There isn’t much Viggo Mortensen won’t try his hand at. His interest in all things art has allowed him to add writer, musician, painter, and photographer (to name but a few) to his job titles, but towering above them all are his talents as an actor. Ever since his debut in the classic 1985 thriller Witness, Mortensen has established himself as one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, with his versatility as an artist extending to his choice of roles. With performances in projects ranging from big blockbusters like The Lord of the Rings movies to indie films like Captain Fantastic, Mortensen's career shows impressive range. Despite this, many of them lack the recognition they rightfully deserve, so an examination of his most essential performances throughout his nearly forty-year career is long overdue.
Cameron Dove in The Reflecting Skin (1990)
One of Mortensen’s first starring roles remains his most underrated film in the gothic horror/arthouse cult favorite The Reflecting Skin. Eight-year-old Seth Dove (Jeremy Cooper) lives on an isolated prairie in the middle of the American outback during the 1950s, and after an encounter with a local widow Dolphin Blue (Lindsay Duncan), he becomes convinced his lonely next-door neighbor is actually a two-hundred-year-old vampire. Mortensen plays Seth’s older brother Cameron, who begins the film away in the military, but returns after the midpoint to begin a romance with Dolphin, much to Seth’s horror. Even though he arrives late to the party, Mortensen ensures his presence is felt as he slips further under Dolphin’s spell, but he is careful to never overshadow the impressionable young boy at the core of the story. It’s a criminally underappreciated film, playing out like a twisted remake of Days of Heaven by way of a David Lynch nightmare, with director Philip Ridley creating one of the most unique coming-of-age films in the process.
Frank Roberts in The Indian Runner (1991)
The directorial debut of Sean Penn, this 1991 crime drama boasts one of Mortensen’s most insidious characters with Frank Roberts. Based on the Bruce Springsteen song “Highway Patrolman”, The Indian Runner tells the story of two brothers on opposing sides of the law: Joe (David Morse), a small-town deputy, and Frank, a criminal who has a long history getting on the wrong side of the police. While some of Penn’s directorial choices highlight his inexperience as a filmmaker (the sheer quantity of narration being chief among them), his ability to craft solid performances from his fellow actors illustrates where his skills as a filmmaker lie. The tense but authentic interactions between Frank and his family are the highlight of the film, with Mortensen doing an excellent job portraying a character so at odds with civilized life that he can’t even comprehend how others deal with it. The famous bar scene between him and Morse, where Frank confesses his torment to a brother he loves despite his stubborn refusal to show it, stands as one of the defining moments of Mortensen’s career.
Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings (2001)
No article about Viggo Mortensen is complete without mention of not only his most iconic role, but one that can also be ranked alongside Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones as one of the most recognizable characters in cinema. Aragorn’s arc across Peter Jackson’s epic trilogy, from a ranger living in the wildlands of Middle-earth to reclaiming his rightful place as King of Gondor, makes for some of the most enthralling filmmaking ever put to a film, a fact made even more impressive since his story is only one part of an absolutely ginormous narrative. Mortensen’s respect for the source material shines through in every moment, and during his climactic speech before the battle of Mordor in The Return of the King, it’s impossible not to be rallied up yourself as he leads his men into the most important battle of their lives. Interestingly, Mortensen was not the original choice for the role, with Jackson’s first pick Stuart Townsend being fired the day before filming after the director decided he was too young for the part. While it does provoke an interesting what-if question, it’s clear from Aragorn’s first scene when he saves Frodo and his fellow hobbits from the Nazgûl that Jackson made the right decision. Rarely does an actor and a character sync up as perfectly as this, and Mortensen remains a crucial reason why the trilogy remains so popular.
Tom Stall in A History of Violence (2005)
The first of many collaborators with the great David Cronenberg, A History of Violence sees Mortensen as Tom Stall, the owner of a small-town diner who is propelled into stardom after killing two robbers in his restaurant. While hailed as a local hero, he finds himself drawing the attention of gangster Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris), and it soon becomes clear this innocent diner owner is hiding more than he lets on. Despite a relatively simple plot, Cronenberg utilizes it to wonderful effect to examine how audiences condemn violence in real life whilst simultaneously flocking to the latest action film when it hits the cinema, and Mortensen does an impressive job portraying the burden a history of violence leaves on someone that other likeminded films usually ignore. He himself has described it as “close to perfect” and potentially the best film he has appeared in, and given how successfully it analyzes such a sensitive topic while still being an exciting action film, it’s hard to say otherwise.
Nikolai Luzhin in Eastern Promises (2007)
Mortensen didn’t wait long to reunite with Cronenberg, this time swapping the innocence of small-town America for the bleak misery of London in an equally violent but still compelling crime thriller. Eastern Promises stars Mortensen as Nikolai Luzhin, the driver for a high-ranking member of the Russian mafia who crosses paths with Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts) as she attempts to locate the family of an abandoned baby. While certainly not a film for those looking for an upbeat time, Eastern Promises showcases Mortensen and Cronenberg at the top of their game, with a knife fight in a sauna standing as one of the most perfectly crafted action scenes in cinema. Mortensen is utterly believable in the role of a Russian gangster, and his performance earned him his first nomination at the Oscars for best actor.
The Man in The Road (2009)
The original Cormac McCarthy novel contains some of the bleakest writing to ever grace a page, and John Hillcoat’s 2009 adaptation is more than happy to keep the misery intact for this haunting (but powerful) story. Mortensen and Kodi Smit-McPhee star as an unnamed father and son trying their best to survive in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where supplies are scarce and humanity even rarer. It’s dreary stuff, but the few sparks of compassion sprinkled throughout make it a fascinating look at the human condition. The man, with his careworn look chiseled solid from his endless hunger and sleeplessness, is less a real person and more a machine that exists solely to protect his son, and Mortensen does a commendable job capturing the resilience of the character.
Chester MacFarland in The Two Faces of January (2014)
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=1500&dpr=1.5)
Any adaptation of a Patricia Highsmith novel is sure to contain enough thrills to make Alfred Hitchcock jealous, and combined with the screenwriting talents of Hossein Amini (of Killshot and Drive fame), it was impossible for The Two Faces of January to be anything other than a crowd-pleasing slice of nail-biting entertainment. The result is a fun, if nothing revolutionary, venture into the genre, with Mortensen playing the role of a con man who attempts to flee Greece after becoming embroiled in a murder. Watching the interplay between Mortensen and the mysterious stranger Rydal Keener (Oscar Isaac) as they try to gain the upper hand in their duel of subterfuge and deception is a joy to behold, and seeing Mortensen’s pleasant demeanor slowly break as his truer, more sinister, side comes to prominence proves a startling reminder of his versatility as an actor.
Ben Cash in Captain Fantastic (2016)
This quirky 2016 indie drama sees Mortensen tapping into his own back-to-nature spirit in a role that feels like it’s only a stone’s throw away from who he truly is. Ben Cash lives with his wife Leslie and their six children in an isolated section of the Washington wilderness, far away from the troubles of the modern world, but following Leslie’s sudden passing they are forced away from their idyllic life to prevent her parents from giving her a Christian burial (against her wishes to be cremated and then flushed down a toilet). Despite a collective of children following his every step, Captain Fantastic is very much the Viggo Mortensen show as he crafts Ben into one of his greatest characters. He’s a man of such warmth and compassion, beloved by the children he has so caringly raised, but he’s also stubborn to the point of insanity as he dodges the realization that he may have done his children irreversible damage. It’s no easy task playing a character of such depth, but Mortensen carries it off perfectly, and his performance earned him another best actor nomination for his troubles.
John Petersen in Falling (2020)
The most recent entry on this list also serves as Mortensen’s directing and screenwriting debut, adding yet more things to his seemingly endless CV. Falling sees Mortensen in the role of John Petersen, a middle-aged gay man who is forced to take in his homophobic father Willis (Lance Henriksen) after he starts exhibiting signs of dementia. It’s not an easy film to like, with Willis proving himself to be one of the most unlikeable characters in recent history, but it taps into the hardship of having to live with relatives you might not like but still find yourself responsible for in a touching story. Despite only appearing in the lead role due to the lack of major stars making it difficult to secure funding, Mortensen delivers yet another solid performance in a career that has been nothing but. Whether Falling marks the start of a new career path or if it will just be a one-off remains to be seen, but regardless of which direction Mortensen takes, there’s no doubt it will be worth watching.