5. Batman Returns (1992)
I could have put anything from "True Romance" to "The King of New York" to the Oscar Nominated role in "Catch Me if You Can" in this spot, but I used the personal favorite spot to put up the first role I ever saw Walken in. Tim Burton cast Walken as Gotham business mogul, Max Shreck, in his second installment of the "Batman" series. This really isn't one of his best roles, seriously, but it introduced me, and for that I am eternally grateful to it. Walken is silly, over-the-top, and cartoony as this villain who inadvertently creates Catwoman by pushing Selina Kyle out of a window.
4. Seven Psychopaths (2012)
Spoiler Alert: This was one of those moments where, after seeing Walken essentially play himself for years (because he could), you could tell he wan't phoning it in with this one. Through the film you hear the story of a Quaker who stalks the killer of his daughter, and drives him to suicide, in turn slitting his own throat to follow him to Hell. This turns out to be Hans: a man who kidnaps dogs, and returns them for the reward to help pay for his wife's hospital bills. Walken is tender and comical in this role, and he turns out to be the very soul of the film. From his introduction to his death he commands every bit of screen he inhabits, and every bit of attention from the audience.
3. The Prophecy (1993)
HOLY CRAP! Is Walken creepy in this film,or what? He plays the Angel Gabriel who has fallen to Earth to find a dark soul that will help him overthrow Heaven for placing man above all creatures. He is so shady, and so slimy in this film, that is hard not to fall in love with the way he moves through the world created. His singular focus drives his psychopathic behavior, and his imposing demeanor toward the human characters is often unnerving. This is truly the typical Walken character at its absolute best.
2. The Deer Hunter (1978)
This is such a heart-breaking film, and Walken is the one who breaks most of it. His gritty portrayal of a Pennsylvania Steel worker thrust into the Vietnam War is haunting and worthy of the many accolades that were given to him, including the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The isolation and pain he exuded in every scene was brilliant, and his fear and desperation while being forced to play Russian Roulette is so honestly played that is hard to watch that scene without shifting in your seat. Great performances like this only happen every so often, and thankfully for us, this was one of them.
1. The Dead Zone (1983)
You probably thought I was going to pick Walken's scene stealing role in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" for the number one spot, didn't you? With only five spots, and the brilliant performance in "Seven Psychopaths", I couldn't fit it. However, only four years after winning an Oscar, we got Walken starring as Johnny Smith in David Cronenberg's adaptation of Stephen King's "The Dead Zone". After being in a coma for five years, following a near fatal car crash, Smith awakens to find the world has moved on without him, his girlfriend is married with a child, he now walks with a limp, and, OH YEAH, he can now see the future when he touches people. Walken is brilliant in this tale of morality and the measure of a man when he is pushed to do the right thing. If you haven't seen this wonderful adaptation, you absolutely should. It is one of Cronenberg's sanest films, and one of the few times you don't get to see Walken play one of his trademark Walken characters.
Also:
This Fatboy Slim Video
This brilliant SNL sketch
And this hilarious "Walking Dead" parody. It doesn't have Walken in it, but it's still good.
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