Watching the recent excellent feature film 'The Martian' made me think a great deal about what exactly makes and breaks films that effectively hinge upon a single actor to carry most, even all, of the dramatic beats of a film. 'The Martian', 'Cast Away', 'Gravity', 'Moon', 'Locke', 'Secret Honor' etc.
I am Legend! Although Will Smith is amazing so. – Tatijana9 years ago
There could be a few ways to discuss how actors can make or break a film if they are the only focus of the narrative. I think one way could be to focus on films on both ends of the critical spectrum. If a focus of your idea is the acting, why not compare how one actor successfully headed a narrative and how another fell short; compare and contrast the acting methods. – C N Williamson9 years ago
'I Am Legend' is another good shout! The contrast thing is good; I think a particularly effective one would be 'Locke' and the Ryan Reynolds starring 'Buried'. Both are performances technically speaking confined and restrained by the nature of their character's setting/actions, but whereas Tom Hardy gives a magnificent performance and really disappears into the role, I did not really see that with Reynolds. – CalvinLaw9 years ago
There is also the TV show Last Man On Earth that is solely one actor and it is a comedic representation of the "one-man show." – mckinleyebert9 years ago
Aren't 'excellent' and 'effectively' subjective measurements? – T. Palomino2 years ago
How are all these films "hinged upon a single actor"? I mean, there is a protagonist, but there are also other actors... – T. Palomino2 years ago