Top 4 Michael Shannon Movies

by Helen Earnshaw | 23 June 2016

We are big fans of Michael Shannon here at FemaleFirst and he is back on the big screen this weekend with Elvis & Nixon.

Elvis & Nixon

The Oscar-nominated actor is set to play Elvis Presley opposite Kevin Spacey, who takes on the role of President Nixon. The movie chronicles the meeting between these two men in December 1970.

To celebrate the release of Elvis & Nixon we take a look back at Shannon's career and some of his best acting performances. Which is your favourite?

- Frank & Lola (2016)

Frank & Lola was released earlier this year and is one of the films that lit up the Sundance Film Festival at the beginning of 2016, where it received its world premiere.

The movie saw Matthew Ross on both directing and writing duties. This marked his feature film directorial debut - he is one of the most exciting new filmmakers to come out of the festival this year.

Frank & Lola is a psychosexual noir love story -- set in Las Vegas and Paris -- about love, obsession, sex, betrayal, revenge and, ultimately, the search for redemption. Shannon took on the role of Frank while Imogen Poots played Lola. The duo was joined on the cast list by Michael Nyqvist, Justin Long, Rosanna Arquette, and Emmanuelle Devos.

Shannon really does shine in the role of Frank in what turns into a dark film about male jealousy. Shannon really does capture the darkness and the obsessive nature of this character beautifully. He balances elements of charm and menace in a way that really will send a chill down your spine.

I love his on-screen chemistry with Poots and together they weave a complex story about relationships that really does draw the audience in. However, it is Shannon's explosive performance that really will keep you hooked.

Frank & Lola went on to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival where it - and Shannon's performance - were met well by audiences and critics.

- 99 Homes (2015)

Another recent performance by Shannon came last year as he starred in 99 Homes, alongside Andrew Garfield. The movie saw Ramin Bahrani back in the director's chair - he also teamed up with Amir Naderi to pen the film's screenplay.

A recently unemployed single father struggles to get back his foreclosed home by working for the real estate broker who is the source of his frustration.

99 Homes is a movie that explores themes that really are all too common, from the outrageous practices of our banks that have led to thousands of people losing their own homes. This is a movie that looks at how the downturn in the economy in recent years has impacted on the everyday lives of normal people and those who have benefitted from that suffering.

99 Homes explores the fears that everyone has of bankruptcy, the thought of losing everything, and the lengths people will go to to make sure that doesn't happen.

Michael Shannon is simply terrific as Rick Carver and he really does steal the show. Carver is a man that you just love to hate and Shannon captures that greed and heartlessness perfectly.

From start to finish, 99 Homes is a provocative and heart-breaking movie that is a great morality tale. Shannon and Garfield really do drive forward a film that has an awful lot to say.

99 Homes played extensively on the festival circuit last year, where it competed for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and won the Grand Prix prize at the Deauville American Film Festival.

- Take Shelter (2011)

In recent years, Shannon and Jeff Nichols has developed a fantastic actor/director relationship - delivering a string of quality movies. Take Shelter was released back in 2011 and was their second film together; coming four years after Shotgun Stories.

Nichols was back in the director's chair and was on writing duties. Shannon took on the central role of Curtis and was joined on the cast list Jessica Chastain, Tova Stewart, and Shea Whigham.

Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from himself.

Take Shelter walks a fine line between being a film that is dark, foreboding with a prophecy element to it was well as exploring mental health and the type of care that is available and the way that it is perceived in rural America.

Shannon's character is a man who is on the edge and is driven forward by the visions that he claims to see. He is a tortured soul who is doing the best for his family, whilst putting a strain on the family at the same time.

There is a feeling of unease that hangs over the whole film - and you know that something terrible is never too far away. Shannon's performance really is the film's anchor and it remains one of the best performances of his career to date.

Take Shelter is a movie that was met well by the critics upon release and really cemented Shannon & Nichols as an exciting actor/director partnership.

- Revolutionary Road (2009)

Hard to believe that it was back in 2009 when Revolutionary Road hit the big screen and saw Shannon team up with Kate Winslet, Leonardo DiCaprio, and filmmaker Sam Mendes; it was the first time that the actor work with the Oscar-winning director.

Revolutionary Road was an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Richard Yates and was the first feature for Mendes since Jarhead back in 2005.

Winslet and DiCaprio may have landed the central roles in Revolutionary Road, but this was the movie the proved to be the 'breakthrough' film for Shannon in the role of John Givens. He may have just a couple of scenes as Katy Bates' oddball son, but he really does steal the show.

Shannon has a knack of creating tension in an intimate setting and that is exactly what he does with his limited screen time in Revolutionary Road. Shannon may have had a limited role in the film, but he went on to pick up his first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He lost out to Heath Ledger for his performance in The Dark Knight.

Revolutionary Road is a powerful and moving study about a marriage that is slowly failing and tearing itself apart in the process.

Winslet and DiCaprio are also on top form while Mendes has created a film that is absorbing as it is sobering.

The film went on to be nominated for three Oscars; Best Supporting Actor, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design.