Top 5 – Charlize Theron Movies

Charlize Theron is one of the premiere leading ladies in Hollywood.  An actress who really didn’t break out until the early 2000’s, Theron has proven her diversity as an actress, starring in everything from action thrillers, to comedies, to Oscar contenders.  This week, Theron stars in Atomic Blonde, which looks incredibly bad ass.  So in honor of that, here are my picks for the best Charlize Theron movies.

These movies are based on movie quality and the performance of Theron.

5 – STELLA BRINDGER  THE ITALIAN JOB (F. Gary Gray, 2003)

The Italian Job was my introduction to Charlize Theron.  I had never seen her in a movie (to my knowledge) until this one and she made quite the impression.  In an all-star cast featuring Mark Wahlberg, Edward Norton, Jason Statham, and Donald Sutherland, Theron is one of the standouts as Stella Brindger, the daughter of John Brindger (Sutherland), the leader of a gang of thieves who was killed by Steve (Norton), one of John’s partners.  Stella teams up with the rest of her father’s crew, led by Charlier Coker (Wahlberg) to bring down Steven by pulling off the ultimate heist.  F. Gary Gray directed this remake of 70’s film of the same name perfectly, making this a slick, stylish, and fun action flick with a stellar ensemble.

4 – CIPHER in THE FATE OF THE FURIOUS (F. Gary Gray, 2017)

Theron’s second teaming with Gray puts her in a roll she doesn’t usually dive into; the villain.  In the eighth entry of Fast and Furious franchise, Theron plays Cipher, a cyber terrorist who seduces Dom (Vin Diesel) to turn on his crew so she can go through with her diabolical plan.  Gray keeps the explosiveness and chaos of the Furious franchise alive, with some of the wildest and most ridiculous stunts this series has ever seen.  But Theron really adds a level of gravitas and intensity to this franchise.  In arguably the series’ best villain, Cipher is menacing, charming, and brilliant, really pushing Dom and the crew to their limits.  The Fate of the Furious is one of the best Fast movies and Theron’s performance is part of it’s excellence.

3 – MAVIS GARY in YOUNG ADULT (Jason Reitman, 2011)

Ever wonder what happened to your small-town high school prom queen?  Well Young Adult shows us and it isn’t pretty.  In a wildly under appreciated movie, director Jason Reitman shows us a woman on the verge of self destruction and Theron is truly outstanding.  Playing Mavis Gary, a fiction writer who returns to her home in Minnesota looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend, who is now happily married and has a newborn daughter.  Mavis is blunt, rude, delusional, arrogant, and just a complete hot mess with a slight drinking problem and a small dog.  Theron owns this performance.  She is as truly despicable woman and for some reason, we still love her.  Criminally robbed of an Oscar nomination, and maybe even a win, this is one of the great underrated performances of the decade.

2 – AILEEN WUORNOS in MONSTER (Patty Jenkins, 2003)

The performance the solidified Charlize Theron as a serious actress, Monster is one of the best performances I have ever seen.  The usually stunning Theron completely transforms herself to play serial killer Aileen Wuornos.  By gaining thirty pounds, stripping down any and  all of the glitz and glam that she had, Theron gives a barebones performance that is chilling and awe-inspiring.  Patty Jenkins’ film is an impressive debut, as it documents Wuornos’ rise from Daytona Beach prostitute to one of the America’s most infamous serial killers.  Theron carries this movie, and her performance along with Jenkins’ deft hand makes us feel sympathy for this tragic monster.  This is a masterful performance and rightfully earned Theron an Oscar win.

1 – IMPERATOR FURIOSA in MAD MAX: FURY ROAD (George Miller, 2015)

It’s real tough to beat such a masterful, transformative performance, but Theron did it in Mad Max: Fury Road.  George Miller’s return to his landmark action franchise is one of the greatest action films of the 21st century and Charlize Theron is at the forefront as Imperator Furiosa.  As a slave to the all powerful Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), Furiosa finds an opportunity to break herself and Joe’s beautiful wives free during a routine drop-off, which causes a war to ensue and forces Furiosa to partner up with Max (Tom Hardy).  Theron gets down and dirty for this role, shaving her head and losing an arm (not literally) to play a woman determined to get these girls to freedom.  This is a strong, powerful performance and Theron is the emotional center of the movie.  In a movie titled Mad Max, nobody talks about Tom Hardy’s Max, everyone talks about Furiosa.  This is one of the great heroines in cinematic history and the best Charlize Theron movie.

What are your favorite Charlize Theron movies?  Comment below or hit me up on Twitter and Instagram, @kevflix, or on Facebook by searching Kevflix.