Thanks to Stranger Things, David Harbour has been really allowed to blow up massively. Despite his more recent explosion in popularity, Harbour has been in many films over the years that have given him considerable recognition. Like many great actors, he started on Broadway, doing theater shows before moving on to do more prestige films. One of these films, in fact, was Revolutionary Road, which was able to garner a few Oscar nominations. Of course, Harbour himself has yet to earn any nominations of his own for any of the films he has been a part of.
Throughout most of his career, pre-Stranger Things, Harbour proved himself capable at being a supporting character in many of the films he has been in. Rarely did the actor actually manage to get the spotlight. That changed after the success of the Netflix series, and this meant a starring role in the Hellboy reboot. This film was ultimately met with negative reviews from fans and critics alike, but, for Harbour, it was a taste for the action movie genre spotlight. Now, with a leading role in the MCU and, most recently, Violent Night, Harbour is steadily earning a spot among the best action movie stars. Here are his best action films.
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6 Quantum of Solace
Eon Productions
Known as being one of the weaker James Bond films, Quantum of Solace makes use of many Bond film clichés to give a pretty fun and enjoyable spy film. Throughout the movie, Bond is placed in situations where he is pushed into enacting violence onto many of the antagonists he encounters. We watch Bond go deeper and deeper into the world of vengeance, following the death of his lover Vesper in Casino Royale. In one of his earlier movie roles, Harbour plays a supporting character, Gregg Beam, a CIA agent in South America.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
5 Black Mass
Warner Bros.
Another showing of hard-hitting violence, Black Mass stars David Harbour in the role of an FBI agent named John Morris. The film follows a true story of an American mobster named James “Whitey” Bulger, played by Johnny Depp. Indeed, this was a film that many people believed would earn Depp another Academy Award nomination, especially after the Screen Actors Guild gave him one. Sadly, this never ended up materializing. Still, despite that, Black Mass is an amazing film that is rich with character moments that can really captivate audiences along with strong performances from everyone involved. For Harbour, this film came shortly before Stranger Things catapulted him to stardom.
4 A Walk Among the Tombstones
Universal Pictures
A film that may have surprised audiences when it came out, A Walk Among the Tombstones takes a much darker tone than many other films starring Liam Neeson. That said, this film has been criticized for feeling very much like another way for Hollywood to cash in on the Taken films by placing Neeson in a similar spot. “Taken transformed Liam Neeson from a delicate dramatic actor into a snarling action star” (via EW). And while there may be truth to these allegations, it doesn’t change the fact that this film may be one of the better of these types of films. Taking a simple stop-the-bad-guy approach and turning it into a much more depressing tale, A Walk Among the Tombstones proved to be more engaging than initially thought. Harbour plays the supporting role of Ray.
3 The Equalizer
Columbia Pictures
Easily one of the best action films by Antoine Fuqua, The Equalizer turns Denzel Washington into a vigilante on a mission to help a young girl named Alina. The film takes its very simple concept and infuses them with Fuqua’s expert directing style to create an elevated narrative. This is added on by the performance given by Washington to create an extremely impactful film. Because of its success, it was even able to gain a sequel after its release, and then a new TV series right after, allowing for the birth of an action franchise, with The Equalizer 3 already coming soon. Harbour plays the crooked cop Frank Masters, who goes toe-to-toe with Washington’s Robert.
2 Violent Night
A film created just for the holiday season, Violent Night puts Harbour front and center in an action-packed thrill ride just in time for Christmas. The Action Elite describes the film as Santa Claus meets John Wick. While it may be a darker spin on the holiday character we’ve long associated with joy, Violent Night reviews have so far praised Harbour’s performance and the overall action sequences. And with Harbor as the main character, hopefully, it will give him a much-needed upgrade as a leading man.
1 Black Widow
Marvel Studios
Black Widow has one of the most enjoyable performances by Harbour, who plays Red Guardian. The superhero flick manages to tell an engaging story about family and the bonds that can be formed within. Black Widow is a film that can hook audiences from the start, with its darker look at its titular character and the Red Room program she was a part of. For Harbour, introducing audiences to the Red Guarian was just a start. Next, he is set to appear in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie.
