Dennis Hopper was a singular talent, given it’s so hard to compare the intensity and energy he brought as an actor to any of his contemporaries. Sure, other actors who rose to prominence in the 1960s or 1970s –likeAl PacinoandJack Nicholson– were more than capable of chewing scenery with style, but there was just something extra unstable about Hopper that proved frequently captivating. Also, that’s to say nothing of how surprisingly strong of a director he was, with perhaps his biggest success in that department beingEasy Rider.
To focus on just his acting, though, the following movies showcase Dennis Hopper at his most gleefully over-the-top and unhinged. He was particularly good at playing explosive villains, but shone (and over-acted) in supporting roles and even as the occasional antihero of sorts, too. Such a ranking overlooks some of his better understated performances, of course,but if you’re after Hopper at his wildest, the following films are all must-watches.
8’Red Rock West' (1993)
Director: John Dahl
Red Rock Westis an underrated and overall pretty great neo-noir film for a few reasons, but the principal one would have to be the fact that it gotNicolas Cageand Dennis Hopper to share the screen. Two titans of over-the-top acting collide in one fairly wild – and continually gripping – movie, though neither actor pushes it to their respective limits; in fact, Cage is fairly subdued by his standards, though he still brings a good deal of energy to the whole thing.
Hopper gets to be more sinister and a little more intense, playing a hitman who Cage’s character pretended to be, taking the money that Hopper’s hitman character now wants.Red Rock Westkeepsthings pretty focused on just a few characters, which really allows the leads here to shine,and Dennis Hopper is a big factor in the film feeling so intense. Even if he explodes more often in other movies, it’s the anticipation of a Hopper explosion that fills this movie with dread and effective suspense.
Red Rock West
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Director: Philippe Mora
A movie that certainly sees Dennis Hopperin (brutal) antihero mode,Mad Dog Morganis about the bushranger of the same name; a man who became a notorious outlaw in Australia during the middle of the 19th century. While this kind of figure might be a roguish hero or a hard-edged cowboy in a more traditional Western,Mad Dog Morganisfar from a traditional Western, and for more reasons than just the fact that it’s set in the Australian outback.
It’s a film that feels like it’s constantly going to fall apart entirely, with a meandering structure, ridiculously savage violence, an anarchic tone, and some truly psychedelic sequences. Hopper looks zoned out for so much of the film, but it fits the character oddly well, and whether intentionally or not,he matches the whole weird energyfound inMad Dog Morgan. Other parts of the film might well be more “over-the-top” than Hopper specifically, but he’s definitely going pretty big here in any event.
Mad Dog Morgan
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6’Apocalypse Now' (1979)
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Understandably consideredone of the greatest films of all time,Apocalypse Nowcaptures the madness and devastation of the Vietnam War – particularly the U.S. involvement in it – in a uniquely nightmarish way. Its story is technically simple, being about one man who’s tasked with assassinating a Green Beret Colonel who’s gone rogue and purportedly poses a threat to the U.S., but it’s the way this story is told, plus some of the disturbing places it goes, which makes it all interesting.
Additionally,Francis Ford Coppola’sApocalypse Nowtakes its time getting the central character to his target, but once he does get there in the final act, the energy and intrigue stay high, partly thanks to Dennis Hopper entering the picture. He plays an unnamed photojournalist who’s been changed somehow by the enigmatic Colonel Kurtz, and Hopper is scarily good here at playing someone who seems absolutely out of their mind.He’s a jittery, wild-eyed, and utterly mad character, and seems like someone only Hopper could’ve portrayed this well.
Apocalypse Now
5’The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2' (1986)
Director: Tobe Hooper
Dennis Hopper kind of plays a hero inThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, but perhaps mostly comes across as a “good guy” because the antagonists are so comically sadistic. He’s out for revenge because of the events of thefirst (surprisingly controversial)The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, as he’s the uncle of two characters who fell victim to Leatherface and his twisted family in that first film.
UnlikeThe Texas Chain Saw Massacre, however,The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2goesall-out with blood, gore, and dark comedy, making the more grounded first movie look like a slice-of-life drama in comparison. Hopper brings all the gusto you’d expect to such a wildly comedic – and intentionally over-the-top – horror movie, and it’sworth the price of admission alone to see Dennis Hopper get into a chainsaw fight with Leatherface near the film’s conclusion. It’s just that kind of movie.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
4’Speed' (1994)
Director: Jan de Bont
Of the various movies releasedpost-Die Hardthat seemed somewhat inspired by it,Speedis undoubtedly one of the best, and also ranks high amongthe greatest films of 1994(itself an amazing year in cinema history). The premise is straight to the point in the best of ways, following people stuck on a bus that’s rigged to explode if the speed of said bus drops below 50 miles per hour.
Speedhas everything you need fora satisfying mass-appeal action movie, a great villain included, courtesy of Dennis Hopper. He plays the extortionist/bomber behind the whole chaotic bus scheme, coming up with the plan as revenge for a prior event. Beyond what he does in the story, Dennis Hopper is also great as he gets progressively more screen time as things go on,proving to be a fantastic and effectively love-to-hate villain who clashes with the endearingly no-nonsense Keanu Reeves, who playsSpeed’s protagonist.
3’Super Mario Bros.' (1993)
Directors: Annabel Jankel, Rocky Morton
Super Mario Bros.has its issues as a film, but the casting was pretty on point, withBob Hoskinsmaking for a surprisingly good MarioandJohn Leguizamobeing a similarly inspired pick for Luigi. Also, the film joinsSpeedas another 1990s movie that opted to put Dennis Hopper in the lead villain role, because here, he plays King Koopa, which is another name Bowser sometimes goes by… but he doesn’t feel like the traditional Bowser here. Often he just looks like, you know, Dennis Hopper.
The take on that character is just one of the seriously bizarre things about thisSuper Mario Bros.movie, which has a certain charm because of how out there and unapologetically weird it is. If for nothing else, it might be worth checking out because the performances here are all pretty funny, andHopper gets to chew scenery throughout, being responsible for plenty of the film’s more iconic moments(the glee with which he says “Monkey”after turning someone into a monkey is a thing of art, and deserves to live rent-free inside the heads of every single person on the planet).
Super Mario Bros.: The Movie
2’Waterworld' (1995)
Director: Kevin Reynolds
Clearly,Waterworldwanted to bea successful blockbuster hit, but the world at large had other plans for this watery one. It was aKevin Costnervehicle banking on the star’s popularity post-Dances with Wolves, but it failed to be a hit in the same vein, to say the least. It’s one of those notorious movies that has a reputation that makes it sound worse than it actually is, though, andWaterworldis a potential reminder that a film bombing at the box office doesn’t automatically mean it’s irredeemable quality-wise.
Waterworlddoes, after all, haveanother 1990s Dennis Hopper villainous performance worth shouting out, as he plays the leader of a gang of pirates who pursue and cause trouble for Costner’s protagonist. Hopper at least looks like he’s having a lot of fun, and stands out all the more when Costner is playing things so restrained. It makes some sense for the central character to be a little more grounded, butthe world ofWaterworldis so insanethat Hopper’s energy matches the film at large much more effectively.
Waterworld
1’Blue Velvet' (1986)
Director: David Lynch
Even thoughBlue Velvetis a bit more straightforward narrativelythan some otherDavid Lynchfilms, it nevertheless finds certain ways to feel like a nightmare during some of its more confronting moments. Dennis Hopper, playing a scene-stealing villain, is a big contributing factor to this overall sense of unease and occasional terror, playing a monstrous man named Frank Booth; someone who psychologically and physically abuses anyone he wants, seemingly without any concern.
He’s at the center of a dark story that begins when a young man finds a severed ear in a grassy field, and ends up being the sort of character who’s bad news whenever he shows up on screen. As the highly animated Frank Booth, Dennis Hopper is sometimes darkly funny (the Pabst Blue Ribbon scenecomes to mind), but at other points, he channels his intense energy into something much less amusing.He’sa true monster and an undeniably great villain, working as an agent of chaos and emerging as one of the most memorable characters from any David Lynch movie.
