5. George Clooney in Michael Clayton- Clooney in my opinion fails to create a very interesting character with Michael Clayton, as well as he fails to really be truly effective lead for a thriller.
4. Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd- Depp I do not find is entirely bad as Todd, but his approach to Sweeney is one note of anger and depression that just is not that interesting.
3. Tommy Lee Jones in In The Valley of Elah- I like much of Jones' performance, which is emotionally on the mark in showing the character's grief, and pain. I did not believe though was the entire change of the character, which was not made convincing by him or the script.
2. Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood- Day-Lewis certainly goes too far in some of his scenes, and starts playing his character in almost a cartoony fashion. Other than those scenes though still creates a strong fascinating portrait of man, that is daring in way that is not seen very often.
1. Viggo Mortensen in Eastern Promises- This was not that hard to choose between these top two performances, because where Day-Lewis sometimes goes over board, Mortensen is completely consistent in his effective characterization of a Russian mobster who has more to him than meet the eye. It is a strong effort that relies effectively on both Mortensen ability to show the command and control of Nikolai, as well as Mortensen ability to suggest the underlining and hidden motivations of his character.
Deserving Performances:
Josh Brolin in No Country For Old Men
