Last week, the world was saddened by the passing of acting legend Christopher Plummer at the age of 91 (read Reel Speak’s obit HERE). Over the course of nearly six decades, the Canadian-born actor made an impression on the stage, small-screen, and silver screen…accumulating several nominations and awards while making an impression on everyone every time he appeared. Looking back on a great career of anyone always brings a discovery of hidden and forgotten movies, which brings us to Reel Speak’s Top 10 Best Christopher Plummer Films.
Since his big-screen debut in 1958 with STAGE STRUCK, Plummer has been fearless in his selection of films…crossing into nearly every genre and getting better as he got older. He played Rudyard Kipling opposite Sean Connery and Michael Caine in the adventure-epic THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975). He played with comedy with Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks in DRAGNET (1987), lent his voice to the wonderful world of Disney in AN AMERICAN TAIL (1986), took part in history with MALCOLM X (1992), dabbled in horror with WOLF (1994), sent Nic Cage on his way in NATIONAL TREASURE (2004), colonized America in Terrence Malick’s THE NEW WORLD (2005), and had a great performance in David Fincher’s re-adaptation of THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (2011). The films that make this Blogger’s list are not just the ones where Plummer gave a great performance (he always did), but the ones that have stood the test of time and are overall very good movies. He did not need to have the lead role to qualify. If one is interested in looking back at his career...these are the 10 films to start with.
So let’s get the game afoot…
10. MURDER BY DECREE (1979)
This was the second time Plummer donned the hunting-cap of famed detective Sherlock Holmes, this time hunting Jack the Ripper. Directed by Bob Clark of A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983), this version of Holmes is more emotional and caring than earlier, or even later versions, and while that may be a departure from the Holmes of the books, it made for a character that audiences could finally relate to. Plummer fits the part well, and the real-life mystery is one of the better Holmes adventures not based on the original texts.
9. UP (2009)
Plummer often gets overlooked for his part in this gem from Disney/Pixar, which follows a lonely old man who sets out on a journey to fulfill a promise made to his dearly departed wife. Plummer provides the voice of a renowned explorer and one-time hero who turns villainous, and even though we don’t see Plummer on screen, the energy behind his voice makes the character real. An emotional wallop, it is the second film in history to earn nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best Picture.
8. STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY (1991)
In this final film starring the cast of the original series, the crew of the famed USS Enterprise is chosen to lead a diplomatic mission as the barriers between the Federation and the Klingon empire finally falls. Inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall, this Blogger always felt the concept of this film was better than the execution, but Plummer is one of the highlights. Plummer dons the heavy makeup and menacing eyepatch as one of those Klingon bastards, and reaches back into his Shakespeare roots to help build one of the most memorable TREK bad guys.
7. SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980)
The late great Christopher Reeve plays a playwright who journeys back in time to find love with an actress, played by Jane Seymour. Plummer comes into the story as an adversary, keeping the two lovers apart no matter what. Plummer always played a villain well, and this was one role that is often overlooked. A heartbreaker of a film which at the time featured two heartthrobs in Seymour and Reeves, with John Barry’s magnificent score still remembered to this day.
6. KNIVES OUT (2019)
In this mystery-thriller written and directed by Rian Johnson, Plummer plays the patriarch of a wealthy and dysfunctional family who turns up dead. Daniel Craig comes in as the lead detective, and is backed up by the impressive ensemble cast of Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, and Toni Collette…for starters. Packed with twists and turns and inspired performances by all, KNIVES OUT earned its right to be called one of the best films of 2019.
5. INSIDE MAN (2006)
Spike Lee helms this thriller where a team of bank robbers, led by Clive Owen, raid a bank and take everyone hostage. Denzel Washington, Chiwetel Ejofor, and Willem Dafoe come in as the cops on the case…but that doesn’t even begin to cover it. Plummer plays the owner of the bank who hires a power broker, played by Jodie Foster, to protect his secrets within the bank’s vaults. A twist on the cops-and-robbers genre with several surprises and layers of trickery, it is arguably Spike Lee’s best film.
4. BEGINNERS (2010)
Plummer took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in this comedy-drama, playing Hal, a gay father who came out to his son, played by Ewan McGregor. Relevant in today’s age and in any era, the film is based on a true story and is an emotional gut-punch in more ways than one. Unfolding in a series of interconnected flashbacks, BEGINNERS puts the pieces together of Hal’s life in a writing and editing masterpiece.
3. A BEAUTIFUL MIND (2001)
Ron Howard directed this Best Picture winner about the real life story of John Nash; a brilliant paranoid schizophrenic (Russell Crowe) and his battles to overcome his delusional episodes to become a Nobel Prize winner. Plummer has a small part as the doctor trying to treat Nash, but he makes an impression and represents one way Nash could take to overcome his condition. One of Ron Howard’s best films and an impactful, revealing look at mental illness.
2. THE INSIDER (1999)
One legend plays another in this Michael Mann film. Plummer plays CBS journalist Mike Wallace in this drama which looks at the 1996 CBS 60 Minutes segment about a whistleblower in the tobacco industry. Plummer is perfectly cast as Wallace, and is joined by fellow heavyweights Al Pacino and Russell Crowe in a well-crafted film that drives home the importance of good journalism.
1. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
This may seem like the obvious choice, but it’s obvious for all the right reasons. This Robert Wise-directed classic and Best Picture winner made an overnight star out of Plummer, as he sang and strummed his way into history. A cultural smash that has hung around for over five decades, THE SOUND OF MUSIC follows the von Trapp family, led by Plummer’s ramrod of a father; a father whose heart is softened by the arrival of a new governess, played by the queen Julie Andrews. The family must endure their changing times as WWII rages around them, and sort themselves out as Plummer’s Captain realizes what he has been missing. Plummer is charming, even when he’s being stern, and is well-matched with Andrews. Although the actor himself despised the film (he softened on it over the years), it is the one he is often recalled with. It would be unfair to say that Plummer never made a movie as good as THE SOUND OF MUSIC over 50 years, but it would be difficult to find one that is more iconic.
REEL SPEAKS' TOP 10 BEST CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER FILMS
- THE SOUND OF MUSIC
- THE INSIDER
- A BEAUTIFUL MIND
- BEGINNERS
- INSIDE MAN
- KNIVES OUT
- SOMEWHERE IN TIME
- STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY
- UP
- MURDER BY DECREE
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