It’s Kevin Bacon’s birthday! To mark the occasion, here are five of his best performances. Check some of these out!
Footloose (1984)
Footloose is my all-time favorite film. Period. It is the movie I have probably seen the most in my lifetime. I know every line, every song, and every dance move. It is one of the most 80s movies of all 80s movies and Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormack was the perfect lead for the movie. The story is simple enough with Ren being a city kid from Chicago being dropped into a midwest town smack dap in the Bible belt. As Ren struggles in this unfamiliar world, we witness Bacon win us and the town prudes over with his charm and silky sweet moves.
Sleepers (1996)
Sean Nokes is arguably one of the most detestable characters in all of cinema and Bacon plays him almost too well where it is tough to separate character from the actor. Nokes is a juvenile prison guard who, along with other guards, systematically abuse and rape the underage male inmates. In one of Bacon’s sleaziest performances, he makes you absolutely hate him every second he is on screen.
The Woodsman (2004) 
This story of a convicted pedophile trying to adjust to life outside of prison is perhaps Kevin Bacon’s best-ever performance. To see Bacon in a subdued introvert role was quite different as he usually is able to lean into his high energy and charm. In Walter, we see a complex and sick person struggling with moving on and fighting his demons. Director Nicole Kassell underrated film, The Woodsman, is a tough and emotionally disturbing watch for the most part but is also very thought-provoking along with Bacon’s incredible performance to make it a must-watch.
Death Sentence (2007)
This is one of the best Death Wish wanna be ripoffs out there and it is mainly due to Kevin Bacon’s performance. We see this father who seemingly has it all have it ripped away when his son is brutally murdered right in front of his eyes. The father’s descent into revenge for his son blinds him to the fact that he has more to lose when. We see a typical slick and charming Kevin Bacon slip into the skin of the denigrates he is tracking down. Bacon’s performance alone is worth giving this a watch.
Stir of Echoes (1999)
Kevin Bacon can easily pull off the slick business guy or charming creep, but his go as a blue-collar worker who converses with the dead is effective in this creepy thriller. One of the underrated horror films of the 90s. Stir of Echoes has some strong atmosphere and is a little deeper than the average “dead girl walking the earth” genre film. As Bacon’s blue-collared world is turned upside down by a dead girl, we see him go from loving husband and father into a manic person who seems possessed. Everyone in this does a solid job with Kevin Bacon leading the charge.
What are some of your favorite films to feature the birthday boy Kevin Bacon?
