Who’s compelling? Who isn’t? And how do you decide?
Compelling:
Errol Flynn
Cary Grant
Ingrid Bergman
Cate Blanchett
Andy Serkis
Not compelling:
Matt Damon
Also: Who’s that guy?
The Paper Chase Guy isn’t
Little Nicky?
Compelling: Joe Estevez, mustache dad
Not compelling: Uh, line?
Compelling Dramatic Leads? I typed a list in the sister thread Comedy Leads in Movies that relates here. Cary Grant, John Wayne, James Stewart, Henry Fonda, Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy, and James Cagney. Added to that… Lon Chaney, Paul Muni, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Gregory Peck, Montgomery Clift, Marlon Brando, James Dean, Paul Newman, Peter O’Toole, Richard Burton, Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, and the list goes on. The art of fascination and absorbion is a large measure of captivating in film. An enigma and definable characteristics protruding out is another. It’s a recipe no different than specific cuisine yet far more elusive to define.