This week we celebrate the one actor in the world that can pierce your soul with a glance. The one actor who can command absolute authority with a sentence. The only actor to ever pull off the role of God and be believable. With Angel has Fallen coming out this weekend, we have assembled our top 10 Morgan Freeman movies.
I remember when I was around 13 years old when Million Dollar Baby was released and everyone thought it was going to be the female Rocky movie…boy were people wrong about that! Not that Rocky isn’t a strongly dramatic and well-crafted film but it is remembered for being uplifting and triumphant. Million Dollar Baby is a film that is daring to take a dark look at the life of an athlete and the dangers of boxing. The film is truly anchored by Clint Eastwood (on screen and behind the camera) and Hilary Swank but an extensive supporting cast really fills out the film. This would include the powerful performance of Mr. Morgan Freeman. The incredible chemistry on screen that Eastwood and Freeman has is so palpable and you can tell it carries over from their time on Unforgiven. Eddie “Scrap Iron” Dupris is a humbling role as Freeman portrays a former boxer whose life is changed forever after going blind in one eye and now cleans up Eastwood’s gym. His mentoring relationship with Jay Baruchel’s character is endearing and leads to one of the most memorable scenes in the film. Who would ever forget watching Morgan Freeman knocking out a much younger future Falcon, Anthony Mackie? Also, who would pay money to see that happen? (Shane Conto)
Whenever you see Morgan Freeman in a film, he’s the man with the authoritative voice and calm demeanor. Doesn’t matter if he’s God, a school principal or your GPS, the man doesn’t disappoint. In Wanted, he plays the Fraternity’s leader Sloan and a baddie. He hooks you from the beginning and even when you find out about him being the bad guy the whole time, you still find yourself holding a “Morgan Freeman Fan Club” flag. It was crazy to hear the man curse because how often do we actually hear Freeman curse in a film? It’s rare. This film has the action, the fun and Morgan Freeman being badass. (Chantal Ashford)
This is probably the first movie I ever saw Morgan Freeman in. The first time his dulcet tones graced my ears. It truly was a commemorative moment. There are few opportunities where an actor finds a role that truly embodies how he’s seen by the film watching public, one that so obviously makes sense that you wonder why it didn’t happen before. For Freeman, God is that role. Foreboding, kindly and yet quietly magnanimous, there was no suspension of disbelief required to believe that he could be the ultimate deity. Pair that with Jim Carrey in one of his most fun roles to date, and you have a stellar combination. So very rewatchable, it has everything you need to enjoy a supernatural comedy: a wacky protagonist who finds himself in crazy situations, a put-upon office villain, magical hijinks, and a suitable moral. It’s a tale of greediness, the danger of everything being too easy, and embodies the classic line of ‘with great power comes great responsibility’. Chewing up scenery as, arguably, the most powerful supporting character of all time, Freeman adds gravitas and authenticity to the hijinks within its runtime. It’s just great, and with Morgan Freeman in the cast, it’s just the way the cookie crumbles. (Alice-Ginevra Micheli)
Are you in need of a good war movie but you’ve seen them all? Glory might be one that slipped by you. So chuck a u-turn and watch this movie about war, our differences, and bonding together for a common purpose. Stacked with an elite cast in Denzel Washington, Matthew Broderick and Freeman, this movie will take you through the ringer as you watch what they all endure together. You’ll even have a few “oh that actor is in this movie!?” moments. The last twenty-five minutes of this are down right gripping. It’ll grip your heart. It’ll grip your tear ducts. (Blake Hodges)
This might not be one of the first films that people think about when it comes to Morgan Freeman but in all honesty, it really should be. Morgan Freeman has done fantastic work in his collaborations with Clint. Hell, he even won an Oscar for his work as a blinded former boxer in Million Dollar Baby. But I am here to speak to his great work in Clint Eastwood’s final and arguably greatest western. Everyone remembers the performance of Eastwood as he commands the screen all the way up until the end when his darker side rears its ugly face. Freeman is the angel on Will’s shoulder as he tries to balance supporting his family and watching his friends back. The performance is not his biggest, most powerful, or distinctly memorable but what it accomplishes is being yet another perfect gear in the perfect machine that is Unforgiven. Not many films can claim that they are a perfect genre film while also giving perfect commentary on the flaws and clichés and of that genre. (Shane Conto)
Christopher Nolan injected life back into Batman with Batman Begins. Taking a lot of inspiration from previous Batman Comics, primarily Batman Year One, Nolan was able to ground The Dark Knight in a far more realistic light. Going from bright neon injected scenery to a dark and gritty Gotham straight out of any comic book readers imagination. While Christopher Nolan directed this film beautifully, the portion of this film that truly pops is it’s amazing ensemble cast writhed with talent. Starring Christian Bale as the titular character Bruce Wayne/Batman was a brilliant choice that really made the character as layered and complicated as he should be. The rest of the cast comprised of Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe and Cillian Murphy to just mention a few. Batman Begins lays down the groundwork for a very important relationship between Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox. Both Bale and Freeman play off of each other very well, their sort of jabbing at each other throughout the film is always entertaining. Lucius Fox is very aware at all times that Wayne is up to more than he is letting onto. He is in the know of Wayne’s extracurricular activities and it is fun to see his reactions to Wayne’s ongoing requests for high end gear via the floundering Applied Sciences Division. It is fun to see this relationship grow in this film and beyond in the further sequels that would come. The fun comes in having two actors on top of their game having fun with their given roles and you can tell that they are having a blast working with one another. Batman Begins is largely responsible for building momentum and interest in the Comic Book Film Genre as a whole. (Joseph Vargas)
Confession: Gone Baby Gone is not my favorite movie Morgan Freeman is in. BUT, Gone Baby Gone is my 7thfavorite movie of all time. And I specifically choose not to write about the other movie because I think that this movie is more fun to talk about. There are a few movies that tend to cause debate among people, but this movie can straight up rip people apart. Starting with a missing child, this movie eventually leads to drugs, child trafficking, corruption, defining justice, desperation, investigation, and so much more. I have had dozens of conversations about the themes of this movie, the message, and the questions that it demands be answered. Be warned, you should not watch this movie with people that you do not know how to communicate in a healthy way with. I don’t know many singular moments that can end a friendship, but this movie certainly is one. And on top of that, Ben Affleck makes a great directorial debut led by an incredible cast where sometimes you even forget Morgan Freeman is even in the movie! 2007 was an incredible year for movies, but the winner of all awards in all categories according to me has Gone Baby Gone at the top of them. (Aaron Schweitzer)
Whenever I try to think of my favorite superhero movie of all time, this is the first thing that pops into my mind. It’s one of the few films within the comic book catagory that I like to call a good Film. It has great preformances by it’s cast. Han Zimmer’s score is absolutley breathtaking. Christopher Nolan’s directing is spectacular with the way he’s able to shoot Gotham to make it feel like a real city. Heath Ledger’s “Joker” has gone down as one of the best comic book adaptations of a villain in a superhero movie for good reason. As soon as he’s revealed in the opening scene, we can tell this is a role he’s taking very seriously. His range of how he can make his joker go from comedic to frightning quickly still amazes me all these years later. It kind of takes your attention away from how great Christian Bales “Batman” is, because even he’s giving a great preformance throughout. It’s a good thing that Batman’s origin movie is before this. I highly recommend doing what I do once every year, when I have a day off from work. I like to pop in “The Dark Knight trilogy” and I marathon through them all. It leaves me very satisfied by the end. (Alex Henderson)
Morgan Freeman excels at two things when it comes to acting: presence and tone. In most cases, Freeman brings these two aspects to every performance in his illustrious filmography. However, one film in particular brings out the best in Freeman and that film is David Fincher’s Seven (or Se7en depending on your mood at the time.) Freeman has his career-best in this film because of who he is in the story. Seven contains a world dripping with violence, anger, and sadness in which every character seems to be an architect of except for Freeman. Freeman has to be not only the sole-justifiable character but also both mentor and apprentice in this film. He has to guide Brad Pitt’s character as a mentor but also apprentice to a psychopathic killer in order to catch him. Freeman’s demeanor, personality, and (of course) iconic voice contribute to being the sole light in the dark world of Seven. (Dylon Turner)
There are movies that come out that inspire, uplift, and motivate. Then there are movies that come out that move the human spirit in such a way that it can change your life. No movie exemplifies that more than The Shawshank Redemption. Coming out in one of the greatest years in cinema—1994—The Shawshank Redemption was a Box Office bomb. It was, however, nominated for 7 Academy Awards, but unfortunately it struck out on every category it was nominated for. However, much like the defiant spirit of the film, this piece of art refused to die. The legacy of this film has continued to grow and grow over the years since its release, even out-ranking 1994’s Best Picture Winner Forest Gump on AFI’s top 100 revised list in 2007. The Shawshank Redemption shows the power of the human spirit and continues to move up my favorite movies of all time list. (Ben Davis)
Honorable Mentions
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises is the definition of a “turn off your brain and you’ll love it” kind of movie. The plot of this movie is kind of a mess all the way through, but there are so many great moments and lines that almost make up for the plot. Tom Hardy as Bane is an iconic villain at this point. He’s second behind Darth Vader when it comes to bad guys in masks with funny voices. But it is his physical presence that makes him a legitimately great villain. Heck, he took down Batman in just a couple of minutes and made it look easy. Morgan Freeman plays a small role in this one, compared to is predecessors, but he’s a great reminder of how good the series is overall. “Yes Mr. Wayne, it does come in black,” and, “For old time’s sake” are two of the only lines he has, but they highlight how great these movies once were. We can enjoy this installment because of how incredible the previous two were. (Robert Bouffard)
Also See:
The Lego Movie, Oblivion, The Bonfire of the Vanities, Transcendence, Lean on Me, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, The Bucket List, Street Smart, Amistad, Lucky Number Slevin, Driving Miss Daisy, The Sum of All Fears, Kiss the Girls, Chain Reaction, Moll Flanders, Deep Impact, Outbreak, Under Suspicion, Hard Rain