Ben Mendelsohn lived in the United States and Europe for most of his childhood. But by the time he was in high school, he had returned to Australia to live with his grandmother. He became interested in performing after taking a drama class that he assumed would be simple to complete. In 1987, he made his big screen debut as Trevor in The Year My Voice Broke, an Australian coming-of-age drama.
In The Dark Knight Rises, Mendelsohn made his debut in the DC Universe as Daggett, a minor antagonist. While he is most known for his nasty portrayals, Ben Mendelsohn has demonstrated that he has a lot more to offer fans in films like Babyteeth (2019).
If you haven’t already, you should check out some of Ben Mendelsohn’s best performances.
1. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Director- Gareth Edwards
Rogue One (2016) chronicles the outcast Jyn Erso and how she came to join the Rebel Alliance. After the rise of the Galactic Empire in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) and before the Battle of Yavin in Star Wars (1977). Jyn finds herself in the centre of the ultimate fight between the Rebels and the Empire after joining the Alliance. Her father Galen has developed a terrible super-weapon: the Death Star, a battle station capable of destroying a whole planet.
2. The Land of Steady Habits (2018)
Director- Nicole Holofcener
Anders Harris, locked in the suffocating, rich enclave of Westport, Connecticut, retires from his financial profession. He divorces his wife in the hopes of rekindling his passion for life. Andres is swiftly confronted with the stunning reality of his choices. He spends his days hunting for stuff to fill his empty shelves, sleeping with strangers, and feeling hopelessly lost. Anders befriends a drug-addicted kid, putting him down a path of reckless and regrettable behaviour. While missing his ex-wife and on the outs with his difficult 27-year-old son. His heinous actions make him rethink who he is as a father and, ultimately, as a human being.
3. Animal Kingdom (2010)
Director- David Michod
After his mother dies of an overdose, young Joshua “J” Cody (James Frecheville) is taken in by his extended family in this gritty Australian crime thriller. J’s scheming grandmother, Janine (Jacki Weaver), oversees this branch of the Cody clan. It is deeply involved in numerous illegal operations and soon indoctrinates the child into their way of life. When a cop named Leckie (Guy Pearce) offers to help J escape the family, J is offered the opportunity to follow a different path.
4. Ready Player One (2018)
Director- Steven Spielberg
The late James Halliday’s parallel virtual universe, euphemistically dubbed the “Oasis,” relieves the stress of a sad daily life in a not-so-distant and gloomy 2045, with millions of internet users preferring the huge and colourful cyberworld over their bleak reality. Because everyone may be anyone they want in the Oasis, Wade Watts—or, better yet, Parzival, after his avatar—is obsessed with locating an elusive Easter Egg placed meticulously inside the code, which will allow him to inherit not just an enormous fortune but also complete control of the game. Three trials, three keys, a ruthless competition, and a legion of professional no-joke players all vying for the same prize.
5. Bloodline (2015-2017)
Created By- Todd A. Kessler, Glenn Kessler, Daniel Zelman
Bloodline is an American drama-thriller set in Florida that premiered on Netflix. When Danny Rayburn (Mendelsohn), the black sheep, returns home and announces his determination to stay and assist his elderly parents run their coastal hotel, peace and quiet are thrown to the wind. John (Kyle Chandler), Kevin (Norbert Leo Butz), and Meg (Linda Cardellini), his three younger siblings, approach him with caution and scepticism due to his reputation and prior deeds.
6. Babyteeth (2019)
Director- Shannon Murphy
Milla’s parents’ worst dread comes true when she falls deeply in love with a smalltime heroin dealer. Things get nasty when Milla’s first brush with love gives her a new desire for life, and old morals are cast aside. Milla quickly demonstrates how to live like you have nothing to lose to everyone in her orbit, including her parents, Moses, a compassionate music teacher, a blossoming kid violinist, and a disarmingly honest pregnant neighbour. What should have been a disaster for the Finlay family ends up being an opportunity to let go and discover grace in the midst of life’s magnificent chaos. Babyteeth discusses how lovely it is to not be dead yet and how far we will go for love in a joyful way.
7. Una (2016)
Director- Benedict Andrews
Una, a young woman in her late twenties who lives with her mother and is tormented by a terrible background, is locked in a dead-end profession, longing for a way out in fleeting liaisons with strangers at nightclubs. Una will be compelled to visit an old photo of a man who used to be close to her at his office in similar conditions, without knowing what to expect from her unannounced and, above all, unpleasant visit.
8. Starred Up (2013)
Director- David Mackenzie
Because of his aggressiveness, Eric Love, a friendly and ruthless nineteen-year-old, is transferred from a juvenile offender institution to an adult prison. When Eric arrives, the volunteer therapist Oliver Baumer encourages him to join his therapy group. Eric, on the other hand, runs into his missing father, Neville Love, who is a henchman for the prison’s leader, Dennis Spencer. Neville tries to exert control over Eric, which has a negative impact on his therapy involvement. Meanwhile, Deputy Governor Hayes disapproves of Baumer’s treatment and gives Eric only one chance to change his ways.
9. Darkest Hour (2017)
Director- Joe Wright
During World War II, as Adolf Hitler’s mighty Wehrmacht rampages through Europe, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain is forced to resign, with Winston Churchill being recommended as his replacement. Churchill, even in his early days as the country’s leader, is under pressure to either begin peace negotiations with Hitler or battle the seemingly unstoppable Nazi regime head-on, no matter what the cost. Churchill has no choice but to shine in the country’s darkest hour, no matter how difficult or risky his decision is.
10. Lost River (2014)
Director- Ryan Gosling
a gloomy fairy tale about love, family, and the struggle to stay alive in the face of adversity Billy, a single mother of two, is lured into a macabre underworld in her attempt to rescue her childhood home and keep her family together in the almost abandoned city of Lost River. Bones, her adolescent son, learns a mystery regarding the origins of Lost River, which piques his interest and sets in motion an unexpected trip that will push him and those he loves to their limits.
5 Top Poetic Cinemas That Will Leave You Mesmerized
