The 2000 Guy Ritchie crime-comedy, Snatch, places Pitt amongst gangsters and thieves, and hooligans played by an all-star cast including Jason Statham, Stephen Graham, Lennie James, Benicio Del Toro, and Dennis Farina.
The tale is set in the world of British organized crime, gambling, and underground boxing.
Pitt plays a grifter named Mickey O’Neil, at the center of the blowback from an 84-karat diamond heist, a series of failed fight setups, and murder by arson.
A troublemaker with the gift of gab, O’Neil exhibits a tattooed torso and penchant for gold jewelry that fit his bare-knuckle boxing champion.
Mickey demonstrates that he’s more than just aesthetic, as he tosses enormous men through wooden gate.
Sporting leather fedora, mustache, and cigarette hanging from his mouth, O’Neil is ready to swindle anyone, making him a thorn for boxing promoters and lowkey criminals Turkish (Statham) and Tommy (Graham).
A brutish warrior who loves his mother, Pitt’s character provides for his family, seeking vengeance when harm is done in his place.
CREDIT: MERRICK MORTON/PARAMOUNT
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Perhaps the most peculiar character in Brad Pitt’s filmography is his title role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, yet another David Fincher film. Loosely based on a short story written by The Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald, the movie was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and took home three Oscars: for makeup, art direction, and visual effects.
Alongside a terrific cast including Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Mahershala Ali, and Tilda Swinton, the film tells the story of Button, who is born with the appearance and strength of an elderly man and ultimately ages backwards into infancy. While the story is book-ended by scenes in New Orleans at the onset of Hurricane Katrina (2005), Button’s life journey begins in 1918. Over the years, he navigates his bizarre condition, historical milestones, and romance with his childhood friend and lifelong partner, Daisy (Blanchett).
Pitt’s performance in the movie, coupled with CGI and makeup, makes for a role with a variety of sub-characters built in. Not only did he perform as the same person at different ages, but at each of those ages he was inversely represented physically. The precision and focus to pull off such a premise cannot be overstated.
Aside from the technical acting precision of Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a masterful film because of the universal sentiments it provokes — even through the purview of a character whose life experience is unique and unrelatable. The movie’s most fundamental yings and yangs are abundant: life’s highs and lows, births and deaths, and successes and failures are all demonstrated through Button’s unusual path and the characters he’s met along the way. It’s a tragic yet heartwarming reminder to spend time with those you care for and be present all the while.
Brad Pitt: Best Roles–Snatch (2000)–Operating in British Organized Crime
Snatch (2000)
The 2000 Guy Ritchie crime-comedy, Snatch, places Pitt amongst gangsters and thieves, and hooligans played by an all-star cast including Jason Statham, Stephen Graham, Lennie James, Benicio Del Toro, and Dennis Farina.
The tale is set in the world of British organized crime, gambling, and underground boxing.
Pitt plays a grifter named Mickey O’Neil, at the center of the blowback from an 84-karat diamond heist, a series of failed fight setups, and murder by arson.
A troublemaker with the gift of gab, O’Neil exhibits a tattooed torso and penchant for gold jewelry that fit his bare-knuckle boxing champion.
Mickey demonstrates that he’s more than just aesthetic, as he tosses enormous men through wooden gate.
Sporting leather fedora, mustache, and cigarette hanging from his mouth, O’Neil is ready to swindle anyone, making him a thorn for boxing promoters and lowkey criminals Turkish (Statham) and Tommy (Graham).
A brutish warrior who loves his mother, Pitt’s character provides for his family, seeking vengeance when harm is done in his place.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Perhaps the most peculiar character in Brad Pitt’s filmography is his title role in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, yet another David Fincher film. Loosely based on a short story written by The Great Gatsby author F. Scott Fitzgerald, the movie was nominated for 13 Academy Awards and took home three Oscars: for makeup, art direction, and visual effects.
Alongside a terrific cast including Cate Blanchett, Taraji P. Henson, Mahershala Ali, and Tilda Swinton, the film tells the story of Button, who is born with the appearance and strength of an elderly man and ultimately ages backwards into infancy. While the story is book-ended by scenes in New Orleans at the onset of Hurricane Katrina (2005), Button’s life journey begins in 1918. Over the years, he navigates his bizarre condition, historical milestones, and romance with his childhood friend and lifelong partner, Daisy (Blanchett).
Pitt’s performance in the movie, coupled with CGI and makeup, makes for a role with a variety of sub-characters built in. Not only did he perform as the same person at different ages, but at each of those ages he was inversely represented physically. The precision and focus to pull off such a premise cannot be overstated.
Aside from the technical acting precision of Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a masterful film because of the universal sentiments it provokes — even through the purview of a character whose life experience is unique and unrelatable. The movie’s most fundamental yings and yangs are abundant: life’s highs and lows, births and deaths, and successes and failures are all demonstrated through Button’s unusual path and the characters he’s met along the way. It’s a tragic yet heartwarming reminder to spend time with those you care for and be present all the while.