Clive Owen: His Best Performances Throughout The Years

Image Source/ Flickr/

We all admire his looks and natural charisma, so why not check some of Clive Owen’s best performances of all time? Below you’ll find some titles where our favorite English actor really took it to another level. Make sure to add them to your watch list and get yourself ready for an action-packed weekend.

Theo Faron, Children of Men (2006)

Here’s the movie for which Clive Owen is probably best known for. If you haven’t seen it, you’re doing yourself a disservice, as it’s clearly one of the best flicks of all time. Picture this—London, 2027, human species at the brink of extinction, a dystopian landscape fraught with danger, and Theo Faron as the sole protector of a vulnerable woman who must seek refuge in a sanctuary located far off the shores of Britain.

Owen gives an unforgettable performance as a cynical bureaucrat, inured to the suffering around him, who later manages to find meaning in his life, even though his mission becomes deadly serious.

Image Source/ Wikimedia // CC SA 2.0

Jack Manfred, Croupier (1998)

If you haven’t watched this neo-noir classic directed by Mike Hodges, run to your closest DVD store, equip yourself with oversized buckets of popcorn, and prepare for an unforgettable experience. There have been many casino-themed movies out there, most famous among them Casino Royale (2006), Casino (1995), The Hangover (2009), or Ocean’s Eleven (2001), but for some strange reason, this hidden-gem starring boyish Clive Owen often gets overlooked.

The story involves a struggling writer, who’s offered a job at a casino on a recommendation from his father. He takes it, thinking it would inspire his first novel and, on late nights, transforms into a sleek blackjack croupier. Of course, nowadays you can even face a live blackjack dealer online like it’s no big deal, but if you want to witness that electrifying smoky-room card game affair while chilling on your sofa, there’s no movie more realistic than this jazzy thriller.

Dwight McCarthy, Sin City (2005)

Here’s a dark thriller starring Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, and Mickey Rourke that you simply cannot miss. Based on graphic novels of Frank Miller, and directed by Robert Rodriguez in his prime, this black and white ultra-violent masterpiece will keep you at the edge of your seat.

In it, Dwight appears as a middle-aged photographer with a mysterious past who now serves the underworld to collect dirt on important political figures. Pretty soon, he’s implicated in a major scandal that leads to one of the most beautifully scripted massacres ever depicted on screen. The chemistry between him and Gail (Rosario Dawson) is just fantastic, and something you should savor sooner rather than later.

Ernest Hemingway, Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012)

Playing the famous recalcitrant author is always a challenging task. There’s The Legendary Life of Ernest Hemingway (1989), which flew under the radar of most viewers, and Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (2001), where Corey Stoll portrays Hemingway. But no one could impersonate the writer as accurately as Clive Owen in this 2.5 hour long biopic centered on the World War II period and the heated romance between Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn (Nicole Kidman).

In most movies, Hemingway is portrayed as a drunken rascal who erupts into rage and shows serious signs of narcissistic personality disorder. Well, you’ll see all that in this 2012 flick, but you’ll also witness a more gentle side to the author’s nature. Wrap it all up in a scenario abounding in love and war, and you have an instant classic on your hands.

Upcoming TV Shows With Clive Owen In Them

If you’re still hungry for more electrifying performances from Clive, you’ll be able to spot him in the new season of the American Crime Story series, where he portrays President Bill Clinton. The first among eight episodes comes out on September 27^th, and the season will continue till the 15^th of November.

Oh yes, and don’t forget to tune in for the upcoming Lisey’s Story series based on the work by Stephen King, where Owen will grace eight more episodes with his presence.