The 15 Best Dave Bautista Performances Of All Time
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- Global Road Entertainment
19 VOTESEverest
Movie: Hotel Artemis (2018)
In this dystopian thriller, Bautista plays the physician's assistant you hope to never see at your bedside. As Everest (the name checks out), Bautista acts as aid/bodyguard to Jodi Foster's Jean "The Nurse" Thomas, who together run a hospital (of sorts) for criminals in future Los Angeles.
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- Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
228 VOTESMovies: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Starting in Guardians of the Galaxy, then carrying over into Volume 2 and the two-part conclusion of the Avengers series, Bautista makes his mark on the MCU with his portrayal of Drax, the literal-minded (but coming out of this shell) galactic warrior and member of the Guardians. Bautista's dry delivery and misunderstanding of metaphor has made Drax arguably the most delightful part of the titular squad. Also, as Bautista tends to do in any role, Drax kicks butt.
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- RLJ Entertainment
38 VOTESStupe
Movie: Bushwick (2017)
Bautista gets in survival mode as Stupe, a US Navy Hospital Corpsman who forms an unlikely alliance with Lucy (Brittany Snow), a graduate student. Together, they must evade a heavily-armed militia that aims to start the second Civil War. Points to Bautista on this one for starring in an indie grinder you may have never heard of.
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- Warner Bros. Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing
422 VOTESMovie: Blade Runner 2049 (2017)
While it's not a ton of screen time, Bautista really makes it count as an aging replicant in Blade Runner 2049. When visited by Blade Runner K (Ryan Gosling), Bautista's Sapper Morton puts up a hell of a fight. Sadly, he loses a little more than his living room wall in the process.
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- Lionsgate Premiere
55 VOTESMovie: Heist (2015)
Bautista plays Jason Cox, one of two desperate con-men who hijack a city bus while trying to escape the police and a maniacal thug. Heist marks a turning point for Bautista's film career, getting top billing alongside the legendary Robert De Niro. Fun side note: Heist's alternate title was Bus 657.
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- Krystal
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616 VOTESSports Entertermaint: WWE (1999-present)
One could make the argument that there's no distinguishing Dave Bautista from his WWE persona of Batista, but the slight difference in name spelling suggests we can probably consider Batista "fictional." In any case, the four-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion certainly has a lot of character, from his enormous frame to his in-ring nickname, "The Animal."
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- Sony Pictures Releasing
717 VOTESMovie: Spectre (2015)
As far as action and espionage movies go, there are few roles better than becoming a Bond villain. While Bautista wasn't the biggest baddie (he served under Christoph Waltz's Blofed and the criminal organization SPECTRE), he most certainly left an imprint. Or two imprints, specifically. Just ask the guy whose eyes he gouged out with his thumbs.
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- Universal Pictures
914 VOTESMovie: Riddick (2013)
Bautista plays Diaz, a mercenary hunting for the titular Riddick (Vin Diesel). This isn't known at first, though. On a hunt for power nodes, Diaz betrays Riddick and an epic fight ensues. Spoiler alert: As with many of Bautista's villainous roles, things don't end great for Diaz.
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- STXfilms
109 VOTESJJ
Movie: My Spy (2020)
In My Spy, Bautista plays a hardened CIA operative sent undercover to surveil a family, only to find himself at the beck and call of a nine year old girl who is far more adult than her age would suggest.
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- Grindstone Entertainment
116 VOTESRay
Movie: House of the Rising Sun (2011)
In his first leading role, Bautista works alonside Amy Smart, Dominic Purcell and the one-and-only Danny Trejo in this action flick. Bautista plays Ray, an ex-con caught up in a night club murder he didn't commit. While House of the Rising Sun may not be remembered as anyone's finest work, it marks a significant turn for Bautista from WWE star to movie star.
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- 20th Century Fox
1213 VOTESMovie: Stuber (2019)
Stepping into the role of quick-tempered cop, Bautista plays Vic Manning, a man on the hunt to catch the heroin dealer who killed his partner. Recovering from eye surgery, Vic has to hire an Uber driver to act as his de facto wheelman and partner. While there's no shortage of Bautista kicking butt in this one, either, the highlight is his comedic chemistry with co-star Kumail Nanjiani.
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- Altitude Film Distribution / Lionsgate
1310 VOTESMovie: Final Score (2018)
Bautista is Michael Knox, an ex-soldier who must use his military knowhow to save the crowd at a major sporting event in London after it is suddenly seized by a group of heavily armed criminals demanding ransom. Ready to see your man Dave in a British twist on Die Hard? Here's your chance!
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- RLJ Entertainment
145 VOTESMovie: Kickboxer: Vengeance (2016)
Depending on how you look at it, this is either the sixth film in the Kickboxer franchise, or the reboot. There's no clear evidence that this movie "booted" anything, but it does provide some on-screen time for Bautista to smash a few statues with his knees and elbows as the antagonist Tong Po. And, of course, the movie has JCVD which is never a bad thing.
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- Army of the Dead
1512 VOTESArmy of the Dead
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- Universal Studios
163 VOTESMovie: Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018)
There's literally only one thing missing from this list, and that's Dave Bautista donning a mustache. A spin-off in the Ip Man series, Bautista steps in as a bare-knuckled baddie ready to throw some haymakers.
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- Lionsgate Premiere
173 VOTESMovie: Marauders (2016)
Bautista plays an FBI agent alongside Christopher Meloni. If you haven't heard of Marauders, that may be becuase it was a direct to video release. But dedicated Baustista fans should definitely check it out, it also stars Bruce Willis who is always fun to watch.
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