Jack Nicholson’s 10 most underrated performances
A suave, stylish and mysterious performer, Jack Nicholson is known as one of the greatest actors of all time, and for good reason too. Bringing a sense of realism and dramatic gravity to each and every one of his roles, Nicholson’s performances rival the very best Hollywood stars, including the likes of Marlon Brando, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joaquin Phoenix and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Where the likes of Brando and Hoffman had their favourites, regularly collaborating with Francis Ford Coppola and Paul Thomas Anderson, respectively, Nicholson was a jack of all trades that never tied himself down to one kind of performance. As a result, the actor can boast an impressive filmography that includes collaborations with Hollywood filmmakers to arthouse minds like Michelangelo Antonioni.
Though whilst his work with esteemed filmmakers is well-known, impressing in such classics as Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining and Miloš Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the actor also put up some special performances in a number of underappreciated movies. That’s why we’ve put together a list of Jack Nicholson’s ten most underrated performances, highlighting some of the actor’s greatest performances that have never got enough praise.
Take a look at the full list below, which includes movies from the likes of George Miller, Bob Rafelson, Monte Hellman and Roger Corman.
Jack Nicholson’s 10 most underrated performances:
Batman (Tim Burton, 1989)
When movie fans discuss their all-time favourite Joker actors, it’s likely that Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix will be on the tips of their tongues, despite Jack Nicholson delivering a fantastic performance as the character in Tim Burton’s 1989 film. Starring alongside the likes of Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger, Nicholson delivers a truly menacing version of Joker that perfectly borders dark drama and superhero thrills.
The 1989 film, much like 2008’s Dark Knight, is a straight-up battle between the titular hero and his arch-nemesis, with Nichsolson facing up against Keaton’s Batman with a fierce, highly enjoyable performance.
The Border (Tony Richardson, 1982)
A neo-noir crime drama, Tony Richardson’s 1982 film The Border is a thoroughly enjoyable movie that has never received any love, largely because it was overshadowed by Lawrence Kasdan’s Body Heat, which was released around the same time. The film tells the story of a corrupt border agent who decides to improve his morals when a woman’s baby is sold on the black market.
Also starring the likes of Harvey Keitel, Warren Oates, Valerie Perrine, and Shannon Wilcox, The Border is a stylish film that boasts a large number of outstanding performances, and not just from Nicholson either.
The Fortune (Mike Nichols, 1975)
At one point in the 1960s and early 1970s, the American filmmaker Mike Nichols was a hot property, being responsible for such contemporary classics as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Graduate and Catch-22. As the ‘70s continued, however, Nichols’ quality dipped significantly, releasing a string of critical and commercial flops that 1975’s The Fortune was unfairly lumped in with.
Whilst the film isn’t without its faults, the chemistry between the lead cast makes it well worth watching, with Nicholson thriving alongside the likes of Stockard Channing, Warren Beatty and Florence Stanley.
The King Of Marvin Gardens (Bob Rafelson, 1972)
Jack Nicholson’s collaboration with Bob Rafelson for 1972’s The King Of Marvin Gardens wasn’t the first time that the duo collaborated, with the pair working together for the celebrated 1970 movie Five Easy Pieces. For whatever reason, The King Of Marvin Gardens never got the love it deserved in comparison to Five Easy Pieces, with the former being a gripping drama that stars Nicholson in one of his most surprising roles.
The story follows an ambitious eccentric who tries to convince his brother to fund a get-rich-quick scheme, with Nicholson appearing with Ellen Burstyn and Bruce Dern.
The Last Detail (Hal Ashby, 1973)
Whilst we’re talking about underrated Jack Nicholson performances, let’s also discuss just how underappreciated director Hal Ashby is too. As well as helming Harold and Maude and Peter Sellers’ Being There, Ashby also directed the comedy-drama The Last Detail. Appearing with Randy Quaid and Carol Kane, Nicholson gives a fantastic performance in the lead role.
Written by Robert Towne and Darryl Ponicsan, the 1975 flick tells the story of two Navy men who are ordered to take a young man to prison, only to show him one last good night before he goes under.
The Pledge (Sean Penn, 2001)
Few actors are any good at transitioning to being behind the camera, but Sean Penn is one of the greatest Hollywood stars to become a director. Helming a number of great movies, including 2007’s Into the Wild, few people discuss his 2001 thriller The Pledge, which features Nicholson in a starring role. Despite being a gripping crime drama, the movie failed to grab any attention from critics or movie fans.
Telling the story of a retiring police detective who promises to capture a killer, Nicholson leads this film with frenetic rage, elevating the performances of his fellow cast members, including the likes of Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Clarkson and Aaron Eckhart.
The Raven (Roger Corman, 1963)
Let’s go back to the very beginning of Jack Nicholson’s career for the next three entries. Whilst the actor is rightfully known for his iconic roles later in his Hollywood life when he was starting out, the actor took a number of bold creative risks. Such can be seen in the 1963 movie The Raven, directed by the influential Roger Corman, a horror-comedy tale based on the poem by
Edgar Allan Poe.
Whilst Nicholson doesn’t play a huge role in the film that follows a magician who is turned into a raven, when the eccentric actor appears on camera, his presence is utterly joyous, totally capturing the spirit of the Corman flick.
The Shooting (Monte Hellman, 1966)
Three years after Corman’s Raven, Nicholson collaborated with Monte Hellman for the 1966 film The Shooting, a film that features yet another underrated performance from the actor. The suspenseful western stars as a cowboy who agrees to help a mysterious woman in her scheme to seek revenge, with the actor appearing in an ensemble cast that included Will Hutchins, Millie Perkins and Warren Oates.
A solid western drama, Nicholson lends a surprising amount of complexity to the 1966 movie, demonstrating his potential whilst he was still learning his trade in the formative years of his career.
The Wild Ride (Monte Hellman, 1960)
From one Monte Hellman movie to another, whilst The Shooting might have been pretty underrated, The Wild Ride, which the duo created six years prior, was a special cinematic gem. Only the actor’s third movie, Nicholson displayed a dynamism on-screen that would come to typify his kind of performance. In the film, he plays a rebel without a cause, akin to James Dean’s iconic character.
Despite being disregarded at the time, these days, the film is considered something of an important historical release, fitting in with other Beat Generation movies such as Pull My Daisy and Drugstore Cowboy.
The Witches Of Eastwick (George Miller, 1987)
For our last entry, we’re going from a trio of old Nicholson performances to one of his most underrated modern movies. George Miller’s The Witches Of Eastwick is the kind of film where the title precedes the nature of the movie itself, with the story following three single women living in a picturesque community whose lives are changed when a peculiar, eccentric man comes into their lives.
Nicholson is the eccentric man in question, taking on the role of Daryl Van Horne with a unique charm and familiar cinematic electricity that seduces the main characters as well as the audience.
