10 Greatest Films of Forest Whitaker
Forest Whitaker was born in Texas in 1961 and raised in California. He graduated from USC, where he studied opera, in 1982. His first role in a major film was in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, that same year. He has gone on to appear in more than seventy theatrical films, more than a dozen television movies, and several television series. This month, he appears in a science fiction film titled Arrival, with Amy Adams.
In 2007, Forest Whitaker won a Golden Globe and a Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar for his performance as African dictator Idi Amin in the film The Last King of Scotland. He’s a gifted actor that brings great intensity and honesty to his performances.
10. Phone Booth (2003) — Colin Farrell plays a man trapped in a plot of a madmen. He’s stuck at a phone booth with a shot man nearby. Whitaker plays the police captain that has to make the transition from believing Farrell’s character is the killer to realizing he is a victim.
9. Southpaw (2015) — Forest Whitaker plays mentor to Jake Gyllenhaal’s fallen boxer.
“God must have some kind of plan to teach me some kind of lesson. I just can’t figure out what it is.” — Tick Willis
8. The Crying Game (1992) — Whitaker plays a British soldier held hostage by the IRA. Over time he and his captor develop a bond.
“Have you ever tried to pick up your teeth with broken fingers?” — Fergus
7. The Great Debaters (2007) — Denzel Washington stars in this film loosely based upon the experiences of Melvin B Tolson and his Wiley College debating team. Whitaker plays a theology professor having difficulties with his son, a member of the debating team.
“I… and every professor on this campus are here to help you to find, take back, and keep your righteous mind… because obviously you have lost it.” — Melvin B Tolson
6. Good Morning Vietnam (1987) — Forest Whitaker plays PFC Edward Garlick, the assistant and successor to Robin Williams’ Adrian Cronauer in this story about an army radio station during the Vietnamese war.
“I was almost killed. A truck’s bumper was this far from my nose. My whole life passed before my eyes… and it wasn’t even interesting to me.” — Edward Garlick
5. Panic Room (2002) — David Fincher directed this smart thriller about a woman and her daughter under siege in an apartment that is being robbed. Forrest Whitaker, Jared Leto, and Dwight Yoakum play the thieves. This movie may also be notable for being the last movie in which Kristen Stewart emoted.
“This is what I do; if some idiot with a sledgehammer could break in, do you really think I’d still have a job?” — Burnham
4. Ghost Dog — the Way of the Samurai (1999) — Whitaker plays a hitman devoted to the ways of the Samurai who becomes a target from the same mob he has served.
“There is surely nothing other than the single purpose of the moment. A man’s whole life is a succession of moment after moment. If one fully understands the present moment, there is nothing left to do, and nothing else to pursue.” — Ghost Dog
3. Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013) — A noble effort that somewhat collapses under its own weight. The film loosely tells the story of Eugene Allen (called Cecil Gaines in the film), a man who worked in the White House, eventually becoming butler, for 34 years, serving eight presidents.
“You must look through your eyes, see what it is that they want, see what it is that they need, anticipate, bring a smile to the principal’s eyes.” — Cecil Gaines
2. The Last King of Scotland (2006) — A look at the African dictator, Idi Amin, through the eyes of a Scottish doctor (played by James McAvoy) recruited to be his personal physician. This is Whitaker’s best performance, thus far, and the one that earned him an Oscar.
“I am the father of this nation, Nicholas. And you have most… grossly… offended your father.” — Idi Amin
1. Bird (1988) — Clint Eastwood is well known for his love of jazz. He’s written and performed many of the scores of his films, but this film is his tribute to one of jazz’s leading figures — Charlie Parker. The title role is played wonderfully by Forest Whitaker. Parker burned life at both ends, dying at the age of 34. Whitaker portray’s his genius and self destructiveness and is matched by Diane Venora as his long-suffering wife. Bird won an Oscar for Best Sound.
The soundtrack is a little experimental. It takes remastered Charlie Parker solos and overlays them on modern recordings. It really works in some places and not so much in others. Key songs on the soundtrack: All of Me, April in Paris, and Cool Blues.
“I owe Dizzy everything…except a phone call.” — Charlie “Bird” Parker
What would make your list?
