Robert De Niro‘s latest movie, “The Alto Knights,” gives the Oscar winner twice as many roles as usual. Directed by Barry Levinson and written by “Goodfellas” writer Nicholas Pileggi, the film charts the real-life power struggle between 1950s Mafia bosses Vito Genovese and Frank Costello as it spirals into an all-out, blood-on-the-streets conflict. De Niro plays both Genovese and Costello in the drama, which also stars Debra Messing and “Shōgun” breakout Cosmo Jarvis.
De Niro is not the first major actor in Hollywood history to take on the sizable challenge of playing more than one role in a film. Some have even dared to take on more than two (see: Peter Sellers in “Dr. Strangelove,” Eddie Murphy in “Coming to America.”) In honor of De Niro’s dual turns in “The Alto Knights,” though, here are five other great films that also star actors in two roles.
Jake Gyllenhaal in “Enemy”
“Enemy” is director Denis Villeneuve’s surreal, nightmarish drama about identity, desire and the dynamic between men and women. At the center of it are two performances from star Jake Gyllenhaal, who also collaborated with Villeneuve on 2013’s “Prisoners.” Gyllenhaal stars in “Enemy” as a quiet, good-hearted college professor who discovers while watching a movie one night that he has an actor doppelgänger. After searching for the man, the two eventually meet and discover that they could not be any more different from each other, despite being so identical that they even bear the exact same scars.
Before long, one has talked the other into swapping lives, and a web of deceit, envy and sexual desire is quickly spun. Amidst all of its disorienting images and sequences is Gyllenhaal, who anchors the hazy, difficult-to-grasp film with a humanity that is not always endearing but nonetheless compelling. His usual, intense presence is toned down for one character and amped up for the other in a bit of actorly calibration that keeps you on your toes. Ultimately, it is a testament to the importance of Gyllenhaal’s work in “Enemy” that the film’s unforgettable final image is fittingly nothing more than its star’s face.
“Enemy” is streaming now for free on Pluto TV and PLEX.
Lupita Nyong’o in “Us”
Jordan Peele is a filmmaker with an impressive array of skills as both a writer and a director. His best weapon in “Us,” however, is Lupita Nyong’o. The Oscar winner takes on double duty in the film, Peele’s follow-up to 2017’s “Get Out,” playing both a comfortable American woman and her vicious, impoverished doppelgänger. The film follows Nyong’o’s Adelaide as she, her husband, kids and neighbors all find themselves on the receiving end of a sudden, planned attack from their violent, vengeful and largely non-verbal doubles, all of whom wear matching red jumpsuits and carry the same oversized scissors.
“Us” is not as good as “Get Out,” its metaphors come across clunkier and less elegant than the latter’s, but watching the film is still an arresting experience. That is due in no small part to Nyong’o. She is terrifying, capable and completely entrancing. Her performances form the kind of awe-inspiring feat that warrants genuine awards consideration — even if said prestige recognition never actually comes. That was, unfortunately, the case for Nyong’o, whose performances in “Us” supercharge the high-concept thriller — giving it with an edge of rabid, recognizable human desperation that makes it impossible to look away even when some of the film’s plot twists leave you briefly scratching your head.
“Us” is available to rent now on all major digital platforms.
Nicolas Cage in “Adaptation”
Nicolas Cage has never been afraid to take big swings. He has, in fact, built a career doing just that, and his work in “Adaptation” qualifies as one of his biggest and most successful creative risks. The film, director Spike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman’s follow-up to 1999’s “Being John Malkovich,” stars Cage as fictional identical twin brothers Charlie and Donald Kaufman. Cage’s Charlie is a neurotic screenwriter whose anxiety just goes further through the roof when he is hired to adapt a popular book. Donald, conversely, is the opposite of his brother, which is to say that he is full of confidence both personally and socially.
When Donald decides to become a screenwriter and immediately experiences six-figure success, Charlie’s already low self-confidence further plummets. Abandoning any and all vanity, Cage is mesmerizing in “Adaptation.” He throws himself fully into both roles — making you feel the discomfort of the anxious, relentlessly unsure Charlie as well as the breezy, uncomplicated confidence of Donald. He transforms himself right in front of your very eyes — turning in two wildly different performances that captivate you and also complement each other in ways that greatly heighten the tortured emotions of the film.
“Adaptation” is available to rent now on all major digital platforms.
Sam Rockwell in “Moon”
In case you ever needed a reminder why Sam Rockwell is one of the best character actors working today, just look at “Moon.” Rockwell stars in director Duncan Jones’ directorial debut as Sam Bell, the lone human responsible for manning and operating a lunar corporate mining facility. When an accident nearly results in his death, he discovers that he is actually one of many clones who have been secretly created by his corporate bosses to avoid paying new human workers to take over his position. Much of “Moon” is dedicated to the relationship that forms between one of Bell’s rapidly deteriorating clones and a freshly printed one.
Rockwell, for his part(s), effortlessly anchors the film, despite being asked to carry it almost entirely on his back. He movingly conveys the frustration his characters feel, as well as the numbing, all-encompassing heartbreak they experience when they both realize (in their own time) that they have been created solely to work and die. “Moon” is widely viewed as one of the greatest achievements of Rockwell’s career, and for good reason. He takes a heady, high-concept sci-fi film and imbues it with emotional weight and deeply human gravitas.
“Moon” is available to rent now on all major digital platforms.
Stephanie Hsu in “Everything Everywhere All At Once”
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” follows Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), a dissatisfied mother and wife whose sudden exposure to the multiverse expands her mind and her appreciation of life. Along the way, she comes into conflict with Jobu Tupaki (Stephanie Hsu), a nihilistic variant of her daughter Joy. Opposite Yeoh, Hsu is spectacular. As Joy, a gay woman desperate to have her mother recognize and accept her sexuality, Hsu communicates profound heartache and yearning. As Jobu, Joy’s disappointment becomes a potentially reality-destroying cocktail of anger and disillusionment.
In the months following the film’s release, Hsu’s performance was overshadowed by Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan’s triumphant, Oscar-winning turns as her screen parents. But Hsu’s work in “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is no less impressive than her co-stars’. She is a complete revelation in the Best Picture-winning sci-fi film, and her two, antithetical turns as Joy and Jobu Tupaki demonstrate her range and versatility as a performer. She tackles the dual challenges of her characters with breathtaking ease and confidence.
“Everything Everywhere All At Once” is streaming now on Max.
