Is it just me, or are the best performances the unshowy ones?

Queen of Earth, Alex Ross Perry’s searing psychological drama, got plenty of appreciative reviews when released a few months ago. One critic described it as Repulsion remade by Ingmar Bergman. But as far as the acting was concerned, most of the plaudits went to Elizabeth Moss as Catherine, the troubled young woman driven close to total breakdown after her adored father has died and her boyfriend has dumped her. 

Moss, weeping, raving, debasing herself in the urgency of her emotional need, certainly acted up a storm. But for me the standout performance was Katherine Waterston as her friend Virginia, watching Catherine fall apart with a mixture of pity, bemusement and more than a touch of schadenfreude.  

It’s Waterston who, I reckon, holds the film together, allowing Moss to dig into the messy depths of hysteria without fracturing the narrative flow. And it’s far from the first time this has happened. With Scorsese’s Mean Streets, Robert De Niro’s screen career took off as the dangerously out-of-control Johnny Boy; it took his co-star, Harvey Keitel, quite a while longer to establish himself. Yet it’s Keitel’s far less showy performance as the conflicted Charlie that provides the bedrock on which De Niro can cavort. 

Or again, take the peerless Ealing black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets. Alec Guinness’s eight-fold role as the entire D’Ascoyne clan predictably picked up the accolades; and yes, it’s a tour de force. But what dominates the film is the cool, urbane voice-over narration of serial killer Dennis Price, suavely murdering his way to the dukedom.  

King of the minimalist actors was Robert Mitchum. Check out the scene in Cape Fear (the original, not the Scorsese remake) where Gregory Peck, whom Mitchum’s hassling, gets his friend the sheriff (Martin Balsam) to lock him up. A fast-talking Southern lawyer (Jack Kruschen) shows up to get his client sprung. All four sit round a table. Peck talks, Balsam talks, Kruschen talks a lot. Mitchum says not a word, doesn’t move a muscle, barely shifts his eyes. And he steals the entire scene. Now that’s acting. Or is it just me? 

Each month Total Film magazine argues a polarising movie opinion and gives you the opportunity to agree/disagree/tell us we’re mad. Let us know what you think about this one in the comments below and read on for more. 

Latest in Movies
WandaVision episode 8
Robert Downey Jr's WandaVision Easter egg in the Avengers: Doomsday announcement has me thinking Scarlet Witch will be in the movie after all
channing tatum gambit in deadpool and wolverine
Marvel fans are hoping Channing Tatum's Gambit return in Avengers: Doomsday will be different from Deadpool and Wolverine
Spider-Man 4
There might be an obvious reason why Tom Holland's Spider-Man wasn't announced for Avengers: Doomsday
Patrick Stewart in X-Men
Marvel fans are already theorizing how Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and James Marsden's X-Men will be integrated into Avengers: Doomsday
Daredevil: Born Again episode 6
Daredevil's Charlie Cox isn't in the Avengers: Doomsday cast list – but Marvel fans have an idea about how he might still show up
Chris Evans in Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Doomsday release date, cast, plot, and more news
Latest in Features
The village green in Atomfall
My first 3 hours in Atomfall feel playing Fallout 3 for the first time, and if you don't check it out I'm legally obligated to beat you with a cricket bat
Chris Evans in Avengers: Endgame
Avengers: Doomsday release date, cast, plot, and more news
Yasuke standing in front of a Kofun tomb in Assassin's Creed Shadows
It took me over 20 hours to unlock Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and a Kofun turned out to be the perfect training ground
Naoe kills a target with a black and white filter over the camera highlighting the red of blood spray in Assassin's Creed Shadows, with an On The Radar orange frame
Assassin's Creed Shadows "has a little bit of Tarantino flavor", but its real secret ingredient is intrigue: "It's almost like you're watching an episode of Shogun"
Helldivers 2 Borderline Justice Warbond helldiver using hoverpack to shoot down with hunting rifle
Talking points from the Game Developers Conference 2025 and how they could impact the future of gaming
Flexispot E7 Plus with plant, monitor, soundbar, and controller on top next to white wall lighting.
Gaming desks vs regular desks: which surface should you buy?