Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1993: Results

6. Sean Penn in Carlito's Way- Penn gives a suitable enough performance that does not fall into the problems of his later work, but still it is not anything that remarkable.

5. Sam Neill in The Piano- Neill does his best to not fall into his cliches of his sort of character creating a believable portrayal of a man who simply does not understand the woman who he wants as his wife.

4. Val Kilmer in Tombstone- Kilmer brings to life the role of the larger than life Doc Holliday well combining both the flamboyancy and morose qualities of the man beautifully. 

3. Christopher Lloyd in Twenty Bucks- Lloyd is so incredible in his short segment of his compilation film to the point that I wish the film had been solely about him. He creates a terrific portrait of a small time criminal who is as efficient as one probably could be in his line of work.

2. Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List- Kingsley gives a very quiet, but very moving performance as the man who desperately tries to save as many people as he can by trying convince another man to do the right thing.

1. Richard Jordan in Gettysburg- Good Prediction RatedRStar. Although this year is a spectacular year for supporting actor I can easily choose my favorite non Oscar nominated performance of the year in Richard Jordan. I really do not cry from watching films but watching Jordan's performance as a civil war General pained by the fact that he must fight his best friend is the closest I have ever come to doing so. His performance is so powerful I am very tempted to give him the whole year.

Overall Rank:

1. Richard Jordan in Gettysburg
2. Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List
3. Pete Postlethwaite in In the Name of the Father
4. Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List
5. Christopher Lloyd in Twenty Bucks
6. Val Kilmer in Tombstone
7. Stephen Lang in Gettysburg
8. Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
9. John Malkovich in In the Line of Fire 
10. Jack Lemmon in Short Cuts  
11. Gene Hackman in The Firm
12. Dennis Hopper in True Romance  
13. Bruce Davison in Short Cuts 
14. Martin Sheen in Gettysburg 
15. Kevin Conway in Gettysburg 
16. Gary Oldman in True Romance
17. Steve Buscemi in Twenty Bucks
18. Richard Attenborough in Jurassic Park 
19. Tom Waits in Short Cuts
20. Sam Neill in The Piano
21. Brian Mallon in Gettysburg
22. Harvey Keitel in The Paino
23. Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park
24. Christopher Walken in True Romance
25. Don Baker in In the Name of the Father
26. Tim Robbins in Short Cuts
27. Clint Eastwood in A Perfect World
28. Wilford Brimley in The Firm
29. Viggo Mortensen in Carlito's Way
30. Saul Rubinek in True Romance
31. Sam Elliot in Tombstone
32. Charlton Heston in Wayne's World 2
33. Bob Peck in Jurassic Park
34. James Gandolfini in True Romance
35. Tom Berenger in Gettysburg
36. Peter Wright in Naked
37. Stephen Tobolowsky in Groundhog's Day
38. Ed Harris in The Firm
39. Brad Pitt in True Romance
40. Stephen Lang in Tombstone
41. Sean Penn in Carlito's Way
42. Wayne Knight in Jurassic Park
43. Bill Paxton in Tombstone
44. John Lynch in In the Name of the Father
45. Sam Elliot in Gettysburg
46. Fred Ward in Short Cuts
47. Michael Biehn in Tombstone
48. C. Thomas Howell in Gettysburg
49. Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive
50. Michael Rooker in Cliffhanger
51. David Strathairn in The Firm
52. Chris Penn in Short Cuts
53. Samuel L. Jackson in Jurassic Park
54. Gary Busey in The Firm
55. Bronson Pinchot in True Romance
56. Tom Hulce in Fearless
57. Robert Downey Jr. in Short Cuts 
58. John Turturro in Fearless
59. Chris Elliot in Groundhog's Day
60. Matthew Modine in Short Cuts 
61. Christopher Reeve in The Remains of the Day
62. Michael Rapaport in True Romance
63. Powers Booth in Tombstone
64. John Lithgow in Cliffhanger
65. John Leguizamo in Carlito's Way
66. Joroen Krabbe in The Fugitive
67. Peter Gallagher in Short Cuts
68. Jason Robards in Philadelphia
69. Luis Guzman in Carlito's Way
70. Dylan McDermott in In the Line of Fire
71. Antonio Banderas in Philadelphia
72. Pierce Brosnan in Mrs. Doubt Fire
73. Frederic Forrest in Falling Down
74. T.J. Lowther in A Perfect World
75. Greg Cruttwell in Naked

Next Year: 2003 Supporting

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1993: Richard Jordan in Gettysburg

Richard Jordan did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Brigadier General Lewis A. "Lo" Armistead in Gettysburg. 

Gettysburg is an excellent film that depicts the pivotal three day battle of Gettysburg that turned the tide of the American Civil War.  

Gettysburg as a film depicts both the Union and Confederate sides of the war. The Union side is shown mostly through Jeff Daniels's strong performance as professor turned soldier Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, but on the confederate side there are many men spotlighted the most compelling one being General Armistead. Armistead is a General in the Confederate army. He is an important General but he is below several others in terms of rank. His part acts as one of the most poignant though due to the fact that his role portrays well what exactly the struggle of the Civil War truly was. 

What is persuasive throughout Jordan's performance is the anguish in Armistead knowing that his friend Winfield Scott Hancock (Brian Mallon) is a general in the Union army and is on the opposite end of the battle field. The two personify the terrible divide caused by the war, and Jordan makes the most in showing just how terrible of thing the war really was in the way he separated friends and brothers. Even though we never see anything that takes place before the battle or any events in the lives of these men before this time Jordan still with an aspiring ease creates this history between Armistead and Hancock. 

What is spectacular is that Jordan really just through his own performance which never interacts with Mallon ever in the film, he creates one of the most powerful friendshipsin a film. Jordan does this especially well in just the sheer enthusiasm that he displays within Armistead from his very first scene as he asks one of his superiors if he knows anything about the whereabouts of his friend. Although Hancock is very much so his enemy on this battlefield, Jordan genuinly portrays the love within Armistead that even despite his current divide the friendship still lies well in his heart. 

Importantly in Jordan's performance is the fact that he does not try to portray Armistead as a man who is not very much for his cause. Jordan not only shows that Armistead very much believes in the fight right to the end of the battle, but in fact gives the most stirring moment in the film on the confederate side of the battlefield. His speech at the end of the film is very well portrayed by Jordan and is able to honestly create the sentiment that was able to lead all of the men into an ultimately fatal charge. Jordan does not create this sentiment as something foolhardy but more properly is able to convey the conviction of their beliefs that compelled them to their demise. 

The friendship aspect of Armistead is the most important one though, and Jordan absolutely does his best to realize just how deeply this weighs on Armistead. In the scene where Armistead tells his superior General Longstreet (Tom Berenger) about the last time he talked to Hancock. Jordan is incredible in this scene as he so well brings vividly to life the moment in which the two saw each other for the last time. Jordan beautifully creates the jumbled emotions that Armistead is going through in his mind as he does his best to try and get through the story. There is only an emotional truth in this moment from Jordan that is just a stunning scene from Jordan showing exactly why Armistead cannot lose his anguish. 

What is amazing though is the scene I referred to before is not the most powerful one. At the end of the film Armistead leads a group in the fatal charge, but his severely wounded during it. As he lays most likely going to die he tries to get a message through to his friend only learning that his friend has also been wounded. Jordan makes this final scene of his performance as well as his career one to be truly remembered. Jordan is utterly heartbreaking as he portrays the intense pain and overwhelming regret he feels in what seems to be his last moments knowing he will never sees his friend again. It is a devastating end to his character that is portrayed so perfectly by Jordan, he makes it the most moving moment in the entire film.This is an outstanding performance by Robert Jordan that pierces through the whole of this over four hour film.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1993

And the Nominees Were Not:

Richard Jordan in Gettysburg 

Sam Neill in The Piano 

Ben Kingsley in Schindler's List

Val Kilmer in Tombstone

Sean Penn in Carlito's Way