Oscar Isaac is one of the most exciting and busy actors around and he is back on the big screen this week as he leads the cast of Mojave.
Oscar Isaac in Mojave
Mojave sees Isaac tackle the thriller genre as he teams up with Garrett Hedlund, Mark Wahlberg and filmmaker William Monahan.
To celebrate the release of Mojave, we look back over Isaac's career so far and some of the actor's best big screen performances.
- Drive (2011)
Isaac may not have had the lead role in Drive, but it was a terrific supporting performance nonetheless. The movie saw the actor team up with director Nicholas Winding Refn for the first time and star alongside Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan - who play neighbours driver and Irene.
Isaac plays Mulligan's ex-convict husband Standard Gabriel, who pulls Gosling's character into a dangerous criminal underworld - something that has devastating consequences.
There is an interesting relationship between Isaac and Gosling in the film as Standard realises that driver loves his wife and has been a huge support to her while he has been in prison - something that he seems to accept. From the moment that they meet, there is a friendly tension as they both love the same woman. However, it is because of driver's desire to protect Irene that he agrees to help Standard.
Of course, it is Gosling who is the film's lead actor but Isaac gives a controlled and layered performance in the film in this supporting role.
Drive was a movie that really helped elevate Isaac's career and he would soon move from supporting actor to leading man.
- Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
And a big leading role came at the beginning of 2014 when he played the title character in Inside Llewyn Davis, which saw him work with directors Joel and Ethan Coen for the first time.
Inside Llewyn Davis proved to be the major breakout role that Isaac had been looking for - he really hasn't looked back as his star has been on the rise ever since.
The movie follows singer Llewyn Davis during a week of his life as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961. Isaac reunited with Carey Mulligan while Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Adam Driver, and Garrett Hedlund were also on the cast list.
There is a melancholy feel to this whole film but, at the same time, Inside Llewyn Davis is smart and funny and was one of the best films to hit the big screen in 2014. Isaac delivers a terrific and rather sad performance as Llewyn and he really is the heart and soul of this film.
This character study movie was a film project that really allowed Isaac to shine and he certainly did not pass on the opportunity to show everyone what a talented actor he is. The film, and Isaac's central performance, were met with acclaim upon the film's release. I really would like to see this actor team up with the Coen brothers again in the future.
- A Most Violent Year (2015)
A Most Violent Year hit the big screen in the UK at the beginning of 2015 and kicked off what was to be a very busy and successful year for the actor.
Taking the lead once again, Isaac plays an ambitious immigrant businessman as he struggles to protect his family and interests in New York during the winter of 1981. Jessica Chastain played his no-nonsense wife while Elyes Gabel, Albert Brooks and David Oyelowo were also on the cast list.
A Most Violent Year marked the return of J.C. Chandor to the director's chair for his first film since All Is Lost. As well as being in the director's chair, Chandor also penned the film's terrific screenplay.
This is a movie that is dripping with realism and you really do get the feel that this was an incredibly difficult time to do business. This is an incredibly interesting take on the American Dream, as we follow a man who is determined to stand by what he believes in to make his business a success.
Isaac delivers another fine performance that would only cement his has a major leading man. He has a wonderful chemistry with Chastain and it is this central relationship that really drives this film forward.
A Most Violent Year was met with acclaim when it was released and was one of the best crime dramas of 2015.
- Ex Machina (2015)
While Isaac has delivered some terrific performances in recent years, Ex Machina has to be my favourite film starring this talented actor. For me, this was not only the best science fiction film of last year, but it is one of the best sci-fi movies of recent times.
Ex Machina saw Alex Garland - who is best known for writing scripts for 28 Days Later, Sunshine, and Dredd - makes his feature film directorial debut... and what a triumphant debut it turned out to be.
The film follows Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson), a young programmer, who is invited by his employer, the eccentric billionaire Nathan Bateman (Isaac), to administer the Turing test to an android with artificial intelligence (Alicia Vikander).
The movie is driven by three central performances from Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, and Alicia Vikander as the reclusive CEO, Nathan Batman, introverted programmer Caleb Smith and AI, Ava. Isaac is fantastic as Nathan, a man with a god complex who thinks he has power over everything that he creates.
Isaac has an interesting relationship with Gleeson, who takes on the role of the young programmer who is chosen by Nathan to come and take part in an experiment with the AI.at first, Caleb is in awe of Nathan and what he has achieved... until Caleb begins to question Nathan and a power struggle begins between the pair.
Ex Machina is a movie that will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish and explores some interesting themes and ideas - that will leave you asking a lot of questions as the credits roll. If you are a fan of any of the actors involved, Ex Machina is a film that you really should check out.
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
Isaac turned his hand to the big budget blockbuster last year as he joined the cast of the critically acclaimed box office smash Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The Force Awakens was the seventh film in the franchise and the first instalment for a decade. While there were some familiar face on board, Isaac was one of the new characters brought in to take the franchise forward.
Isaac took on the role of Poe Dameron, the 'best pilot in the galaxy.' Isaac's brief but incredibly charismatic performance was a highlight of the blockbusting return to a Galaxy Far Far Away. With many of us nervous to see if the film would work, it was Isaac's early and pitch-perfect delivery that put our minds to rest.
The Force Awakens saw Isaac star alongside Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Drive, Domhnall Gleeson, and Andy Serkis while J.J. Abrams is in the director's chair.
The movie became the third feature to gross over $2 billion at the global box office and was the highest-grossing film of last year.
Mojave is released in cinemas as on demand on 25th March.
Tagged in Star Wars Oscar Isaac