Make the Case: 5 Essential Alan Rickman Movies

At the end of the day, I have to realize that everyone and their alcoholic imaginary friend has already turned in an Alan Rickman tribute. For two reasons, I feel compelled to join the ranks.

In the first place, writing tributes and obituaries is a cathartic experience for me. As depressing as these types of articles tend to be, and as much as I sometimes would rather hear about Donald Trump’s first handjob, than ever have to write about the dead ever again, writing them does help. It seems silly to grieve for those you have never met, but here we are. Alan Rickman is a good example of someone whose company I never enjoyed, but whose work and (public) personality inspired me nonetheless. Sometimes, you have to do something that allows you to say goodbye to someone like that. Marathons are great to that end.

In the second place, I want to share with you my own picks for the best Alan Rickman movies of all time. After all, at the end of the day, talking about movies is one of my ongoing hobbies. I love to trade top fives. I love to argue, up to a point. Consider this latest Make the Case to be my end of an ongoing conversation about a truly great actor.

The greatness of Rickman as an actor was never really disputed in his lifetime. Nonetheless, it is inspiring in a way to see so many people emphasizing that fact, in the wake of his passing, in a variety of unique, engaging ways. Rickman’s range of roles makes for a diverse film festival. Certain favorites can be found on almost any list you can find. At the same time, there are also picks that are rarer than others. Alan Rickman quite simply played just about every type of character you can possibly imagine. Some of these characters grabbed millions. Others grabbed only a few. All of them are a testament to the versatility and humanity of someone who left us entirely too soon.

There is no question in my mind that Rickman could have continued to excel at his craft for another 15, 20 years.

As it is, we will have to “settle” for what we have, which amounts to an extraordinary list of films.

 

1. Die Hard (1988)

The first Die Hard remains the favorite with a lot of people. There are a number of reasons as to why that is the case. Alan Rickman’s film debut as the German bank robber Hans Gruber is going to be at the top of any list of reasons for most.

Although his accent is a wee bit hard to place, it doesn’t really matter. Rickman had never acted in a feature film. In fact, he had only been working as an actor at that point for about a decade. Yet as the primary antagonist for Bruce Willis’ relentless, sarcastic John McClane, he carries himself with the confidence of someone who has been playing cunning, charming mastermind villains for years. He is instantly one of the most interesting characters in the movie. His concept of action movie bad guy is one that a lot of movie bad guys in the present could draw from. Die Hard probably could have worked without him, but it’s hard to imagine how.

2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991)

This is a pretty stupid fucking movie, even when you take Kevin Costner’s wooden, powerfully lazy performance as the titular character out of the equation. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is corny, bloated, and weirdly pretentious. It also has what I would personally consider to be one of my very favorite Alan Rickman performances of all time.

Only a true, bloodless cynic would shit on Rickman’s Sheriff of Nottingham. It is so absurdly, wonderfully over-the-top. It is literally the only thing in the movie that will probably keep your interest going, unless you like overproduced star vehicles from the early 90s (and hey, some people do). Rickman generally played very reserved men in his film choices. Prince of Thieves lets him chew, eat, and spit out whole warehouses full of scenery. It is endlessly delightful.

 

3. Dogma (1999)

Alan Rickman appeared in both Dogma and Galaxy Quest in 1999. While both films offer hilarious, droll performances from the man, I ultimately decided to choose the former. I love both films deeply. I would also make the case that overall, Galaxy Quest is a better movie than Dogma. However, speaking strictly in terms of Rickman performances, I have to go with Dogma.

However you might feel about Kevin Smith’s deranged look at faith and spiritual quests, Dogma has an intensely entertaining Alan Rickman performance going for it. The Metatron would clearly rather do almost anything, than to have to deal with Jay and Silent Bob for even one more brain-damaging moment. However, he’s stuck with the gig, and the joy of watching him deal with that comes in Rickman’s flawlessly dry delivery. Pay attention to his facial expressions, as well. He is an angel occasionally wishing he had been given a different vocation.

 

4. Snow Cake (2006)

It’s a shame that Rickman rarely got to play the sympathetic lead. For the most part, his career was devoted to villains, or at least protagonists in ensemble pieces. Snow Cake, which involves a man (Rickman) trying to pay respects to a mentally ill woman (Sigourney Weaver), whose daughter perished in a car accident he was involved in. Snow Cake is obviously a drama. Occasionally, it descends into being a pretty dreary one.

However, it makes this list for the fact that Rickman excels as the haunted survivor of that car accident. His struggle to make and find peace drives the movie. It lets him play a character who, for him, is fairly unique. It’s not that he never played people who had to deal with regret and suffocating agony. It’s just that he rarely got to carry the bulk of the dramatic weight for a film. Weaver is excellent, as well, playing a special needs woman without ever taking the performance to ridiculous heights. However, Rickman is definitely the main point of interest here. While this is not his best movie by a long shot, it is a movie that deserves to be seen by more people. In terms of painting the most diverse picture possible of Rickman’s talent as an actor, it is essential.

 

5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011)

Picking just one Harry Potter film is kind of impossible, particularly in terms of choosing the one which best showcased Alan Rickman as Severus Snape. Ultimately, we’re going with the last entry in the franchise (as of right now, anyway). In the second part of the Deathly Hallows, we get the opportunity to see Snape as he truly is. We finally confront a man who has had to endure perhaps the most debilitating, dangerous circumstances of any other character. Snape becomes representative of the concept that hope can come from unlikely places. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 just barely misses greatness. However, it is a pretty satisfying conclusion to the saga of Harry Potter. The end of the line for Snape is just one example of that thought.

Choosing this film above the others comes down to this: in Deathly Hallows Part 2, there is understandably a lot going on. Snape’s story still manages to stand out, and Rickman’s final turn as his most famous character is riveting.