Kiefer, himself, has always been one of my favorite actors and truth be told, when I think of him, Jack Bauer isn't the role that first comes to mind. So in honor of the end of 24, I thought I would do a top 5 list of my favorite Kiefer Sutherland movie roles. Enjoy.
Honorable mention:
Freddy Lee Cobb - A Time to Kill: This gets an honorable mention simply because it is a smallish role and he isn't one of the main characters. As a white supremacist in the south who tries to get the Clan started up in his area amidst the controversy of the trial of Samuel L. Jackson, Kiefer is amazing. You really do feel the hate he brings out and well, if his job in the movie is to make you hate him, he does an excellent job.
#5 Athos - The Three Musketeers: I really feel this Disney movie of the Three Musketeers is a highly underrated movie. And Kiefer, as Athos, really does top all the good performances. He does the brooding, "life sucks", hero thing so well in this movie. Charlie Sheen, Oliver Platt, Chris O'Donnell, and Tim Curry all bring comedic relief to the film, but Kiefer is the heart of the movie and brings it the serious tone it needs to take it from a simple comedy to a movie I cared about.
#4 Ace - Stand By Me: So now we switch from brooding hero to brooding prick. Although he is not the main star of this film about 4 boys looking to find a dead body, Kiefer, as the older gang leader Ace trying to get the fame for himself, really is a memorable bad guy. He really is a jackass in this film and you almost wish Gordie would have shot him at the end.
#3 Nelson - Flatliners: Guess what Kiefer plays in this film. Yes, a brooding medical student fascinated by death. It's weird, when you watch this, you kind of want him to die and you kind of want him to survive. It's really a toss up. You want him to succeed, but man, he is kind of a dick in this movie to his fellow classmates in the quest to figure out the afterlife. If he had died, it would almost seem fair.
#2 David - Lost Boys: I bet almost everyone reading this expected this to be #1, didn't you. Amazingly, I even think of this before I think of Jack Bauer, but it still isn't my #1. What do you say about this film and this role? He rocks in this, he is mainly the main villain, but is is still so cool and you can't hate him. There are movie bad guys you can't wait until they are dead. Then there are roles like this where you like the bad guy so much, you almost like them more than the heroes. Have you seen any Lost Boys t shirts in Hot Topic with Corey Haim or Jason Patric on them? No, it is all about David. He is the true star of this film.
#1 Doc Scurlock - Young Guns 1 and 2: THIS, is what I think of when I think of Kiefer Sutherland. He is simply amazing in these two films and is truly the heart of them. I remember shortly after I saw the first one, me and some friends wanted to "play" Young Guns in the court. I didn't want to be Billy the Kid, the main star of the film. No, I wanted to be Doc. He was the outlaw with a heart. The outlaw with intelligence. And when he finally goes out in a blaze of glory (hehe) in the second film, I almost didn't want to watch anymore. He is easily one of my favorite movie roles; not just of Kiefer, but of ALL movie characters.
7 comments:
I'm totally gonna miss Kiefer as Jack, but I know we'll be seeing him soon! You did forget to mention a great movie: The Vanishing. Jeff Bridges stole the spolight, but it did co-star Kiefer and he had a crazy, obsessive role!
Excellent entry. As a 24 viewer from the start, I have definitely found that recent seasons (especially season 6, which I hated) failed to reach the greatness that was 24 when it was new. I imagine that going back and filling in the blanks, as you are doing, is a much different experience than watching them in order. If/when you get caught up, I'd be curious to get your thoughts.
You mention not wanting to start a show unless you've seen it from the beginning. In anticipation of the start of season four, I got Katie watching 24. We watched the first three seasons in roughly two weeks.
Kiefer rules! Your top two were my favorite roles of his - until Jack Bauer came along. For me it says a lot that a relatively new character has surpassed ones I grew up with.
I'm glad you enjoyed the Lost finale. I hope 24 doesnt disappoint either.
Kiefer Sutherland is indeed a very good actor (and a good yeller, which he does a lot of in 24!) Personally, I am all about Ace and David. As much as I will miss 24, I will NOT miss the adrenaline rush it gave me, causing me to be unable to sleep after an episode!
Ironically enough, my word verification is "rating," as in you were rating your favorite Kiefer roles in the blog post!
Very good list, I remember his performances in "A Time to Kill" and especially "Stand by Me" and "The Lost Boys".
And I almost forgot about "Flatliners", and he was a dick both as an adult and as a kid in that movie.
I've never seen even one episode of 24 or Lost. I am a big fat loser. ha ha.
No one can rock the moral ambiguity quite like Kiefer Sutherland.
Thank you for a wonderful post. I love Kiefer Sutherland and have to agree that Doc is my favorite. I love Jack Bauer and have been a fan of 24 since the beginning. I'll miss the show but will miss him in this character.
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