Recently, it was announced thatMichael Madsenhadpassed away at the age of 67, and even if his name isn’t a super recognizable one, he did play integral roles in a large number of classic movies. Perhaps he’s not a household name because he was rarely the lead actor in the sorts of films he starred in, buthe was an accomplished character actor, so his face – and screen presence – did ultimately prove more recognizable than his name might’ve been. If you know him from one source, it’s probably the filmography ofQuentin Tarantino, since two of Madsen’s greatest films were directed by Tarantino (more on those in a bit), and two of his more recent high-profile roles were also in Tarantino films; namely,The Hateful EightandOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Those genuinely masterful movies are outlined below, in chronological order, but there are some honorable mentions worth, well, mentioning. Madsen had roles inSin City,The Doors,Donnie Brasco, andThe Natural, alongside appearing in an almost overwhelming number of lesser-known films beginning in the early 1980s right up until his passing in 2025. The best of the best Michael Madsen films saw him working with two great directors:Ridley Scottfor one, and Quentin Tarantino for the other two, and in the Tarantino films in particular, he left quite the impression.He was sometimes overlooked or maybe even taken for granted during his time spent as an actor, but these key roles – alongside a decent number of other ones; the honorable mentions – will likely live on, as it’s fair to call the following films iconic.
3’Thelma & Louise' (1991)
Directed by Ridley Scott
Thelma & Louiseis up there amongthe best films Ridley Scott has directed, and it’s alsoa movie with a pretty incredible cast.Susan SarandonandGeena Davisplay the title characters, and are the standouts as a result, but the rest of the cast includesthe likes ofHarvey Keitel(who was in another soon-to-be-mentioned Michael Madsen movie),a very youngBrad Pitt, and, of course, Madsen himself. Much of the film has the feel of a road movie, following the two title characters as they embark on a trip together that goes in a direction neither were expecting, to put it mildly. A man attempts to assault Thelma, and Louise, enraged, shoots him fatally. So, then Thelma and Louise are basically on the run, and they discover things about themselves while encountering a handful of other people as they flee the law, led by Keitel’s character, who’s surprisingly good at playing a detective here, considering he’s more often someone who playscharacters on the other side of the law. It’s the sort of story that’s been told many times quite successfully before, butThelma & Louisestill feels fresh enough to distinguish it from other escape-centered road movies with a crime/thriller flavor, like Bonnie and Clyde and Badlands. It’s beautifully shot, and extremely empathetic.
The ending to Thelma & Louise is the most famous part of the film, perhaps for good reason, but it’s also so much more, as a movie, than just its ending.
It also builds to anending that kind of has to be acknowledged, wheneverThelma & Louiseis talked about. It’s the most famous part of the film, perhaps for good reason, butThelma & Louiseis also more than just the ending, and knowing it in advance doesn’t ruin the movie, since you do have to experience the rest of the story for that climax to really resonate. It’s all very well-done, in pretty much every aspect, and the sort of film that holds up so well that it’s hard to imagine anyoneever feeling the need to remake it.As for Madsen, he doesn’t have a huge part in the film, as a musician who’s dating Louise, but he’s good in the role and exhibits a natural charisma that’s perhaps at odds with some of the more hard-edged characters he later became well-known for playing. And, on the topic of mean pieces of work Michael Madsen has played, it’s time to address the critically acclaimed elephant in the room…
Thelma & Louise
2’Reservoir Dogs' (1992)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Yep, so if you only know Michael Madsen from one movie, it’s probablyReservoir Dogs, which was the first feature film directed by Quentin Tarantino, and was also one hell of an opening statement from the then-up-and-coming director. Before focusing on Madsen and who he plays here, the basics ofReservoir Dogsare as follows: a group of criminals gather and agree to rob a jewelry store, but nothing goes to plan. As a viewer, you don’t see exactly what doesn’t go to plan, becauseReservoir Dogsmakes the decision to not really show the heist itself, which puts itat odds with most great heist movies, since usually, the heist is the biggest and best sequence (see the likes ofThe Red Circle,Rififi, andHeatespecially). ButReservoir Dogsmakes the immediate fallout of that botched heist so interesting that you don’t really notice what it hasn’t shown. Those who make it out alive gather in a warehouse, with one member critically injured and bleeding out, and then everyone proceeds to freak out and swear a lot when the idea comes up that someone in the group might well have intentionally sabotaged the heist, perhaps even because that same someone could’ve been an undercover cop. Intrigue ensues, and then things get even more surprising whenReservoir Dogs, in non-chronological order, also explores some interactions in the lead-up to the heist.
It could be a gimmicky choice in lesser hands, butTarantino wrote the hell out of this film, and the approach works wonders. The reveals all happen at the perfect times,and watchingReservoir Dogsfor the first time – when you really don’t know where it’s going – is an incredible experience. And then watching it another time, aware of how it might’ve tricked or misled you the first time? That’s almost just as good. As for Madsen, he plays one of the criminals, and he’s mortifying. No one inReservoir Dogsfeels like a good person necessarily, but Mr. Blonde is on a whole other level of sociopathy, with his most infamous scene being one that willruin “Stuck in the Middle with You"byStealers Wheelfor you forever, once seen. But there’s also analarming act of violence in that scenethat, like the heist itself, isn’t explicitly shown… but it’s also so distressing that you nonetheless feel like you’ve seen it. It’s a credit to Madsen’s chilling performance, and the wayTarantino wrote and staged the scene, that it has such an impact. The whole ofReservoir Dogs, too, is honestly masterfully done. It’s not as refined or visually dazzling as some of Tarantino’s later films, but the way it’s written and paced makes it pretty much a masterpiece nonetheless.
Reservoir Dogs
1’Kill Bill: Vol. 2' (2004)
WhileKill Bill: Vol. 1has its central character mostly pursuing two targets on her kill list, and thenKill Bill: Vol. 2has her taking out the remaining three, it’s the first volume that has far more action. That’s largely thanks to one of those targets, O-Ren Ishii, having a small army at her disposal;one that the Bride chops through very memorably. But also, TarantinoconsidersKill Billto be one movie, so if you count it as one movie too, then just pretend this final entry in the ranking is for the whole picture. But… going by the way the films were released, it’sVol. 2that features Michael Madsen prominently, as he’s only seen in a handful of shots inVol. 1(one of them being a snippet of a scene that plays out in full inVol. 2). He’s Budd, one of the Bride’s targets, and the brother of the titular Bill, and is also someone who, like the Bride (later revealed to be named Beatrix Kiddo), tried to make a break from his previously violent life. Beatrix was almost killed by Bill for leaving him and the life, while Budd has also suffered (albeit not as violently) since he made his decision, and he’s kind of pitiful, for one of the film’s antagonists. But… then he also comes the closest to defeating Beatrix, and his ruthlessness is revealed by the way he chooses to kill her: burying her in a coffin, declaring he was doing so because she broke his brother’s heart.
IfKill Billhad just been one theatrically released movie, it’s easy to imagine some of Madsen’s scenes being cut, as they don’t jump out as narratively relevant straight away, revealing themselves later to be interesting because they can be compared and contrasted to what happened to Beatrix after she stopped being an assassin. Anyway,Kill Bill: Vol. 2is fantastically acted and does go deeper with character development than the first, all the whileprobably having more memorable dialogue, too. It’snot devoid of some martial arts action, butit is certainly less action-focused thanVol. 1. Both are great when taken together, and they satisfy equally for different reasons. And Madsen is great here as well, playing someone a little more complex than Mr. Blonde was inReservoir Dogs, and gave a performance that makes Budd one of the moreunderrated – and interesting – characters in the film.
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
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