There are times in an actor’s career in which success on the small screen can lead morph into box office success. This is the case when it comes toKyle Chandler. Beginning his career in 1986, Chandler played mainly supporting roles before landing his first major lead in 1996 withEarly Edition. While that CBS series put Chandler on the radar, it was his portrayal as Eric Taylor in the acclaimed NBC dramaFriday Night Lightsthat served as his career breakthrough. Using his role as the firm-but-caring high school football coach of the Dillon Panthers as a catalyst, Chandler would go on to play significant roles in some of the more critically-acclaimed movies of the past two decades.
During this run, Chandler could always be relied upon to play a variety of roles. From an FBI agent trying to chase down the Wolf of Wall Street, an actor who unexpectedly finds himself on the same island as a 25-foot gorilla, or a gambling alcoholic who is trying to reconcile with his neglected son, Chandler has managed to portray a diverse collection of roles that have invoked laughter, tears, and sympathy among viewers. In just a sampling of his immense resume, here are Kyle Chandler’s 10 best movie roles, ranked.
10Deke Slayton
Movie: ‘First Man’ (2018)
DirectorDamien Chazelle,who was coming off of the box office juggernautLa La Landin 2016,made his follow-up film a historical story about the men on theApollo 11mission that landed on the moon in 1969.First Manis a drama about how the outer space mission allowed Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) to cope with the death of a child. The film deals with the intense rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Space Race, and Chandler underlines the gravity of the conflict in one of the film’s most important scenes.
Chandler has an important role as Deke Slayton, whoconveys the importance and potential dangers of the Gemini programto Armstrong and the other astronauts. Slayton’s speech about the importance of being the first to the moon adds intensity to the story, as it gives Armstrong and the other astronauts a limited amount of time to complete their mission. Chandler perfectly conveys Slayton’s gruff, no-nonsense attitude. The film’s nuanced depiction of the hazards of space travel suggests that both Chandler and Chazelle have a tremendous amount of respect for the men in theApollo 11program.
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9Jack Lamb
Movie: ‘Super 8’ (2011)
Although he’s best known for his work in theStar Wars, Star Trek,andMission: Impossiblefranchises, directorJ.J Abramsproved withSuper 8that he could create an emotionally compelling science fiction adventure based on an original concept.Super 8tells a compassionate story about how an alien invasion draws a father, Jack Lamb (Chandler) and son Joe (Joel Courtney),closer together and Chandler does a great job at playinga grieving father who doesn’t know how to communicate with his child.
Ironically, it takes an alien invasion for the two to get connected on a personal level. Jack isn’t sure how to care for Joe after his wife’s death, and Chandler shows how his gruff attitude masks his feelings. Chandler brings a sense of emotional authenticity to a film that deals with a lot of science fiction concepts. It’s impressive that, in the midst of the spectacle, he was able to retain the film’s heart.
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8Bruce Baxter
Movie: ‘King King’ (2005)
Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake ofKing Kongstays remarkably faithful to the original 1933 film. It’s evident that Jackson adored the originalKing Kong, as he was hesitant to change any of the significant events or characters. However, with Jackson’s version running longer than the original (nearly three hours in running time), he was able to flesh out some of the supporting characters that only played brief roles in the original film. Among the characters that are given more to do in Jackson’s version is Chandler’s character Bruce Baxter, a pretentious actor who expects to be the lead in the film shot on Skull Island.
The characters withinaKing Kongmovieare usually secondary to the creature fights, but admirably,Chandler imbues the film with a healthy dosage of humor,which doesn’t make it seem as though he’s simply there to be background fodder for the wrath of Kong. Jackson’sKing Kongcan get overly serious at times, and so having a character who can add a few jokes is very beneficial. Chandler’s roles tend to be more serious, so letting him flex his comedic muscles was a welcome change of pace.
7Joseph Bradley
Movie: ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ (2012)
2012’sZero Dark Thirtyis one of the most controversial films of the last decade. It’s unclear whetherKathryn Bigelowwasadmonishing or lionizing the use of torturein capturing terrorists, but the film’s unflinching depiction of waterboarding certainly doesn’t make it any easier to watch. However, it certainly can’t be said that Bigelow wasn’t respectful of the real veterans that worked to uncover the terrorist network. She treats many of the military characters, including Chandler’s CIA Station Chief Joseph Bradley, with the respect and accuracy that their stature deserves.
Chandler doesa great job at showing Bradley’s lack of moral clarity. While he is convinced that finding the terrorists responsible for 9/11 is just a cause, he’s willing to use unethical practices to achieve that goal. Chandler’s performance is important because the film isn’t trying to cast judgment on its characters. He does a great job at ensuring that characters like Bradley aren’t perceived to be heroes.
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6Thomas Keely
Movie: ‘The Spectacular Now’ (2013)
Chandler has played his fair share of endearing, likable father figures before, butThe Spectacular Nowgave him the chance to act against type. He co-stars as Tommy Keely, an alcoholic gambler whose demons kept him from having a true relationship with his son, Sutter (Miles Teller). The lack of attention that Sutter received from his father has haunted him for his entire life.Chandler is in the film for a very brief, albeit very uncomfortable scenewhere the two are given the chance to reconcile.
However, it’s evident that his presence has a significant effect on Sutter and his relationship with his girlfriend Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley). It takes a truly great actor to givea one scene performancethat completely changes the nature of the story. It’s after Sutter’s meeting that he begins to lose track of his priorities in fear of becoming his father.
The Spectacular Now
A hard-partying high school senior’s philosophy on life changes when he meets the not-so-typical “nice girl.”
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5Joe Chandler
Movie: ‘Manchester by the Sea’ (2016)
Chandler’s role inManchester by the Seais brief, but his performance as a father whose death from a heart attack leaves his son, Patrick (Lucas Hedges), without a parental figure that he can look up to made this role emotionally memorable, proving that a talented actor doesn’t need a lot of screen-time to make an emotional impact on the story.
Patrick seeks the guidance and love of Joe’s brother Lee (Casey Affleck), but the two men struggle to balance their very different lifestyles. The opening flashback scenes of Joe and Patrick together help set up the story on a riveting note; Joe’s death continues to have repercussions as both Lee and Patrick grieve.Manchester by the Seamaybe too heartbreaking to watch more than once, but it’s one of the rare films that shows the difficulty of the grieving process. Chandler isso charming in the early scenes that his death is even more emotional.
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4Brooks Davis
Movie: ‘Game Night’ (2018)
Game Nightis simply one of the funniest films of the past decade. Although the premise itself is absurd,Game Night’s directorsJohn Francis DaleyandJonathan Goldsteinwere able to craft a compelling story about characters that struggle with issues of responsibility. The film ended up being a breakout feature for Daley and Goldstein before they went on to direct the underrated fantasy adventureDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Among these compelling characters is the happily married man Max Davis (Jason Bateman), who is convinced that he’s not having as much fun as his more freewheeling brother Brooks (Chandler). Bateman and Chandler do a great job at showing how the ibling rivlary they had as children continues to impact them as adults. It takes an encounter with real criminals for Max to learn thatBrooks should be looking up to him, and not the other way around. Chandler shows that Brooks' irresponsible lifestyle isn’t sustainable, even if it seems more exciting to Max compared to thesuburban backdrop.
Game Night
3Hamilton Jordan
Movie: ‘Argo’ (2012)
Argotells an incredible story that would seem fictitious if it wasn’t true. The film follows the maverick CIA agent Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), who is assigned to rescue American citizens that are held hostage in Iran at the American embassy. Mendez conceives of a strange plan to transport the hostages out of the country safely by pretending that they are on the crew of a science fiction film similar toStar WarsorPlanet of the Apes. Mendez’s plan is met with skepticism by Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan (Chandler), who is convinced that the plan is a terrible idea.
Jordan’s opposition to the radical rescue planmakes Mendez’s situation seem more desperate. The confusion that Jordan expresses upon hearing Mendez’s plan helps to underline what a risky prospect the mission actually was. Chandler towers over Affleck in these scenes, and convincingly plays a stern figure of authority.
2Patrick Denham
Movie: ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ (2013)
The Wolf of Wall Streetis a much more satirical film than it is given credit for. The film explores how a highly influential, privileged character like Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) is able to elude paying any real consequences for his crimes because of how charismatic he is. This satirical point is made clear inthe film’s final moments. Chandler does a great job at giving a tragic performance in an otherwise hilarious movie.
Jordan has rebounded as an economic advisor after being prematurely released from prison, but his captor, FBI Agent Patrick Denham (Chandler), is doomed to ride the subway to work like nothing has changed. The tragic irony is thatDenham will never be able to get Belfort to face the ramifications of his actions. He is destined to spend his entire life working for the sort of lifestyle that Belfort takes for granted.
The Wolf of Wall Street
Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.
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1Harge Aird
Movie: ‘Carol’ (2015)
Todd Haynes’ gorgeous 2015 dramaCarolis a heartbreaking romantic film, and Chandler is absolutely essential to the tragedy at the center of the story.Carolsucceeds as a beautiful celebration ofLGBTQ relationships in filmthat does not shy away from the evils of bigotry and intolerance.
He stars as Harge Aird, a wealthy New Yorker who discovers that his wife Carol (Cate Blanchett) is having an affair with a shop girl (Rooney Mara). Harge goes out of his way to demonize his wife, ruining the one happy relationship that Carol ever had. Harge’s bigotry and lack of empathy for Carol make him themost truly unlikeable character that Chandler has ever played. While Blanchett and Mara received Academy Award nominations for their work, Chandler’s performance was ignored by the Oscars; perhaps he was just too good at playing a monster.
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