For all intents and purposes Dane DeHaan has lived a rather normal and very supported life with a very caring family. That makes the fact that he plays such unbalanced characters that much more interesting since in real life he does seem to be a very well-adjusted person. The movies he’s been in though show someone that’s a psychopath through and through or buried just beneath the surface since he’s gone absolutely nuts in some of them to a very convincing degree. In fact there are a couple of movies that make it seem as though Dane is in truth the kind of guy that wouldn’t be so much of a villain but instead someone that’s just insanely misunderstood and liable to snap if someone were to trigger him in some way that was less than wise. Otherwise, off screen he seems like a pretty nice guy.
Here are some of his best movies yet.
5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2
There are a lot of fans that have been feeling let down since the Spider-Man movies started rolling out and between Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield there are a lot of people that have their favorites and won’t hear anything said against them. But when comparing James Franco and Dane in terms of who did the better Green Goblin and Harry Osborne it’s kind of a toss-up since Franco has the build and the charisma where Dane has the uncertainty and nervousness of the character from the comic book. Both men do a decent job, but the overall look seems to go to Dane when it comes to the costume and the insecurities.
4. A Cure for Wellness
This is a rather odd movie that almost has the feel of something created decades ago by either Vincent Price or even Alfred Hitchcock considering the grand scheme of it all. Lockhart is sent to a wellness clinic in order to find the CEO of the company he works for, but finds that he isn’t allowed to leave. When he discovers what the resident doctor is doing to the people in the clinic, and who the doctor really is, he attempts to find away out so that he can return to his employers. Once the doctor is dead and the clinic set on fire he does escape, but there still seems to be something unresolved about all this.
3. Kill Your Darlings
Based upon a real story this is a tale of those that exist at some of the highest levels of education and shows what they went through in order to lead lives that were somehow fulfilling but all the more dangerous for that quality. From Kerouac to Ginsberg and Carr, the characters in the story seem like many that have been seen throughout many movies as the upper-class individuals that worry more about their societal standing and the ability remain in school while doing what they want to do and getting away with it. In many ways this is kind of accurate but it’s not the whole picture.
2. Chronicle
There’s a danger in giving power to those that feel as though they have none. The desire that becomes evident is the true danger as it becomes tempting for those individuals to even scores and then attempt to make others feel what they’ve felt without the filters needed to understand how disastrous this could be. Andrew is the kind of guy that gets picked on and doesn’t know how to fight back until he gains the kind of power that will allow him to do just about anything. Unfortunately when he realizes what he can do he becomes a bigger threat to everyone, not just those that have wronged him. By using the power that he, his cousin, and their friend Steve found in a hole in the ground he becomes an apex predator, no longer a victim, that is a truly terrifying threat to anyone that crosses his path, be they friend or foe.
1. Lawless
The days of running illegal hooch were dangerous for many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that there was competition to be had all over the country and especially in regions where more than one outfit existed. While his part in this film was shorter than some he was still a rather important figure since he was the best friend of one of the main outlaws. His death became a rallying cry that would eventually add fuel to the fire that had already been burning when it came to the liquor business, and would serve as yet another catalyst for the war that would soon erupt between the law and the outlaws. If nothing else he was a kind of interesting character that humanized the movie just a bit more.
Dane has been going strong despite critical reviews of his movies over the years.
