Throughout the 1990s, Steve Buscemi collaborated several times with the American film duo The Coen Brothers, writer-director Quentin Tarantino and comedic actor Adam Sandler. And thanks to those partnerships, Buscemi became one of the most recognizable faces Hollywood has had to offer in the past decade.
A few of these are minor and supporting roles, but there is one where he stars. But more on that later. It’s also worth noting that he’s often regarded as one of the greatest actors never to receive a nomination at the Academy Awards, and that’s largely due to the roles he landed during this iconic ten-year span. But without further ado, let’s start with the top ten most memorable Steve Buscemi performances of the 1990s.
10 Tommy – Trees Lounge
Steve Buscemi also starred in his screenwriting and directorial debut Tree Lounge (1996) as the main character Tommy. And as far as critics are concerned, this was one of the best performances of the decade, and easily one of the best overall projects he appeared in. That said, it didn’t exactly make a splash in theaters and is still highly underrated even today.
But again, Buscemi’s role as Tommy, an alcoholic who frequents a local Long Island bar—the name of which gave the film its title—particularly resonated with critics thanks to his accurate portrayal of a man with alcoholism. If you’ve seen the movie, this role is undoubtedly one of his most memorable. But if you haven’t already, it’s definitely worth checking out.
9 ‘Rockhound’ – Armageddon
This sci-fi disaster movie, directed by Michael Bay, stars Bruce Willis as Harry S. Stamper, an oil driller who trained as an astronaut to drill a hole in an asteroid that is crashing down to Earth at a rapid pace. . It will strike in just eighteen days and Stamper – along with his gang of fellow oil drillers – is tasked with saving the world.
Why they couldn’t go in the opposite direction and teach astronauts how to drill a hole in an asteroid is beyond anyone involved. But the high-octane glasses of Armageddon(1998) saw decent performances from its star-studded cast, including Ben Affleck, Liv Tylor, Billy Bob Thornton, Keith David, Michael Clarke Duncan, and of course, Steve Buscemi.
8 Pendulum “The Marietta Mangler” Greene – Con Air
This movie stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, and John Malckovich, and more or less follows the same Blockbuster formula as the earlier pick Armageddon. However, with the case of Con air (1997), director Simon West led the action thriller project to far more acclaim than the previous entry on the list. It wasn’t particularly respected, or anything, but it did earn two nominations at the 70th Academy Awards: Best Sound and Best Original Song.
And overall it’s a decent project with a certain, surprising style and humor in the dialogue. But the plot is just a bit too unbelievable to take seriously – that did mean that his performers like Buscemi could approach their roles with a bit of a fresh, almost unprofessional outlook, though. It’s definitely memorable in the end.
7 Homeless Man – Big Daddy
Over the past thirty years, Steve Buscemi has appeared (either live-action or in a voice role) in a total of fifteen films alongside famed American comedic actor Adam Sandler. As a homeless person who constantly craves a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich, Buscemi played his most memorable role alongside funny man Sandler here in Big Daddy (1999) by Dennis Dugan.
Now: It’s worth noting that during those fifteen collaborations with Sandler, these two have, quite frankly, provided comedy fans with some of the worst-reviewed films of their respective decades. They’ve had a few well-received projects together over the years, such as with The wedding singer (1998) and Hotel Transylvania 3: summer vacation (2018). But despite the fact that fans delivered a memorable Buscemi performance, Big Daddy has little to offer in terms of quality.
6 Buscemi–Desperado
In the opening sequence of Robert Rodriguez’s neo-western, Steve Buscemi (whose character is aptly named Buscemi) walks into a bar and orders a drink. Sitting across from Cheech Marin, who plays the bartender, he immediately imbues the film with an undertone of humor. It’s a classic Buscemi performance as he monologues over drinks.
He tells the story of his experience in another bar, when an imposing figure came in with strange clothes and a strange suitcase. This would be revealed as the main character – El Mariachi played by Antonio Banderas. And by the time Buscemi’s story ended and El Mariachi himself entered the current bar, the plot kicked off in a great way. If only Buscemi’s character lasted a little longer in the world of in despair (1995).
5 Map to the Stars Eddie – Escape from LA
Written and directed by John Carpenter, this was a sequel to the cult classic sci-fi joint Escape from New York (1981). And just like the original, Escape from LA (1996) was created by Carpenter, also starring Kurt Russell, and is now considered a cult classic. Except this second entry was much less successful than Escape from New York was on their respective releases in theaters.
Which certainly says something. The movie is well regarded these days and Steve Buscemi as Map to the Stars Eddie no doubt helped the project to get such acclaim. He was cited as a constant highlight of the film alongside Kurt Russell, as he gave the overall dynamic of the two characters a slightly more unhinged character.
4 Buddy Holly Waiter – Pulp Fiction
This was Buscemi’s second collaboration with writer-director Quentin Tarantino, and the last time they worked together. And while his role in this Pulp Fiction (1994) is not nearly as prominent as Buscemi’s other work with Tarantino – which will be reviewed shortly – it is undoubtedly one of the most memorable performances of the decade.
He serves Vincent Vega and Mia Wallace their food at Jack Rabbit Slims – a restaurant suggested by Mia with a flashy aesthetic straight out of the 1950s, along with expensive milkshakes and free face powder in the women’s bathroom. This was the location that provided movie fans with the iconic scene of Mia and Vincent where they dance to Chuck Berry, and while that may be the most iconic image of Jack Rabbit Slims, Buscemi’s cameo as a waiter dressed as Buddy Holly was memorable in yourself.
3 Donny – The great Lebowski
This is the second film on the list written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen with Steve Buscemi, and it is one of their most popular projects respectively. In here The great Lebowski (1998), he appears as a character named Donny – a close friend and bowling teammate of Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski, who is played by Jeff Bridges.
As their characters raged back and forth to an unrelenting degree, Buscemi shared a certain chemistry with fellow supporting actor John Goodman. But by going back and forth, their relationship really came down to Walter (Goodman’s character) constantly spitting vitriol at Donny for getting on his nerves. And the dynamic was hilarious until Donny’s untimely demise, which was perhaps the most memorable moment the character offered when Walter accidentally threw his ashes over The Dude’s face. Such a classic scene.
2 Mister Pink – Reservoir Dogs
In his first of two collaborations with Quentin Tarantino, this was also the American author’s directorial debut. And it’s the movie that landed Steve Buscemi his breakout role. One of the most popular heist movies ever made, Reservoir dogs (1992) describes the events that take place after the robbery. And within the plot, almost every character stands out for their respective nicknames, named after colors chosen at random by the boss of the operation – Joe Cabbot. The goal there was to keep their true identities a secret, and Steve Buscemi’s character earned him the unfortunate nickname of Mr. Buscemi. Little finger.
But aside from his humorous nickname, Mr. Pink was perhaps the most compelling character thanks to his general demeanor and quirky personality. He was keen to behave “professionally” within this group of outsiders, and it may have been that mentality that ultimately saw him get away with the stash of jewels.
1 Carl Showalter-Fargo
This was Steve Buscemi’s fourth consecutive collaboration with Joel and Ethan Coen, and arguably the most famous – at least until then. It could be argued that Mr. Pink from Reservoir dogs competes with the popularity of Carl Showalter Fargo (1996), at least nowadays. But also purely qualitatively, this role was undoubtedly the best of the bunch.
Almost everyone in Fargo – from Frances McDormand to William H. Macy – performed valiantly. But Buscemi’s was so memorable in large part because of the absurd way he died and his body was disposed of. Everyone remembers the wood chipper scene, where McDormand’s character Marge Gunderson enters a gruesome and strange murder scene. Unlike Mr. Pink, Carl Showalter never foresaw this ending.