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Every once in a while, a character comes along that carries so much gravitas and charisma, they can appear in only one scene in a movie and leave an indelible mark on the audience. The scene can last one minute or 10 minutes, but something about the character sticks with you well after you leave the theater. Here’s a list of 12 of the best, most impactful single scene characters in film.
Alec Baldwin in Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)
If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing David Mamet‘s 1992 drama about a group of burned-out real estate salesman, do yourself a favor and watch it. In an ensemble cast for the ages that includes Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, and Kevin Spacey, it’s actually Alec Baldwin who ends up stealing the spotlight in this one. Baldwin stars as Blake, a man tasked by “Mitch and Murray” to give a motivational message to the group of underperforming salesman. His seven-minute “Always Be Closing” speech is truly a thing to behold and with the help of Mamet’s superb pacing and cinematography, is easily the memorable scene in a film full of Hollywood legends.
Gary Oldman in True Romance (1993)
Written by Quentin Tarantino, True Romance is a tale of star crossed lovers who get caught up with some unscrupulous folks and are forced to flee to California. We like to imagine that the late director Tony Scott told Gary Oldman to be the most vile and despicable character ever seen in the history of film. Sure enough, the actor’s turn as a low-life pimp named Drexl Spivey fit the bill. In order to pry his new love, Alabama (Patricia Arquette), from Spivey’s creepy clutches, Clarence Worley (Christian Slater) must confront him. Oldman’s take on Spivey as a disturbed and demented pimp is gripping as he embodies the kind of human waste that deals in the flesh peddling business. With his cloudy eye, scarred face and barely intelligible parlance, Oldman undoubtedly made the most out of his only scene in the film.
Billy Crystal and Carol Kane in The Princess Bride (1987)
On his way to rescue Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) from the evil clutches of Prince Humperdink (Chris Sarandon), the valiant Wesley/Dred Pirate Roberts (Cary Elwes) is tortured and needs a miracle to save his life. Enter Miracle Max (Billy Crystal) and his very loud and disapproving wife Valerie (Carol Kane), who are the hilariously unhappily married couple that dabbles in the kind of magic that might breathe new life into our fallen hero, Wesley. Despite the rantings and ravings of Valerie, Miracle Max does save the day and bids farewell to the rescue party with the memorable platitude, “Goodbye. Have fun storming the castle.”
Steve Park in Fargo (1996)
The Radisson Hotel restaurant scene between Mike (Steve Park) and Marge Gunderson (Frances McDormand) in the Coen Brothers epic Fargo is considered both difficult to watch and hilarious at the same time. That may seem impossible, but the awkwardness played up by Park as the sexually frustrated engineer from Eden Prarie, Minnesota is overflowing with what we like to call “second-hand embarrassment.” You know, it’s that feeling you get when you witness someone enthusiastically trying to make an advance on a member of the opposite sex (in this case the very married and very pregnant, Marge), and just really missing the mark big time. It’s so cringe worthy, we decided that it merits a place on this list of best single-scenes just for the epic emotional turmoil Park’s character goes through in the four-minute scene that feels like four hours.
Alfred Molina in Boogie Nights (1997)
Paul Thomas Anderson‘s 1997 examination of the seedy underbelly of adult entertainment in the San Fernando Valley in the late ’70s is filled with misguided and lost souls. Alfred Molina‘s Rahad Jackson is probably the most deranged of them all, which is saying a lot. Based on real life drug dealer Eddie Nash, whose cocaine fueled benders often led to criminal activity including murder. Molina’s take on the character as a twitchy, coked up smack peddler who has an affinity for the glam metal band Night Ranger in Boogie Nights is a true scene stealer. His energy and nonsensical rantings envelop the screen as he negotiates a drug deal gone bad. He ultimately ends up chasing Dirk Diggler (Mark Wahlberg) and Reed Rothchild (Thomas C. Reilly) out of his house firing off rounds from a 12-gauge shotgun.
Gene Hackman in Young Frankenstein (1974)
Coming off of hard-boiled roles in films like The French Connection (1971) and The Conversation (1974), getting to see the legendary Gene Hackman switch modes in Young Frankenstein made his single scene in the classic film even more memorable. As Harold, the Blind Man, his exchange with Peter Boyle‘s Frankenstein’s monster is arguably the most comedically rewarding performance of his nearly 60-year career. Depicting a misunderstanding the likes of which only director, Mel Brooks could envision and bring to life, the scene between Hackman and Boyle is one of the highlights in a film that is loaded with uproarious and hilarious scenes. This was an easy choice.
Christopher Walken in Pulp Fiction (1994)
In a film full of memorable scenes, Christopher Walken‘s monologue in Quentin Tarantino’s 1994 masterpiece Pulp Fiction is among the best. As Captain Koons, Walken tells a young Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) the story of his father’s gold watch and the lengths he went to in order to make sure it would be passed along to his son as a family heirloom. As only Walken can, he goes into the sordid and scatological details of how his father was able to hide the watch as a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five years. The POV shot of Walken looking into the camera going into the disturbingly detailed story behind the watch is one of the highlights in the seminal film that established Tarantino as an industry bell cow. We could also of included another Walken single-scene highlight in True Romance, but gave the edge to Gary Oldman.
David Thewlis in The Big Lebowski (1998)
David Thewlis‘ch aracter Knox Harrington is the embodiment of the kind of existential, sublime quirkiness that the Coen Brothers strive for in their films. In The Big Lebowski, his role is little more than a casual observer in a discussion between The Dude (Jeff Bridges) and Maude Lebowski (Julianne Moore). Thewlis’ Harrington is “an associate of Maude’s” and really rubs The Dude the wrong way. Between his arrogance and his maniacal laughter during a phone conversation, Harrington gives the scene both comic relief and leaves the audience with a huge question mark as to why he is even there. But we’re glad he was because his artsy eccentricity and unforgettable chuckle provided us with another memorable single-scene performer.
Samantha Morton in She Said (2022)
Jodi Cantor,(Zoe Kazan), an investigative reporter with The New York Times, is on a mission to prove that Harvey Weinstein was more than just an influential producer in Hollywood. In a film that details the downfall of the sexual predator, Samantha’s Morton‘s diner scene with Cantor is perhaps the most powerful moment in the film as her character, Zelda Perkins goes into detail about the hideous nature of her boss (Weinstein) and his pattern of sexual assault against women that worked for him and women who were seeking to do business with him. It’s a riveting depiction of the machinations that brought about the #MeToo Movement and, ultimately the conviction of one of the most prolific sexual predators not just in Hollywood, but of all time.
Dean Stockwell in Blue Velvet (1986)
We have to give much of the credit for this entry to the ever eccentric director David Lynch. The master of the surreal, sublime, and bizarre really struck a chord in Blue Velvet when he had Dean Stockwell and Dennis Hopper team up for one of the strangest takes in Lynch’s career. We’re not sure who is creepier in this scene between Stockwell’s lipsynch to Roy Orbison’s “In Dreams,” or the almost orgasmic reaction Hopper’s character has to it. We suppose it’s a small miracle that more of Lynch’s oddball characters aren’t on this list, but this single scene is a great representation of a career defined by avant garde and dreamlike moments.
Gloria Foster in The Matrix (1999)
If there is one thing that we know for sure, it’s that Lana and Lily Wachowski’s futuristic epic The Matrix raised a lot of questions that we weren’t sure how to handle. Thankfully, The Oracle (Gloria Foster) was able to fill in some of the blanks when it came to the who, what, and why of it all as Neo (Keanu Reeves) sets out on a mission of self-discovery to save mankind from a diabolical race of sentient machines. Her quiet confidence is so soothing, that after spinning our wheels in the Matrix for the better part of an hour, her explanation of Neo’s purpose is more of a relief than anything.
Ned Beatty in Network (1976)
1976’s Network had an A-list cast that featured some of Hollywood’s biggest names of the era, including William Holden, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, and Robert Duvall. While some may remember this film for Finch’s on-air meltdown and mantra of, “I’m mad as hell! And I’m not gonna take it anymore!”, it also had one of the most memorable single scenes in it as well. Ned Beatty‘s epic six-minute rant in response to Finch’s idealistic ravings is one of the finest monologues in the history of film. In a dimly lit, mahogany wood-ensconced boardroom, he stands at one end of a very long table and gives Finch’s Howard Beale a harrowing verbal beat down on the virtues and realities of global capitalism and crass corporate ownership that leaves the normally loud and opinionated Beale speechless — like a child, stunned by the scolding of his father. If you haven’t seen the nearly fifty-year-old film, we recommend it for several reasons, not the least of which is for Beatty’s mesmerizing single scene.
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