Gautam Anand
15. Christoph Waltz, ‘Inglorious Bastards’
Villains don’t come in better (or rather, worse) shape and form than Hans Landa. Waltz portrays Landa with such cold-hearted finesse that it sends shiver down your spine. And yet, in some strange way, he also manages to make himself likeable. That’s truly a hallmark of a good actor.
14. Forest Whitaker, ‘The Last King of Scotland’
Charismatic as Idi Amin, the self appointed President of Uganda, Whitaker seethes with rage and hate for all who go against him or his beliefs, many simply disappear. Whitaker gives a remarkable performance, capturing the intense joy Amin could bring to a room or crowd, and then silence it with a horrifying glance of what could happen next.
13. Sean Penn, ‘Milk’
Never before has Penn portrayed a role where he displays so much love, so much hope, so much genuine decency and goodness as he does here as Harvey Milk. The first elected openly gay official in the history of the United States, Milk altered the course of American politics and in the San Francisco area. Buoyant. smiling, full of love, Penn is a wonder and richly deserved that Oscar. Milk spread hope, he advocated peace and love, and Penn brings that to his performance and his Harvey Milk.
12. Christian Bale, ‘The Machinist’
Over the years, actors have transformed themselves for a role by shedding or gaining weight but the one that will remain imprinted for years to come is truly shocking display by Christian Bale who lost a whopping 63 lbs. He takes things to extreme in embodiment of the insomniac character whose perception of reality is twisted and looks like walking skeleton run-down shadow of a man.
11. Mickey Rourke, ‘The Wrestler’
As a wrestler seeking to fight to regain his lost glory, Mickey Rourke is terrifyingly brilliant. In ways more than one, ‘The Wrestler’ resembled Rourke’s own story — once a superstar who squandered everything away. He lost the Oscar that year to Sean Penn — who won it for Milk. If you ask me, he deserved it more than Penn.
