Halle Berry returns to the big screen in the crime thriller Crime 101, an ensemble piece that many are saying shares the DNA of movies like Michael Mann’s Heat, in the best way. Even though the cast for Crime 101 is stacked, Berry’s radiance and effortless talent are sure to make her stand out, as it has ever since her big break in Spike Lee’s Jungle Fever in 1991. Since that breakthrough, Berry has juggled many genres across film and television, which ultimately led her to a Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award win, which soon made her the first, and so far only, black woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress for her turn in 2001’s Monster’s Ball. Despite this, the industry doesn’t always give Berry her flowers, but we’re here to remind you that she been a mainstay in this industry for a reason as we break down her five best performances ever.
Honorable Mention: Audrey Burke in Things We Lost in the Fire (2007)
Sometimes, some of the best performances can be missed because the film never gained traction, but for those who have seen 2007’s Things We Lost in the Fire, Berry’s quiet yet exceptionally raw performance as Audrey Burke remains a highlight. Directed by Susanne Bier from a screenplay by Allan Loeb, Things We Lost in the Fire follows Audrey Burke (Berry), who is left widowed after her husband dies in an act of senseless violence. As she struggles with her grief and raising two kids alone, she tracks down her husband’s childhood friend Jerald “Jerry” Sunborne (Benicio del Toro), who is suffering from a heroin addiction.
Despite this, Audrey invites him into her home, and these two damaged souls develop a mutually dependent relationship. Berry’s work is exceptional here, as it avoids the typical dramatic displays of grief and loss, allowing her to tackle the role with a more nuanced, internalized approach. You can feel Audrey’s emptiness at times as she navigates a new life without her husband and the difficulties of having to raise two young children on her own.
Bier’s decision to use a handheld camera style, which gives the movie a much more intimate feel, adds to the film’s strengths, particularly during Berry’s scenes with del Toro, which allows both performers to bring to life two very complicated people. Things We Lost in the Fire earned favorable reviews at the time of its release, but unfortunately didn’t light up the box office. That being said, it’s a wonderful character study that gives Berry many moments to shine.
5. Ororo Munroe/Storm in the X-Men Franchise (2000-2014)
On paper, Berry’s time as Ororo Munroe/Storm in the X-Men films might not be worthy of a mention because the films feature a big ensemble cast and other actors received more character development and exposure, but this is a role that proves what Berry can do despite the limitations her character received within the bigger story. Berry had frequently discussed that Storm deserved more to do in the X-Men films (something she is damn right about), and she certainly fought to give the character more of an arc during her time in the role.
Beginning in 2000, when Bryan Singer helmed the first X-Men movie and followed that up with 2003’s impeccable X2: X-Men United, Storm could’ve disappeared into the crowd, but that’s not something Berry was going to allow if she could help it. In the first movie, while her screentime is limited compared to that of Hugh Jackman and Anna Paquin, she showcases Storm’s warmth of spirit and her belief in Charles Xavier’s (Patrick Stewart) idea that mutants and humans can peacefully co-exist. She also gets some of the film’s best action moments during her brief encounter with Sabretooth (Tyler Mane) at the train station and his disposal of Toad (Ray Park) later in the film (We don’t blame her for that Toad and lightning line. She didn’t write the script.
In X2 and X-Men: The Last Stand, the latter of which was directed by Brett Ratner, Berry allowed even more of Storm’s strength and natural leadership skills to shine through. For me, X2 remains the highlight of Berry with the character because you can tell she had a proper command of the role and her moments with Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming), in particular remain some of the strongest across the film series as it shows her tenderness yet some of her anger regarding what mutants have to go through in a society that isn’t completely open to accepting them. So far, X-Men: Days of Future Past in 2014 is her last appearance as the character, and she has made it clear she’s not joining some of her returning X-Men in Avengers: Doomsday, but here’s to hoping she has at least one more shot in the role because it would be great to see her return as this weather goddess once again.
4. Nina in Bulworth (1998)
Bulworth feels like one of the early and successful attempts for Berry to show her range, as it was released ahead of her critically acclaimed work in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge. There is a fun, uninhibited freedom to her work as Nina in the film, which allows her to steal several of her scenes, including ones featuring her co-star and director, Warren Beatty.
Written by Beatty and Jeremy Pikser, Bulworth is a political satire black comedy that follows Jay Bulworth (Beatty), a Democratic U.S. Senator from California who is running for re-election while also trying to avoid the bullet of a hired assassin. Nina (Berry) is a young black activist with whom Bulworth becomes romantically involved as she joins him on campaign stops. Reportedly, Berry was picked for the role after Beatty got to know the actress and soon tailored the part for her so it would play to her strengths. While Berry showed early on that she was more than capable of handling any task thrown at her, Bulworth amplified her star power and proved that she could also handle some of the film’s more unconventional approaches.
Beatty encouraged the actors improvise frequently, and that gave Berry even more freedom to develop Nina as a force of nature. It’s unclear if the industry was expecting Beatty and Berry to be a dynamic duo we didn’t know we needed at the time, but they share an unforced chemistry that never comes off as a joke. It feels honest, and that’s due in large part to the collaboration and trust between the two performers. Bulworth received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the time of its release and, despite good reviews, barely broke even at the box office ($29.2 million a $30 million budget) but it was ahead of its time with its takes on race relations and corporate control, making it a bit of a cult film now as these issues remain even more prevalent today.
3. Molly Woods in Extant (2014-2015)
Some might forget that Berry headed to television in 2014 to headline the sci-fi series Extant on CBS, but when Steven Spielberg serves as one of the executive producers, it’s clear that the actress knew that this was a role and opportunity she simply couldn’t pass up. Created by Mickey Fisher, Extant follows astronaut Molly Woods (Berry), who, after returning to Earth following a 13-month solo mission in outer space, is mysteriously pregnant. Berry’s work on Extant shouldn’t go unnoticed because even if science fiction isn’t your cup of tea, she grounds the series with emotional depth that allows you to dive headfirst into her character, which ultimately pulls you into the mystery of what happened during those 13 months she was away.
Shows like this can be difficult because the creators want to please sci-fi fans with complex and mysterious plots, which can sometimes alienate some of the audience, while giving the project a human element that can make it appealing for those who aren’t intrigued by the mysteries of outer space. Berry’s warmth as Molly provides the audience with an instant connection and allows viewers to simply sympathize with her as a wife, mother, and working astronaut with the ISEA (International Space Exploration Agency) who finds herself in an impossible situation.
Extant was well received by critics across its two seasons and pulled in decent ratings, particularly during Season 1, but it remains a bit of an underrated sci-fi gem. It never really jumped the shark with its story, and it always remained anchored by Berry’s performance as Molly. Certainly a series worthy of reevaluation and a revisit.
2. Dorothy Dandridge in Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999)
It’s strange to call Introducing Dorothy Dandridge a breakout moment for Berry, considering she had more than a few years in the industry under her belt at the time it premiered on HBO in 1999, but it’s clear that it proved to anyone who had doubts about her talents that she was a force to be reckoned with. Directed by Martha Coolidge and written by Shonda Rhimes and Scott Abbott, Introducing Dorothy Dandridge is based on the 1991 biography Dorothy Dandridge by Earl Mills and chronicles the life of the actress who broke down barriers as the first African-American to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Carmen Jones in 1954.
This is a role that Berry felt deeply connected to, given her own struggles as an African American actress trying to succeed in Hollywood, and that’s why her work in the television film is so magnetic and powerful. Berry disappeared into Dandridge and brought the actress to life for those who weren’t especially familiar with her work. Berry’s beauty and natural screen presence made her the right choice for the part from an aesthetic standpoint, but it was Berry’s ability to connect to Dandridge’s private turmoil and damaged soul behind the glamour that made this such a pivotal turn for the actress.
Berry took home an Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for her work here, and all three were much deserved for a portrayal that Berry poured her heart and soul into. Her passion for Dandridge is evident from start to finish as Berry was allowed to fully embrace a role that proved to any naysayers that she was not only a beauty but a powerhouse talent.
1. Leticia Musgrove in Monster’s Ball (2001)
Perhaps because of the invigoration that Berry received after doing Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and the critical accolades that followed, the actress felt more than ready for her true moment in 2001’s Monster’s Ball, directed by Marc Foster. Written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos, Monster’s Ball follows corrections officer Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), who begins a relationship with Leticia Musgrove (Berry), completely unaware that she is the widow of a man he assisted in executing. There is a stereotype that sometimes actors and actresses have to go raw and get ugly to receive critical notices they have long deserved, and while Berry does strip herself down to her vulnerable emotional core, her work in Monster’s Ball is so much more than that.
This is a performance that is connected as Berry dived into a deeply complex portrayal of a woman dealing with immense pain and searching for something to make her feel alive again as she navigates through unrelenting grief. Even though Berry has big emotional moments in the film, which display an intensity that hits the audience with its palpable weight, it’s some of her more understated scenes that showcase her despair, sometimes without much of a word, that make this role undeniably memorable. When the movie was released, the film’s big intimate scene between Berry and Thornton didn’t always receive attention for all the right reasons, but it displayed Berry’s willingness to go to places that made the character even more raw and real for the audience.
That isn’t a scene of sexual pleasure. It’s a moment between two broken characters who are desperate for connection, and both performers convey that longing and pain with unwavering sadness. Berry ultimately won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work here and remains the only African American actress to take home that top prize. Berry has talked a lot about what that honor meant in the moment and has been very honest about it not moving the needle the way it should have following her win, but it remains a much-deserved accolade for a performance that Berry dives into with unrelenting bravery and honesty.
Crime 101 opens in theaters nationwide this Friday.
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