u/jaystats2

For me it’s from Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013), when Adele ,played by Adele Exarchopoulos, gets cold-busted by her partner Emma, played by Lea Seydoux.

At first Adele tries to deny it, but once she realizes Emma isn’t bluffing, the panic, desperation, and pleading for another chance kick in.

Masterfully acted by the two talented French actresses, it’s one of the most realistically played infidelity reveal scenes I can remember.

What are some other heart-rippers you can recall?

What makes Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) so disturbing is Henry’s quiet, polite exterior. That fake mask becomes even more disturbing once you see the brutality he’s capable of.

The film’s based on the real-life crimes of Henry Lee Lucas and his partner, Ottis Toole. The way Michael Rooker plays Henry gives only a subtle hint of that sick compulsion underneath. Maybe it’s in the eyes or the constant stoic expression on his face.

Whatever it is, the performance is deeply unsettling.
Rooker brought that same intensity three years later in Sea of Love (1989).

The film wastes no time showing that Henry’s nobody you’d ever want to cross paths with.

What tripped me out is how real it feels. The gore’s maybe a 3 out of 10, but it’s more brutal because it feels believable. A lot of scenes don’t even show the murders themselves. Instead, the film shows the aftermath, dead victims lying on the floor while the camera slowly pans across the crime scene. In the background you hear screams, but Henry’s already long gone. The horror of what the victims experienced is left entirely to the viewer’s imagination, and that makes it even more shocking.

Every time I watch it, I feel drained afterward. Not because of gratuitous violence which really isn’t the case , but because the atmosphere’s so heavy and grim the entire way through. John McNaughton’s direction( shot on a $110,000 budget) and brother Robert McNaughton’s score adds a lot to that too. It’s brooding and it just enhances the dark atmosphere.

This movie never loses its power. I saw it years ago, and it still hits just as hard today. It’s a damn powerful movie, and Rooker delivers one of the best performances in horror history. If you love crime/horror, you need this one in your collection.

Hudson in Aliens starts out as the cocky loudmouth we all love with the legendary one-liners.

But honestly, he might be the movie’s most relatable character.

Like the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, he somehow finds courage when it counts.

So was Hudson just comic relief, or was he the real heart of the Colonial Marine squad?

Bill Paxton was cast perfectly for that role. His delivery made Hudson’s panic, humor, and eventual bravery feel completely real. You couldn't help rooting for the guy.

“Hey, maybe you haven’t been keepin’ up on current events, but we just got our asses kicked, pal!”

What a slimy, self-serving douchebag that guy was. He comes off as harmless and even supportive for roughly the entire first half of the film before he's exposed.

Funny thing is, the movie wouldn't be the same
without him.

Paul Reiser nailed the role without going over the top.
He struck a perfect balance.

But if Burke and an alien were dangling from a ledge by their fingertips, I'd save the alien first.

Yeah, you could count The Omega Man (1971) in that number, but this was the original “roving survivalists set against a desolate scavenging landscape” flick, based on the 1969 sci-fi novella by Harlan Ellison.

Food was the primary source of scavenging in this one, unlike in George Miller’s later Mad Max films, where the fuel economy( “the juice”)was the central theme.

A young Don Johnson did a great job as the protagonist Vic, and veteran character actor and voice actor Tim McIntire was also fantastic as the voice of “Blood”, the telepathic dog.

I won’t give it away, but Vic and Blood have a very cool, darkly humorous relationship as they try to survive in that harsh, post-apocalyptic wasteland.

It’s one of my favorite low-budget, under-the-radar films from the 70s.

I love director Adrian Lyne’s work. He always managed to get to the heart and soul of themes like infidelity, and the way he delivered it always hit hard.

That scene in Unfaithful is a real gut punch. It’s not just the infidelity, it’s that man’s private world and memories getting tangled up in the shitshow.

The snow globe symbolizes his family history, and seeing it in the lover’s possession is the breaking point. That deep betrayal and the sanctity of his marriage have been violated, and that’s what makes him snap.

Richard Gere isn’t playing the usual smooth operator role here. He’s vulnerable and coming apart at the seams.

You feel his confusion, the pain of betrayal, and in that brutal moment, his desperation and rage.

Just an unforgettable scene from an unforgettable film.

That dude's dirty deeds earned him a free one-way ticket on the hell express. He embodied all the dark, selfish, perverted, and amoral aspects of American greed and decadence, but watching it all unfold was great( and sometimes hilarious) entertainment.

Under Scorsese's direction, Leo nailed the arrogance, the elitism, the brutal looking out for number one, the misogyny, the drug and sex addiction that's a sign of self-hatred, the insane speed of life, the bully mentality, the narcissism, not giving two shits about hurting others (both emotionally and financially), the disdain for hard work, and the indifference to the need for a just world.

So happy the real Jordan Belfort got a second chance and dodged life in the slammer. Not sure if he’s up to his old tricks lately, though.

Maybe Leo's performance in this cautionary tale saved a few lives in the process. Who knows?

At any rate, he notched a performance for the ages in this one.

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J.K. Simmons’ performance as Terence Fletcher in Whiplash (2014) is an obvious standout, in a supporting role to Miles Teller’s Andrew Neiman.

The Farmers Insurance guy is chilling as the sadistic music teacher who wields power with raw swag and seemingly zero empathy.

It’s crazy because his calm, calculated demeanor makes the explosive outbursts even more terrifying, and you’re never sure when he’ll snap( like when he chucks a cymbal at Neiman’s head).

Simmons was a textbook menace in just a badass Oscar-winning turn.

What are some other supporting performances over the past 26 years that match the same craft and intensity?

Petersen was a straight-up badass in this. Cocky, confident, and he didn't care if he wore skin-tight jeans, cowboy boots, and a cropped leather jacket in the middle of a crime scene investigation. He pulled it off.

This guy was an adrenaline junkie as is, but after his partner is murdered, he's not thinking straight at all. He’s obsessed, and he'll do whatever it takes to settle the score. Robbery, extortion, theft, driving on the wrong side of the freeway, none of it matters to him anymore.

Fellow Chicagoan William Friedkin knew exactly what he was doing by casting a relatively unknown Petersen. He brought that mix of swag and edgy delivery without going over the top with it.

He's honestly the best example of a cop going completely off the rails that I can think of, both in terms of realism and the performance itself.