5. Massimo Troisi in The Postman- This is an odd nomination, becuase this is simply just a terribly uninteresting lightweight performance that never really seems to do anything.
4. Anthony Hopkins in Nixon- Hopkins is all over the place with his over the top turn as Nixon. He frankly goes to far with his slimy portrayal, making Nixon a rather hard to believe character, which is a problem when the character is a real person.
3. Richard Dreyfuss in Mr. Holland Opus- Although I care not for the film I must admit that Dreyfuss does a fine job in a cliched role. He is properly passionate, and inspiring in his role, I really cannot fault him here.
2. Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas- Nicolas Cage leaves a memorable impression in his role as a slowly dying alcoholic. Cage is realistic in the technical aspects of his performance, and properly powerful in his more dramatic aspects.
1. Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking- Penn although does have the least screen time of any of these performances, leaves by far the deepest mark for me. Penn gives an extremely powerful performance, that is very hard to forget. Penn finds the right path throughout his performance, to show the facets of the convicted man, and to show him as a honest human being, making his eventual faith all the more powerful .
Deserving Performances:
Morgan Freeman in Seven
