Best Movies Starring Only One Actor

Willem Dafoe plays Nemo, an art thief trapped in a New York penthouse after his heist of priceless art goes awry. Locked inside with nothing but art, he struggles to survive.

In this second film adaptation of Richard Matheson’s post-apocalyptic novel “I Am Legend,” Charlton Heston stars as an Army biologist who survived a biological war and is one of the few remaining humans left on the planet. To stay alive he must keep away from a pack of mutants led by an ex-television newscaster who are sensitive to light.

“Grand Piano” is about a pianist ( Elijah Wood) gripped by stage fright who receives a threatening note before a performance. Rotten Tomatoes called the taut film a one-trick pony that evoked the style of noted thriller director Brian DePalma (“Blow Out”).

“The Shallows” features a standout performance by Blake Lively as a medical student seeking solace in surfing in a secluded area known for shark attacks. A shark does indeed come at her and she has to swim to a rock for relative safety, nursing a wound as the shark circles the rock.

Strong ecological themes are prevalent in “Silent Running,” which stars Bruce Dern as an ecologist who oversees a greenhouse in space to preserve plants for future generations after all botanical life has ceased to exist on Earth. He rebels against orders to destroy the greenhouse in favor of carrying cargo and is forced to do anything to keep the greenery alive.