Failed A-Lister
What has he done as a lead that was memorable ??
shareI think he was a touch unfortunate in how almost all of the films of the mid-2000s where he played a lead were scabrous vehicles for an actor of his personality, often with somewhat bland and undercooked leading parts, as though Jude Law were more matinee idol than fine thespian. Enough reviews of his theatrical work exist to suggest that he could command the stage as Hamlet, for instance, to make me think that there was a confluence of factors in his inability to break out as a major leading man.
Having said all of that, in the medium of cinema, he seems more "right" as the supporting player with a meaty, juicy role that allows him to serve as a sort of contrast to the protagonist. Films like The Talented Mr. Ripley, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Road to Perdition, even the Sherlock Holmes movies which seemed to recapture his onscreen dynamism after a largely moribund period. That said he was rather effective in a few early leads like eXistenZ and Enemy at the Gates.