Top 10 Joaquin Phoenix Roles

7. Reservation Road (2007)
“Ethan Learner”

Not to be confused with the Leonardo DiCaprio/Kate Winslet drama Revolutionary Road, Reservation Road displays the harrowing story of a husband and wife who witness their son’s tragic death when he is hit by an oncoming SUV in the middle of the night. The frightened driver, played by Mark Ruffalo, speeds off down the road and leaves the little boy to die in his parents’ arms. The film chronicles both Ruffalo’s character’s mental disintegration, as he fears that his reaction to his unforgivable actions will come back around to bite him, and the mourning couple’s attempt to continue their lives while imagining what they would do to the man who snatched their son’s life. Phoenix plays the grieving father and fills every moment with immense heartache, you would think that the actor had experienced something like this first hand. His interactions with his wife, played by Jennifer Connelly, are romantically void and soaked with sadness, but it’s the final encounter during the climax between Phoenix and Ruffalo that is when the film peaks. The sequence is grippingly intense and shockingly real as these two men, one so bent on revenge and the other feeling far guiltier than any living person should, discuss the consequences of their actions. This little seen film features a trio of knockout performances, especially Phoenix, and ensures that no parental viewer will ever let their child wander freely into the streets again.

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