Ranking the Performances of Wes Bentley because it’s his birthday…

Well, this was more difficult than I thought. Anyways, happy birthday, Wesley!

Ever since American Beauty (1999), Wes Bentley faced a rocky road due to drug abuse (which the actor has openly discussed since) but has come through the dark tunnel with a new strength and some amazingly memorable performances. Often typecast broadly into the categories of “awkward guys who are, at worst, creepy and obsessive” or simply criminals due to his intimidating eyes, sharp features, pale skin and coal-dark hair, Bentley has added his own interpretation to the otherwise two-dimensional characters in a range of works.

Here is a ranking of Wes’ performances in some of his most well known films/TV shows, as well as lesser known gems, from Worst to Best. Consider this my gift to Wes on 4th September.

PS. These are my subjective opinions. Let me know in the comments section what you think!

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25. The Best of Enemies (2019)

Bentley plays Floyd Kelly, a racist working for the KKK in 1970s America. Sam Rockwell has a larger chunk to play in this film which looks at his character C. P. Ellis undergo an ideological and moral reformation. Meanwhile, Bentley’s role is rather miniscule, and he is wasted here. Still, he makes his ominous presence felt even in scenes where he does not appear (which is most of the movie), and when he does appear, he is a silent observer, staring in judgement and suspicion at Rockwell’s increasingly tolerant Ellis.

24. Broken Vows (2016)

Patrick breaks into Tara’s apartment and hops into her shower to give her a surprise. He cannot understand why this isn’t enough to please Tara, his one-night-stand who is begging him to leave before her fiancé arrives.

Bentley is a sexy smooth-talker in this psychological-stalker movie. Sadly, his performance is hilariously embarrassing. Wes mumbles his lines which are cookie-cutter, basically going “you can save me”, “we are meant to be together”, “you hurt me”, and “oh, so she is finally accepting”…. Bentley has an expressionless face which we cannot penetrate. We barely get to know what’s going on in his mind and the little we do know is through expositional dialogue. Wes rarely plays obsessive stalkers these days and he blew this. But on the plus side, he worked on his body and maintained fitness.

23. The Time Being (2012)

Daniel is a painter who must do shady work for a mysterious millionaire because he needs the money to support his family.

A review for this film observed that Wes has these “crazy eyes” which he just can’t control. On top of that, he naturally looks creepy. His character, Daniel, was meant to be an ordinary husband, father and struggling artist, but Wes makes him look like a psychopath. The review goes on about how the financially struggling Daniel was meant to watch his family with love and concern, but Bentley stares at them in such a menacing way that it looks like he wants to kill them or eat them alive. Sadly, I had to agree with that review.

22. The Tomb (or Edgar Allan Poe’s Ligeia) (2009)

Ligeia seduces poor Jonathan Merrick with dark magic.

Wes plays Jonathan Merrick, an English professor and well-known writer who finds himself in a bind after falling in love with the mysterious but beautiful Ligeia (Sofya Skya). Jonathan is not more than a puppet being pushed around by the spell-casting Ligeia. Just when you think he has finally broken free from Ligeia’s charms, he gets passed between her and his long-suffering girlfriend Rowena (Kaitlin Doubleday). It also doesn’t help that the script is such a snooze.

21. Pioneer (2013)

The shady Mike butts heads with the hero, Petter

Here, Wesley Cook Bentley plays Mike, an American employee working for a big oil company. He is mostly a foil for the Norwegian protagonist Petter (Aksel Hennie), getting in his way and preventing him from uncovering a government conspiracy. What can we say? Wes is wasted here.

20. Interstellar (2014)

Doyle’s last moments before he goes under

Our birthday boy plays Doyle, a high-ranking NASA member and the doomed crewmember of Endurance. Wes does well in the little screen time he gets before getting swept under by a giant wave, and before the real drama begins. Really, Christopher Nolan? This is the best role you could write for him?

19. Amnesiac (2015)

Man is getting suspicious that Woman might not be his wife and he is probably being kidnapped.

This is a close tie with Interstellar. The unnamed protagonist wakes up with amnesia and cannot remember a thing. He slowly gets suspicious of the woman (Kate Bosworth) taking care of him as she claims him to be her husband. Wes hints at a creeping sense of dread and paranoia with his subtle cues and nuanced acting choices.

18. Pete’s Dragon (2016)

There is a certain unspoken sadness and weariness about Jack Magary, a lone dad.

Wes essays a worn out ‘lumberjack-like’ father in David Lowry’s live-action spin on an ancient Disney movie. Jack Magary is responsible and hardworking. There’s not much for him to do in the story but when he sets his eyes on Pete’s dragon friend for the first time ever, we feel the astonishment and a return of boy-like wonder setting in on him.

17. Final Girl (2015)

Wes uses his charms and alluring good looks to such perfection that you forget William has sexual tension with a 17-year old.

William is a mysterious secret agent and trainer of Abigail Breslin’s Veronica. Wes is heartless, cold and sexy in this neo-noir action thriller. But the dialogues he spews are occasionally crummy and unintentionally funny. At one point, the assassin Veronica asks William why she can’t just use a gun to obliterate her targets. William’s simple answer is this: guns run out of bullets (#?!). He has a sizzling chemistry with Veronica, though. And the closing diner scene is to die for.

16. After The Fall (or Things People Do) (2011)

Breaking Bentley (credit for the pun-genius title goes to a Letterboxd reviewer)

This is basically a poor man’s Breaking Bad. Wes essays the spirit of Walter White in this film about a financially struggling husband and father who finds himself breaking the law to keep his family afloat. Bentley’s acting isn’t enough to save this movie from being a sleep fest. And it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. But Bentley brings his tragic turmoil for us to see and we sympathize with him.

15. The White River Kid (1999)

Wes, a native Arkansan, appeared early on in his career in the first “proper” Arkansan movie.

A very young (and pretty) Wes plays a psychopathic serial killer named White River Kid in this quirky comedy. It is interesting to see how even back then casting directors saw him as perfect to play deranged characters. He is charming and sweet, innocent and scary, ready to pull a trigger but also madly in love with his girlfriend Apple Lisa (Kim Dickens). Bentley holds his own against the bigger actors Bob Hoskins and Antonio Banderas.

14. Ghost Rider (2007)

Blackheart resents his father for not seeing him as a worthy successor for ruling hell. So he plans to start his own hell on earth as a demon named Legion.

Wes plays yet another psycho: this time, the devil’s own son, Blackheart. Wes is terrifying and funny with this rather campy and theatrical performance. At times, Blackheart comes off as two-dimensional and I’d say Wes just didn’t give it his all like he could have.

13. Soul Survivors (2001)

Matt wants to keep Cassie trapped with him in the life-death corridor.

The September child, in his prime, was young and pretty. And playing sociopathic creeps. As he should. Wes is Matt, a creepy college student, and bitterly jealous ex-boyfriend of the heroine Cassie (Melissa Sagemiller). Wes works his intimidating bullet eyes to great use, and switches from menacing and scheming to an adorable and reliable friend at the drop of a hat.

12. There Be Dragons (2011)

Wes’ role in ‘There Be Dragons’ has sealed it for everyone that there’s something about him that shines in period films.

The Arkansan actor plays Manolo Torres in this film by Rolland Joffé. Manolo is the son of a rich businessman and Wes Bentley tries his best to speak in a vaguely Spanish accent. Olga Kurylenko’s Ildiko tells Wes’ Manolo at one point that Manolo hates himself. That he “would be anybody else but” him. And we see this kind of self-loathing, bitterness and resentment in the eyes of Wes. Jealousy is a bug that bites Manolo and hijacks his life, and we can thank Wesley for delivering all the drama this ensues.

11. The Hunger Games (2012)

Seneca’s character is a doomed man from the start. You can’t work with President Snow in such proximity without meeting his wrath at some point.

The Ghost Rider actor delivers another theatrically campy performance, this time being The Hunger Games. If you can get past his distractingly stylish (in true Capitol style) beard, what we get is a sincerely hardworking gameshow anchor. Seneca Crane is in real knots as he must keep track of the volunteers from the twelve districts and keep the Hunger Games entertaining, while also adhering to the Capitol’s propaganda and appeasing President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Stop hating Seneca so much, he’s doing his best :(

10. American Horror Story: Hotel (2015)

The Virgo actor plays John Lowe, a detective who is grieving the loss of his little son and is a recovering alcoholic. Bentley plays him as a straight-as-an-arrow husband and father. Wes is dashing and heartbreaking at equal measure. There is a 50s style to his sense of dressing and grooming, even behaving. John is like a sun that radiates goodness in a hotel filled with demonic forces.

9. American Beauty (1999)

In 1999, Bentley appeared as the awkward neighborhood kid, Ricky Fitts. Perpetually filming people and objects on his camcorder, Ricky slowly begins to find love with Thora Birch’s Jane Burnham. Wes’ eccentric portrayal was so iconic that it would go on to define much of his roles from then on. For every creepy role Wes has blessed us with, or any young actor for that matter, we must thank Ricky Fitts and American Beauty.

8. The Four Feathers (2002)

Wes Bentley’s Jack Durrance reminds one of dashingly handsome heroes in 1930s swashbuckling adventure movies where white imperialists war with “savages”.

Jack Durrance is a high ranking British officer in the army in 19th century. While Wes is seen hunching and dragging his feet in certain shots (very uncharacteristic of a British soldier), and his slippery British accent is too visible (which the vocal coaches and director Shekhar Kapur did not find fitting to correct), Wes makes up for it with his gentle and quietly heartbreaking performance as the stoic and traditional Jack Durrance. When he loses his eyesight in the battlefield, we cry with him. And when he loses his sweetheart to Heath Ledger’s Harry Faversham, we tear up. His unrequited love for Kate Hudson’s Ethne Eustace is stated in his confession to Harry in a powerfully moving scene which has a bromance vibe to dedicate a whole different essay to. And in the closing scene, as his sweetheart and friend hold hands and walk away, the now blind Jack remains at the memorial service, stoic as ever before, with his stiff-upper-lip as he stands on the stage all by himself to deliver a eulogy. But we see his tough veneer tear in places when his lips gently quiver with heartbreak, and then we can’t hold it longer. We must protect the precious boy.

7. 3 Nights In The Desert (2014)

The 43-year old is a free and truly liberated wild child in 3 Nights in the Desert. Bentley channels his inner Jack Nicholson from One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest with his charismatic performance. He even plays the guitar! And the script is tight for once, allowing all the main actors to shine.

6. The Claim (2000)

The western sees Bentley as a young and dashing Donald Daglish, a promising railway engineer trying to locate the best places to set down the railway tracks during winter-time California in the late 19th century. Donald is a multi-dimensional character, a complex and flawed human being with grey areas. At one point, Donald is affectionate towards Hope (Sarah Polley) and seems to harbour a desire for a serious relationship with her, but he also sleeps with the girls at the brothel with no hint of guilt. At one point, Donald beamingly sings the crowd an old Scottish folk song from his birthplace, and then next, he shoots down a man getting in his way without flinching.

5. After-School Special (2011)

Wes delivers an engaging performance in this 9-minute short film. The actor plays an unnamed man who tries flirting with Sarah Paulson’s unnamed woman, trying to ask her on a date. The second-hand embarrassment we get from watching him be socially awkward is enough to put this one on top of the list with the greats.

4. Weirdsville (2007)

I would happily let Wes hit me with a gnome. Not Royce, though.

The blue-eyed actor plays Royce, a batty, nutty stoner who gets high all day, parties all night and runs from gangsters who are out to collect his debts, or bones. Whichever comes first. Wes channels a carefree 70s rockstar look and attitude with this role and makes the strangest sounds: awheeeyaeugheughheeee. We can see he’s enjoying the heck out of this role and we enjoy it with him.

3. Welcome To Me (2014)

Is Gabe picturing Alice on the swing over his bed?

“I love too much. That’s my problem”. Wes is the sensitive and gentle Gabe Ruskin, a TV presenter. He is the younger brother to James Marden’s flashier, sunnier Rich Ruskin. What makes Gabe so special is that he tries to understand the eccentric and ill Alice Klieg (Kristen Wiig) but doesn’t try to change her or save her. When Alice diverts her attention to a younger man, Gabe betrays a subtle hint of jealousy, but remains coy. There is so much about him we want to know. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if he had a spin-off of his own? There are unspoken issues with his brother that explode when Gabe has a fight with Rich. He’s had three marriages and divorces. And he has a swing over his bed. WE WANT TO KNOW WHY.

2. The Last Word (2008)

Charlotte has dumped Evan, but the oddball thinks he can fix it with an apology and a plush toy. Oh, Evan, you have much to learn.

This was perhaps Wes Bentley’s finest hour. Wes plays Evan, a fully well-rounded oddball character who must deal with unsolved issues from his traumatic past. The Last Word is a hugely underrated gem of a movie, and an eccentric dark comedy, with crackling scenes and lines. It never mocks Evan for who he is, and no character is reduced to a stereotype. Wes shares an amazingly wonderful chemistry with the strikingly beautiful and greatly funny Winona Ryder, who plays Charlotte. It makes you wonder why the two don’t pair up more often. There is a flawless moment with Wes when he returns from a horrible date at a nightclub with Charlotte. Evan is terrified after spending time there and he expresses his resentment to her for forcibly taking him to the club with an understated but extremely hilarious exchange.

1. P2 (2007)

Tom resembles a mix of actors: a young Malcolm McDowell, Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire, the first two of which have been well-praised for essaying unhinged characters.

Few can come close to his ultimate sociopathic obsessive stalker, Tom. The horror slasher film P2 now has a cult-following across the globe. The seriously disturbed Thomas Barclay works as a security guard doing nightshifts. Tom is a prototype of the Nice Guy. Someone who acts like a gentleman to Angela (Rachel Nichols) and brutally murders a guy who molested her in the elevator as his “Christmas gift” to her. But next, he throws misogynistic slurs at her, showing his true colours. Wes, who does a near-perfect Elvis Presley-inspired dance in one sequence, is so sweet that we pity Tom. Even though we are terrified that he has murdered two men, we still want to spend a dinner evening with the guy out of sympathy. Whenever Angela tries to soothe him by calling his name, he lashes out like a spoiled child. The loneliness by working nightshifts at basement parking lots with no one for company except for a loyal dog like Rocky can drive anyone crazy. We learn this from the movie, if nothing else. P2 continues to terrorize TV-watchers across continents even today. It has become a Christmas tradition for me.

There is almost an innocence to Tom’s horrific way of pursuing Rachel.

Happy 43rd birthday, Wes Bentley.

(heads up: I have not watched some works by Wes as I didn’t have enough time. Those films/shows are: My Big Break, We Are Your Friends, Lovelace, The Game of Their Lives, The Better Angels, Hirokin, Dolan’s Cadillac, Jonah Hex, Rites of Passage, Hidden Moon, Cesar Chavez, Gone, Stars in Shorts, Mission: Impossible — Fallout, Yellowstone and American Horror Story: Freak Show and Roanoke. But you best believe I will check some of them out later.)