construction worker who starts to experience visions of the apocalypse and builds an elaborate bunker to protect his family (including his half-brothers played by Ethan Hawke and the late Philip Seymour).
This is one of Shannon’s creepiest roles, but it also showcases the depths of his acting talent. The m4u free movies also boasts one of the best action sequences since William Friedkin and John Frankenheimer’s heyday, as wisecracking cops Will Smith and Martin Lawrence pursue drug runners along a Florida freeway.
The Hunt for Red October
The eponymous submarine of this movie is a shrewdly constructed metaphor for the murky waters of misunderstanding and mistrust in the post-Cold War world. Director Sidney Lumet has delivered other masterpieces (including 12 Angry Men, Network, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon), but this 1990 thriller ranks among his very best work. Shannon delivers a powerhouse performance as a man whose paranoia reaches depths you may not think possible.
In this film, Shannon plays Curtis, a construction worker who begins to believe that the end of the world is imminent. He tries to protect himself and his family by reinforcing the bunker he built in his backyard. It’s a less creepy role than some of Shannon’s others, but he still makes it feel lived-in and intense.
