4. “Three Days of the Condor” (1975)
Like many European stars in the 1970s, Max von Sydow took a number of villainous roles in American thrillers. But von Sydow elevates the archetype of the silent foreign assassin in Sydney Pollack’s classic about an agent (Robert Redford) being hunted by perhaps his own government. Covering his face in thick-framed glasses, von Sydow marks his character Joubert with an intense, silently threatening presence that no doubt had an influence on Javier Bardem’s turn in “No Country for Old Men.” But what truly makes his performance magical is the casualness of his final monologue—as he explains to Redford’s character about the quickly changing agendas in his line of business, von Sydow makes the specifics of the exposition simply mundane. This isn’t murder; it’s business.
5. “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” (2007)
Say what you will of Julian Schnabel’s life-celebrating work of visual expression, but von Sydow’s two-scene performance makes a strong mark on the picture. Playing the father of Jean-Dominique Bauby (Mathieu Amalric), who wrote his memoir with only the aid of his blinking eye after a massive stroke, von Sydow captures two brutal emotions in two very different scenes. In the first, we watch as Bauby gives his father a shave, their banter casual but somewhat dismissive. In the latter, we watch as von Sydow speaks to his now locked-in son over the phone, who cannot say a word back. Saying goodbye to a child might seem like a cloying moment for any actor to go over the top, but von Sydow builds the scene around his character attempting to retain dignity in this moment, to stay strong for his son. But how can one do that? When he breaks down into tears finally, we do as well.
