BoD: Best performances

It’s so easy to neglect the many great performances of the last ten years in this time of list making. We’re asking which movies will stand the test of time and which directors will become the new auteur of our generation; for many actors, their moment in the spotlight has already come and gone. I however have taken the time to recognize a few of the more memorable performances that have graced us in the last ten years of film.  

The Top 10 (in alphabetical order)

Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh (“No Country for Old Men”) – In Cormac McCarthy’s novel, Anton Chigurh is a guarded, yet almost overtly poetic figure. Yet in the Coen brothers’ masterpiece, Bardem donned his iconic wig and became a dark, mysterious and fearsome demon, truly embodying the film’s theme of principles. His baritone succinctness made for the most terrifying character of 2007.

Nicolas Cage as Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman (“Adaptation.”) – Charlie Kaufman is a real person, but Donald Kaufman is not, even though he received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. Nic Cage is also a real person, but you’d think he’d have to be part of Kaufman’s imagination to perfectly craft duel personalities for such an odd person.  

Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf (“La vie en Rose”) – It might sound like less of a compliment to learn that Cotillard lip-synced to original Piaf recordings, but this is not Jamie Foxx trying to sing like Ray Charles, this is one of the great French actresses becoming the greatest French singer. The skill it takes to be convincing in a role such as this is a whole new level of mastery.

Heath Ledger as The Joker (“The Dark Knight”) – Name one film character that has become more iconic in the last ten years than the posthumous Heath Ledger’s turn as the Joker that surpassed even that of Jack Nicholson. In his death, Ledger will already be remembered, but even in life, he would have been hard pressed to find a better role.  

Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview (“There Will Be Blood”) – Day-Lewis has been working his entire life to reach the level of greatness he attains in “There Will Be Blood.” Daniel Plainview is insane with a predetermined mindset of wealth and power that stretches far beyond the film, and we get the idea Day-Lewis inserted the same amount of insanity into his unprecedented method acting.

Helen Mirren as The Queen (“The Queen”) – How can anyone match the level of royalty and poise HRM Elizabeth II possesses? She’s the bloody Queen! But Helen Mirren does it. She reveals to us the power as well as the inner humanity of England’s greatest public figure, and it’s not just the resemblance that allowed her to do so.

Mickey Rourke as Randy the Ram (“The Wrestler”) – The pain Mickey Rourke instills in Randy the Ram is nearly autobiographical. He puts himself through an unimaginable amount of both physical and emotional turmoil for the role. But what’s more, Rourke puts a true human face on Darren Aronofsky’s true masterpiece.

Hilary Swank as Maggie Fitzgerald (“Million Dollar Baby”) – In the right roles, Hilary Swank is a phenomenal actress, and no performance of hers is better than the one in Clint Eastwood’s heart wrenching drama. Swank gives Maggie directness and an unwavering pluck, charm and ferocity completely deserving of her Oscar.

Charlize Theron as Aileen Wuornos (“Monster”) – Roger Ebert called Theron’s performance in “Monster” one of the greatest in all of cinema. No actor this decade has proven himself or herself as focused and as ingrained into a role as Theron. Her portrayal of Aileen Wuornos, a true monster, reveals such an amazing realm of human emotion and depth that is incomparable.  

Christoph Waltz  as Colonel Landa (“Inglourious Basterds”) – Talk about intense! Christoph Waltz traverses a line of comic grotesquerie and harsh ferocity throughout “Inglourious Basterds”, and he does it all in four different languages. His scene with Melanie Laurent transcends writing and dialogue to the extent that it rewrites history. This is an actor worth keeping an eye on.  

And a few more worth mentioning

Mathieu Amalric as Jean-Dominique Bauby (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”) – Amalric is my favorite French actor, and although here he can’t do more than blink, he expresses more emotion in one bat of the eyelid than some actors can with their whole body.

Ellen Burstyn as Sara Goldfarb (“Requiem for a Dream”) – This is one of the most demanding, cerebral performances in cinema, and Ellen Burstyn pulls it off.

Russell Crowe as John Nash (“A Beautiful Mind”) – Crowe’s turn as a schizophrenic math whiz in Ron Howard’s inherently entertaining film is unlike any other role he has ever done, and he elevates an otherwise cliché tearjerker to that of a great film.

Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) – “Pirates” would have been a train wreck were it not for Johnny Depp’s iconic character. Savvy?

Andy Serkis as Gollum (“The Lord of the Rings”) – Gollum is by far the best CGI character to date, and this absolutely terrifying portrayal of such a classic character of literature is the definition of perfection.