Viggo Mortensen in London, 2009. Photograph: Ian West/PA

Viggo Mortensen: five best moments

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Here's our pick of the actor's best film scenes. What else deserves to be on the list?

Viggo Mortensen, currently starring in Argentinian film Everybody Has A Plan (Todos Tenemos Un Plan), has taken on a number of memorable roles over the years, often specialising in opaque, strong, silent types.

In an interview with the Guardian this week, the actor described how he's drawn to scripts that offer him a challenge. "If I think it's an interesting story, but I don't think I can do it – then that's probably a good sign."

We asked readers to look back and suggest some of the star's best cinema moments. Here's our shortlist, featuring suggestions from @Cine_Kenya, @lukebrookman, @SamEEvans31, @ThunderLeg123, @Ben_Smith_123 and @MarisaMurray. Spoliers and adult content follow in these clips.

1. Carlito's Way

Viggo casts a pitiful figure as Lalin, a once-powerful mobster now disabled, cutting deals with the police, and begging Al Pacino's Carlito to kill him.

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2. A History of Violence

In David Cronenberg's 2005 thriller Mortensen plays a small-town family with a murky past that gradually comes back to haunt him. (This scene, from near the end, is a major spoiler.)

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3. Eastern Promises

Several people nominated this grueling fight scene from Eastern Promises, featuring an entirely starkers Mortensen in his second lead role for Cronenberg.