Best Woody Harrelson Movies

So, I’ve made a lot of Top 5’s on Kevflix.  For the most part, they’re relatively easy to make.  I usually have a pretty good idea of the movies that are going to be on the list, with a little debate about the final spot or two.  That was not the case when making the list of the best Woody Harrelson movies.  The guy’s filmography is loaded with so many great performances, I could have easily made a Top 10 and still left a few off.  You wouldn’t expect it from Harrelson, but he’s easily one of the best actors working today.  This list was so tough, I was forced to leave off classic Harrelson movies like White Men Can’t Jump (1992), No Country for Old Men (2007), Zombieland (2009), Rampart (2011), Seven Psychopaths (2012), and Out of the Furnace (2013).  Yeah, that list right there could fill a Top 5.  But, I believe these are the best of Harrelson.  So here we go, the best Woody Harrelson movies.

And remember, this list is based on movie quality and his performance.

5 – DETECTIVE MARTY HART in TRUE DETECTIVE (2014, Nic Pizzolatto)

All those movies I named above, and a T.V. show gets on the list?  You’re damn right it does.  I don’t watch a ton of television, but I remember being so immersed in the first season of True Detective largely due to the performances of the main actors.  Matthew McConaughey got a lot of the praise for his show, but Harrelson deserved just as much, if not more.  While McConaughey had the weirder, more transformative role, Harrelson is the performance that grounded the series.  He was the one who the most at stake and was the emotional center that we followed and sympathized with.  He delivers a fierce, vulnerable performance that really made us care about the detectives and the case.  True Detective is a landmark show and Harrelson is a big reason for that.

4 – ROY MUNSON in KINGPIN (The Farrelly Brothers, 1996)

So, Harrelson is a funny guy, having starred on Cheers for 200+ episodes and making some hilarious films.  It would have been wrong had I not put one of them on the list, and Kingpin is one of the all-time great comedies.  Playing a rubber-handed, washed up bowler who takes an Amish bowling prodigy under his wing, Harrelson gives a hilarious, yet sentimental performance unlike anything the Farrelly Brothers have ever produced.  His double takes are perfect, his combover is ridiculous, and his one-liners are masterful.  But more impressively, Harrelson doesn’t let the great Bill Murray outshine him, which is tough to do.  Kingpin is as good as comedies get and the funniest Harrelson performance.

3 – LARRY FLYNT in THE PEOPLE VS LARRY FLYNT (Milos Forman, 1996)

Harrelson’s first Oscar nomination is one of his most impressive and surprising performances of his career.  Having been a comedic actor most of his life, Harrelson flashed his dramatic side for his performance as Hustler magazine founder Larry Flynt and his fight against censorship.  Harrelson immerses himself in the role, changing his speech and bringing the determined, rambunctious mogul to life.  This was a brave, complex, darkly funny performance full of energy and commitment.  This is the performance that proved Harrelson was a legitimate actor and he has only gotten better since.

2 – CAPTAIN TONY STONE in THE MESSENGER (Oren Moverman, 2009)

The Messenger is a little indie movie that tackles a subject that is rarely touched upon in cinema.  Telling the story of an Iraq war veteran Will (an excellent Ben Foster) who struggles with his new job as a Casualty Notification Officer while awaiting his discharge.  Harrelson plays senior officer Captain Tony Stone, a mentor to Will as he tries to get used to the new gig.  Harrelson is absolutely brilliant in this film.  When on the job, Stone is incredibly strict and cold to Will, which brings out an intensity never seen from Harrelson.  But off the job, Stone lends an ear to Will to give some sort of normalcy to their lives.  Harrelson is deeply moving and tragic in these scenes and has a great rapport with Foster.  If you haven’t seen The Messenger, do it now.  It is a bleak, uncompromising, unpredictable, relevant masterpiece.

1 – MICKEY KNOX in NATURAL BORN KILLERS (Oliver Stone, 1994)

Oliver Stone’s hyper-kinetic, modernized Bonnie and Clyde story is one of the most insane, brutal, horrifying, and entertaining films I have ever seen.  Mickey Knox (Harrelson) and his wife Mallory (an equally insane Juliette Lewis) go on a cross-country murdering spree that grabs the attention of the media.  I said Harrelson’s performance in Larry Flynt was the one that made him a serious actor, but his performance here was a game changer.  Never before had Harrelson been like this.  Mickey is a cold blooded, soulless, disgusting human and Harrelson knocks it out of the park.  We are rooting for these ruthless people to be free and we actually like them and that is all because of the masterful performances.  I have never seen a performance like this in my life.  Harrelson is the definition of charismatic and electric, making Natural Born Killers his best movie.

So there you have it.  What are you favorite Woody Harrelson movies?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @kevflix or on Facebook at Kevflix.