I'm not an actor. Ok, that's not totally true. I acted a little bit in school(I was always told I had great stage presence), but outside of a couple small roles in mostly unseen stuff it's never been something I pursued. So I don't consider myself an expert at the nuances of acting. I don't a "method technique" from a "Method Man". I have to rely on the performances that have stuck with me the most to determine how good they are. In regards to the year 2010, I feel like this was an off year for the dudes. The Best Actresses category is well-stocked and it took me forever to decide on only 10, but the guys took me no time at all. So without further ado, let's jump into what I thought were the best male acting performances of 2010...
10. William Hurt-The Yellow Handkerchief
Few caught up with this cozy little indie flick from early this year, featuring the always reliable William Hurt as a recently released ex-con on a road trip to nowhere. Confused by the lack of structure and complete freedom he hasn't felt in years, his mind turns to the woman he left behind, and whether or not he's worthy of her. A magnificently understated turn from a veteran actor we don't get to see nearly enough in roles like this.
9. Zach Galifianakis- It's Kind of a Funny Story
Like most people, I had Zach Galifianakis written off as lovable, quirky fat guy in whatever the year's biggest comedy would be. Shame on me, because he shows off remarkable range and poignancy as a troubled middle aged man trying to get his life in order, all the while imparting some of his own hard learned wisdom to a kid that might be on a similar destructive path he's on. I liked his performance the first time, but it was the second viewing that really hit home with me. It's just a shame more people haven't sought this film out.
8. Jeff Bridges- True Grit
Say what you want, but Bridges is better as the hard drinkin' gun totin' Rooster Cogburn than the overly showy and mannered John Wayne.
7. John Hawkes- Winter's Bone
I'm so used to John Hawkes as the affable neighbor or buddy in a number of different films, his 180 degree turn into the ferocious powder keg known as Teardrop in Winter's Bone is one of the most startling things I've ever seen on screen.
6. Casey Affleck- The Killer Inside Me
It's his unassuming nature that makes his performance so chilling. The younger Affleck brother isn't the first person you'd come to think of as a brutal psychopath, but he fits uncomfortably well into the role in this adaptation of the grizzly Jim Thompson crime novel.
5. Michael Douglas- Solitary Man
Does anyone play the morally ambiguous, somehow lovable mentor better than Michael Douglas? Channeling some of his most iconic performances(Wonder Boys, Wall Street), Douglas proves the answer is an emphatic "No"!
4. James Franco- 127 Hours
Just a couple of years ago this was the same guy I thought would forever be just a "pretty face" after lousy turns in forgettable junk like Annapolis and Flyboys. Now he's not only headlining one of the best movies of the year, he's primarily responsible for why every second is an exhilerating, life affirming adventure.
3. Leonardo Dicaprio- Shutter Island
Months before he'd get caught up in Inception's hazy mindscrew, Leonardo Dicaprio was succumbing to the bizarre manipulations of Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island. As the heroic federal marshal Teddy Daniels, Dicaprio deftly walks between genres here as a hard boiled film noir detective and the unaware patsy caught in a Hitchockian trap. A better, more complete performance than he would give a few months later for Christopher Nolan.
2. Christian Bale- The Fighter
A sickly, pencil thin Christian Bale steals every scene away from it's star Mark Wahlberg, in David O. Russell's inspirational sports drama. Bale pulled a similar trick to what he did for The Machinist a few years ago, shedding a ton of weight in order to portray Dicky Ecklund, troubled brother to future welterweight champion, Micky Ward. Regardless of the physical extremes, it's Bale's ability to project Dicky's family loyalties and enslavement to his personal demons that are the real knockout.
1. Colin Firth- The King's Speech
As if recognizing that he was snubbed last year for his brilliant performance in A Single Man, Colin Firth ups the ante this year with an even more memorable role. As King George VI, Firth is commanding, funny and intelligent, believably giving voice to a monarch with a chronic speech impediment. Let's just give Firth the Oscar he's been deserving of for so long, shall we?
