Movies with only one actor strip down the medium to its essentials: one star and one fascinating story. These films can be especially riveting explorations of intense personal journeys that often examine isolation and survival in unique environments. While some of these movies may include brief appearances from supporting characters or voices, the weight of the story rests entirely on one actor’s shoulders.
From Cast Away to Moon, the best one-actor movies prove that such intense character studies can be effective given the right performer and filmmaker. They offer unique cinematic experiences that rely heavily on the audiences’ reaction and connection with a single presence who, more often than not, has a transformative arc that keeps viewers engaged from start to finish.
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10. I Am Legend (2007)
In I Am Legend, a virus that was initially developed to cure cancer has mutated into a deadly strain that wiped out most of humanity. The postapocalyptic thriller primarily follows Robert Neville (Will Smith), who is seemingly the last man alive. He spends his days roaming the deserted and dangerous streets of New York with his dog, Sam. It’s soon revealed that they have to hide during the night, as feral creatures who were once human — now called “Darkseekers” — come out to hunt. Neville eventually stumbles upon a potential breakthrough for a cure, but it doesn’t come easy.
Directed by Francis Lawrence and based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel, I Am Legend was massively popular in the 2000s and was significantly boosted by Will Smith’s star power. It’s still one of his best performances to date, despite the film becoming notorious for having one of the worst movie endings ever that undermined the source material’s message. The 2007 blockbuster’s CGI has also aged poorly, and was, even then, comical and disappointing due to the way it made the Darkseekers look less threatening than they should be.
9. Inside (2023)
Willem Dafoe stars as an art thief named Nemo in Inside, a psychological thriller that sees him trapped in a luxury New York penthouse after a heist goes wrong. Nemo finds himself stuck in the apartment after breaking in trying to steal art, only to be horrified when the security system malfunctions and locks him in. With no way to escape and communication cut off, Nemo has to find ways to stay sane and alive as food and water run low and the once opulent apartment transforms into a claustrophobic prison.
Directed by Vasilis Katsoupis in his directorial debut, Inside is a great example of how with the right actor, a simple premise with one setting can be entertaining. The film’s minimalist approach has been criticized for its repetitive segments and long stretches of monotonous moments, but there’s no denying that for Dafoe’s fans, it’s a fantastic showcase of the actor’s ability to embrace complex roles and deliver a truly mesmerizing performance.
8. Buried (2010)
Director Rodrigo Cortés’ English-language Spanish survival film Buried follows Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), an American truck driver working in Iraq who he is kidnapped and buried as part of a ransom demand. Paul wakes up disoriented and quickly realizes he’s in danger, with only a lighter, a cell phone, and a few other small items to keep himself alive. Having to rely on the U.S. government to negotiate his release, Paul’s hope of ever seeing his family again fades as he becomes increasingly desperate.
Buried is an incredible display of Reynolds’ range as an actor. The film soars thanks to his emotional performance, with Reynolds conveying terror, frustration, and surprising moments of calm within the frantic 90-minute runtime. Buried also greatly benefits from Cortés’ creative direction, which maximizes the limited space of the coffin by incorporating unique angles, lighting, and even sound design to make each moment thrilling and interesting.
7. Locke (2013)
A psychological drama and road film, Locke is centered on a construction foreman, Ivan Locke (Venom: The Last Dance‘s Tom Hardy), whose life is forever changed over the course of one long night of driving. On the eve of a massive construction project, Locke receives a call informing him that a woman he had a one-night affair with is going into premature labor. He then decides to drop everything and make the drive from Birmingham to London, determined to take responsibility. Along the way, he makes a series of tense phone calls — to his construction workers, his confused wife, and even his absent father — with each one being more emotional than the last.
Tom Hardy is captivating as Ivan Locke, with the actor depicting the troubled character with a nuanced restraint and painting a portrait of a man trying to stay in control as his life falls apart. While other stars like Olivia Colman and Tom Holland lend their voices, Hardy undoubtedly stands out as the star of the show, with writer-director Steven Knight bringing out one of the star’s most memorable performances.
6. 127 Hours (2010)
127 Hours is an amazing story of survival based on the harrowing true story of mountain climber Aron Ralston. James Franco plays Ralston in the biographical film, which sees him face a nearly impossible fight to stay alive after an accident in an isolated slot canyon in Bluejohn Canyon. A massive boulder has dislodged and pinned his arm against the canyon wall, where he stays for the next five days, recording video diaries, reflecting on his life, attempting to free himself, and even hallucinating. With food and water about to run out, Ralston resorts to an extreme measure — amputating his own arm with a dull knife — to escape and find help.
Co-written, produced, and directed by Danny Boyle, 127 Hours immerses viewers in the mountain climber’s terrifying accident. Franco is impeccably cast as Ralston, with the actor conveying the fear and agony, especially as he realizes what he must do. While most audiences were already expecting the climactic amputation scene, it was still a shock to actually witness, with its graphic visuals and Franco’s acting making it the most unforgettable moment in what is still considered among the best movies of the 2010s.
5. All Is Lost (2013)
Robert Redford plays the role of a nameless man in the gripping survival drama All Is Lost, which places him somewhere in the Indian Ocean. While navigating alone, his sailboat collides with a shipping container, leaving a gaping hole in the hull that also damages his communication equipment. His situation worsens when a severe storm begins to gather strength in the distance, which is an even bigger threat than his dwindling supplies and isolation.
All Is Lost is a remarkable man versus nature movie, with Redford—who was 77 years old during filming — delivering a tour de force performance as a nameless protagonist stripped of everything but his will to survive. Aside from featuring just one actor, the 2013 film is also nearly dialogue-free, relying entirely on Redford’s powerful performance to tell a story of resilience and courage against all odds. Director J.C. Chandor masterfully uses the unforgiving ocean as both the film’s setting and its overwhelming antagonist, resulting in an engrossing one-actor movie that will have viewers rooting for its daring character.
4. Life of Pi (2012)
Directed and produced by Ang Lee and based on Yann Martel’s 2001 novel, Life of Pi is a visually stunning adventure-drama that revolves around the young boy Pi Patel (Suraj Sharma), who is stranded in the Pacific Ocean after a shipwreck. Pi survives the disaster, but finds himself adrift on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, who becomes his unlikely partner against the unpredictable elements. Pi’s struggle to survive soon becomes a spiritual journey where he discovers more about life and belief during the process of finding land.
Though it includes digital elements such as the computer-generated tiger, Life of Pi largely relies on Suraj Sharma’s performance in his debut role. Audiences watch Pi change from a scared boy into a resourceful survivor while learning a few lessons about faith and hope along the way. This film has a gorgeous dreamlike setting, with the ocean taking on a life of its own as both a frightening foe and a serene companion.
3. Gravity (2013)
An award-winning thriller set in space, Gravity follows Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a medical engineer on her first space mission, and astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) as they conduct a routine spacewalk that quickly turns catastrophic. After their shuttle is destroyed by debris from a satellite explosion, Stone is left floating alone in space, untethered and with limited oxygen. Kowalski tries to guide her, but soon, Stone must fight for her survival entirely on her own. Drifting through the vast and terrifying emptiness of space, she must use her skills to somehow return to Earth.
Gravity is a visually striking marvel carried mostly by a strong performance from Sandra Bullock, who is the perfect pick for the anxiety-inducing film. While Clooney does briefly appear, the movie mostly focuses on Bullock’s character, whose survival instinct seems unbelievably small against the void of space. Director Alfonso Cuarón’s film is also remembered for its groundbreaking special effects, which made the protagonist’s isolation and several heart-pounding and dizzying moments in space quite convincing.
2. Moon (2009)
On a lunar base harvesting Helium-3, Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is waiting out the final two weeks before his three-year contract ends. Moon is centered on his time alone in the station where, as he does his duties and runs operations, he begins to experience strange health issues and has a feeling that something isn’t quite right. With his only companion — an AI robot called GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) — refusing to provide him with straight answers, Sam sets out to figure things out himself, only to discover the startling truth about his mission and the corporation behind it.
Directed by Duncan Jones, Moon is a slow-burn 2000s sci-fi movie that features a brilliant performance from Rockwell. Tension builds as Rockwell’s character learns bit by bit exactly what his company does and why he was “chosen” as their sole employee. What follows is an unsettling unraveling with obvious existentialist undertones that raises important questions about humanity and the inevitable march of progress.
1. Cast Away (2000)
Likely the first film most would think of when considering movies starring just one actor, Cast Away features Tom Hanks as FedEx systems analyst Chuck Noland, who is left stranded on a remote island in the Pacific after a plane crash. With no immediate hope of rescue, Chuck uses what he can to stay alive, finding food, water, and shelter as fast as he can with his limited knowledge. It soon becomes clear that it’s his crushing loneliness that will be the main source of his struggle, and he soon ends up with a volleyball as a companion, which he names Wilson.
Director Robert Zemeckis expertly portrays the necessity for primal survival in Chuck’s situation, where years of being a successful professional do nothing to shelter him in the wild. Hanks delivers a career-defining performance as the increasingly unhinged Chuck, whose efforts to hold on to his humanity over the years result in an absorbing character study that would become a permanent part of pop culture.
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