Actors we associate with greatness can fall by the wayside immediately. Robert De Niro has blotted his copybook with too many stinkers such as Last Vegas, Little Fockers and The Intern. Poor early choices by Denzel Washington (Carbon Copy, Heart Condition), not to mention his recent weakness for vigilante movies, are enough to cancel out Malcolm X. Marlon Brando can be dismissed with five words: The Island of Dr Moreau. And Meryl Streep? A lifetime of prestige and prizes negated by The Prom.
A strong contender for the title of best filmography must be John Cazale. The sad-eyed theatre actor was a contemporary of Al Pacino (who called him “my acting partner … my older brother”) and ex-boyfriend of Streep. Cazale has only five film credits to his name but he is astonishing in each of them. Three are masterpieces (the first two Godfather movies, Dog Day Afternoon). The remaining two (The Conversation, The Deer Hunter) are flawed but magnificent. All were nominated for best pictur