Johnny Simmons

As long as I live I’ll always think of Colin Firth as the polar opposite of Ralph Fiennes. I’m perfectly aware that it dates back to me putting way too much credence in the duo they played over a decade ago in The English Patient– but when I weigh Fiennes’ austere cinematic countenance as against Firth’s easy joviality I can’t help it, which makes me just a little bit annoyed that Firth seems headed to that Oscar podium when such a future seems dubious for Fiennes. For, if there’s any British actor under 50 who should have been laurelled by now it’s Fiennes. Today’s his birthday, and watching over his credits I realise that he’s not done that many films – it just feels as if he has, but there’s ubiquity for you – and here are my top 5 performances of his.

“ I hate you, God. I hate you as though you existed”

                              

“I can't go home. Tessa was my home.”

                         

“The truth, Helen, is always the right answer.”

                      

                      

I’d have give him an Oscar for the top two, easily and at least nominated him for the others – but you know when I’m nepotistic towards someone how it gets. I’m still waiting for his adaptation of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus to be – the fact that he’s in a leading role and helming a film that just happens to star the absolutely luminous Vanessa Redgrave just makes me thrilled.

         

(I haven’t seen his acclaimed performances in either Spider or Land of the Blind, unfortunately.)

...wherein we come to the end. It's been lovely looking at the nineties in review, and I'm not going to end with a list of my favourite films from the period. That would be boring. Instead, I will highlight the ten best Ensemble Works from the decade. Firstly, remember this list is purely personal. So you may disagree. Secondly, this is not a list of my ten favourite films of the nineties. It's all about the ensemble, those films where you feel every actor is working in tandem with each other. The sort of "You jump, I jump" scenario from the actors. Yes, that one's there.