Top ten talented actors who deserve better film roles

1. Richard E. Grant - He was outstanding as Withnail in the cult classic 'Withnail and I' back in the mid 1980's. During the 1990's he appeared in some decent supporting roles films such as L.A. Story and The Age Of Innocence but since then he has been criminally underused much to my astonishment and annoyance. An actor of his talent should regulary be seen in quality roles.

2. Christopher Walken - He is certainly regarded as a successful actor and a big movie star but, after watching his astonishing performance in The Deer Hunter, I am surprised that he has not been given similar meaty roles to get his teeth into, at least within mainstream cinema. He got the chance to flex his acting muscles in films such as True Romance and Catch Me If You Can but I feel he deserves better.

3. Michael Keaton - Probably my favourite Batman, Keaton is a very versatile actor. He was as convincing in his straight role in Jackie Brown as he was in his comic turns in Beetlejuice and Much Ado About Nothing. In the last ten years I have seen very little of him, which is a great pity.

4. Adrien Brody - His big breakthrough came in his Oscar winning performance in The Pianist. There followed a couple of interesting roles in The Village and The Jacket but his career has never really taken off on the back of his Oscar win. He was recently the lead role in the lastest of the Predator films. From the sublime to the ridiculous. I hope his career gets back on track.

5. Tim Roth - Best known as Mr Pink in Resevoir Dogs, Tim Roth has maintained a decent career but it has never really taken off in a way which reflects his talent. He was great as the villian in Rob Roy, for which he was nominated an Oscar, but like all the other actors on this list he deserves better film roles, especially since 2000 onwards.

6. Gabriel Byrne - Best known for his role in The Usual Suspects, Byrne has recently been starring in the hit US drama In Treatment, and I am glad to hear that his performance in this has been critically acclaimed. In between then he has dropped in and out of the radar, popping up in very average films such as Stigmata and Assault On Preccint 13. I hope his success in US television reignites his film career.

7. James Caan - Best known for his role as the hot tempered Sonny in The Godfather, a promising career lay ahead for James Caan but, with a couple of exceptions, it has never quite happened for him. The couple of exceptions are Misery and Way Of The Gun, and he is excellent in both. Oh of course, he is in Elf, but it's Will Ferrell who steals the show in that film.

8. Robert Carlyle - His finest hour as Begby in Trainspotting was also the role that launched his career, although he is probably best loved for playing Gaz in the massive British hit The Full Monty. Since then he his film roles have been steady but unspectacular. Hopefully he will be given better film roles to show his acting skills to a wider audience.

9. Michael Biehn - He burst onto the big screen in the mid 1980's as Kyle Reese in The Terminator and for a while things were looking good for Biehn. He starred in Aliens and put in a very impressive performance as a deranged navy seal in The Abyss. During the 1990's he had supporting roles in The Rock and Tombstone which are not to be sniffed at but perhaps the turning point in his career was Alien 3. Originally he was to be the main protagonist but in the final draft of the screenplay his character is killed off in the opening scene and the main role in the film went to Sigourney Weaver. His career might have taken a different path if he had landed the lead in Alien 3 and since then he has struggled to get significant roles.

10. Samuel L. Jackson - Perhaps the surprise choice in this list. He is certainly a massive movie star but since Pulp Fiction he has only had a small handful roles that have matched his acting talents, namely Jackie Brown, Changing Lanes and Lakeview Terrace.

Dumbing down

I recently read an excellent and very interesting article by film critic Barry Norman. He discusses the idea that, following the box office and critical flops of certain films, the days of the 'movie star' are numbered and Hollywood is now catering to a certain niche of cinema goers, namely young people who are more attracted to special effects and blockbuster action than good acting and an interesting storyline. It's something that I have noticed myself over the past few years. Unfortunately these days film companies in Hollywood are increasingly more driven by profits and not the art of making powerful and meaningful cinema. The Transformers franchise is a prime example of this. It is film making at its worse but it has still managed to gross millions of dollars worldwide in box office sales. I could go on a rant about how Michael Bay, the director, has ruined what was a great tv cartoon series in the 1980's but my friend Tony has already done that on his own blog so I will not digress. I have noticed this same trend in mainstream music. Two words, Justin Bieber. And two more words, generic rubbish. I think there has been a general dumbing down in both contemporary mainstream music and cinema, but, and it's a big but, this generation is not yet a lost cause. There IS good contemporary film and music out there but these days, with a few exceptions like The King's Speech and Foo Fighters for example, you have look outside the mainstream market to find it. I've noticed on YouTube that people lament modern music and go on about the golden days of the 1960's when music had integrity and genuine talent. There was certainly an abundance of great music from the 1960's but I'm sure there were many generic bands of that time as well, now of course forgotten because they are not worth remembering. The same will be true, I hope, of Justin Bieber and Transformers.