Most Astounding Performance in a Motion Picture?

[Midwest_Doc]

Last night I watched NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY. Rod Steiger's acting in this film was absolutely astounding. There are other movie roles where the actor takes the character far beyond what is written in the script, for example Peter O'Toole

[Spentastic]

1. Pacino

Scarface. I swear he has a hypnotic quality when he's on form.

[terrya]

2. Peter Finch in "Network"

His performance is truly astounding. A great, great performance.

[ima_sinnic]

3. Jessica Lange in Streetcar Named Desire

--by the end, I was wrung out.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Sam Waterston in "A Captive in the Land"

A film set in the Arcitc, a story of survival-and basically a two man show. Absolutely fabulous and my favorite movie, especially for its message of brotherhood.

[punpirate]

5. John Hurt in...

... 1984.

Best performance of that year, and totally ignored because the film was so damned depressing.

[Atlas Mugged]

6. Hepburn

'A Lion In Winter'

Or...

Kinski 'Aquirre: Wrath Of God'

Or...

Davis 'All About Eve'

Or...

Hawthorne 'The Madness Of King George III'

Or...

Madonna 'Talented Pop Star'

[BigMcLargehuge]

7. Vincent D'nofrio in "The Whole Wide World"

Robert Shaw in "Jaws"
Peter Lorre in "M"
Rosalind Russel in "Auntie Mame"
Leonardo Dicaprio in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape"

[johnnie]

8. James Dean...

..in East of Eden. The scene where he tries to give his father the money he made from his beans is one of the best put to film in my opinion. I know many people don't like Dean's work, but I do.

[AngryAmish]

9. Pam Anderson honeymoon video

[Bridget Burke]

10. On the lighter side: Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean.....

Just because he made what could have been a very ponderous movie into something quite diverting. Disney was involved--let's hope they clean up their act before POTC#2.

And because most of the performances mentioned are angsty & depressing, if impressive.

Although I'm always willing to watch Peter O'Toole chew on the scenery.

[Bridget Burke]

12. Even lighter note: "Kerry names Depp as running mate"

Of course, it's from "The Spoof"

“I first saw Johnny in that scissors movie,” Kerry told reporters, “and I’ve wanted to run with him ever since.”

A source close to the Kerry campaign stated that Kerry believes “Depp’s charm, charisma and intense global popularity is just the thing needed to sway voter support of post-teen females, twenty-something housewives, every woman in middle-aged America and that ‘certain section of guys’ towards the Democratic ticket” in November.

A little silliness amidst the darkness.

www.thespoof.com/news/spoof.cfm?headline=s2i3375

[johnnie]

13. funny you mention this one.

I was just discussing this at the office about 10 minutes ago. I have heard that Keith Richards is going to make a cameo in the next one. I never seen the first one and after looking around on the net, I see that Johnny Depp used Keith as a inspiration for his character.

[GOPisEvil]

11. Brando in "On The Waterfront"

[Aristus]

14. F. Murray Abraham in "Amadeus".

Especially in his 'old' scenes'. Masterful. When he says the line "...I swear to you, I never laid a finger on her. Hm-mm." and wags his finger, you'd swear he was a cranky eighty-year old man.

15. Giulietta Masina in La Strada

Henry Fonda in Once Upon a Time in the West
Warren Oates in Two Lane Blacktop

[nuxvomica]

16. Jim Carrey in "Man on the Moon"

And there's also...

Terence Stamp in "Priscilla Queen of the Desert"
Anthony Hopkins in "The Silence of the Lambs"
Katherine Hepburn in "A Lion in Winter"
Elizabeth Taylor in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

[Insider]

17. michael clarke duncan: the green mile

it was 3/4 thru the movie when i realized that the actor was NOT the character.

saw him on leno after, with that big, warm smile and that sunny disposition and i was 'astounded' fo sho.

[Insider]

18. russell crowe: a beautiful mind

it was 3/4 thru the movie... ROFL

i did not GET russell crowe when i saw gladiator even. but this one blew me away.

[Caution]

19. Anthony Perkins in Psycho and...

Jimmy Stewart in It's a Wonderful Life
Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Vol. 2
Orson Welles in Citizen Kane
Martin Sheen in Apocalypse Now
Marlon Brando in On the Waterfront
Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's
Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot
Kevin Spacey in American Beauty
Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner
Frances McDormand in Fargo
Bill Murray in Rushmore
Chow Yun-Fat in The Killer
Jack Nicholson in Batman
Franka Potente in Run Lola Run
Jim Carrey in The Truman Show

[Lydia Leftcoast]

20. Patty Duke in The Miracle Worker--

at age 15.

Robert Mitchum portraying cleverly disguised evil in The Night of the Hunter

Renee Falconetti as Joan of Arc in the silent classic The Passion of Joan of Arc

Max von Sydow as a talented but despicable human being in Hamsun

Andy Griffith as a good ole boy with a hidden amoral aspect in A Face in the Crowd