Powerful Lead Performances by Actors

[Carmine Falcone]

Am I srsly the first one to mention Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon?

Probably the best performance of all-time behind De Niro in Raging Bull.

tsk tsk

Yeah.....that was the one I was trying to remember when I read the thread title. It's the performance for which the term ''live-wire'' or ''firecracker'' or anything like that was invented for.

 

[Doctor Jones]

Jack Nicholson in The Shining and One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

Kevin Spacey in American Beauty

Christian Bale in American Psycho

Johnny Depp in Ed Wood

Edward Norton in American History X

Russel Crowe in Gladiator

Leonardo DiCaprio in Blood Diamond, Shutter Island and The Departed

Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull

Daniel Day Lewis in There Will Be Blood and Gangs of New York

Sylvestor Stallone in Rocky (oh, yeah I went there)

 

[The BatDude]

Robert Mitchum in Night of the Hunter

 

[Brother Jack]

F Murray Abraham - Amadeus

Not exactly a lead performance, he shares the story with Tom Hulce's Mozart, but yes. An astounding performance.

 

[Laderlappen]

Not exactly a lead performance, he shares the story with Tom Hulce's Mozart, but yes. An astounding performance.

Co-lead is lead too.

 

[SPIDERMAN117]

I finally got around to seeing "A Beautiful Mind" and I must say.....Russel Crowe gives a damn good performace in that movie.

 

[Brother Jack]

Co-lead is lead too.

Yes but I thought this thread was for singular lead performances.

 

[Dr Strange]

Eric Freeman - Silent Night Deadly Night 2

 

[LastSunrise1981]

Tom Hanks- Philadelphia
Denzel Washington- Malcom X
Heath Ledger- The Dark Knight
Edward Norton- Primal Fear, American History X, and Fight Club
Johnny Depp- Edward Scissorhands
Jeff Bridges- Starman
Brandon Lee- The Crow
Michael Clarke Duncan- The Green Mile
Adam Sandler- Click(When the film gets serious Adam Sandlers performance is heartbreaking.)
Jack Nicholson- One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest
Robin Williams- One Hour Photo
Mickey Rourke- The Wrestler
Robert De Niro- Taxi Driver
Sean Astin- Two Towers and Return of the King
Keanu Reeves- The Gift
Morgan Freeman- Shawshank Redemption, Driving Miss Daisy, and Seven
Nicholas Cage- Leaving Las Vegas
Kevin Spacey- Usual Suspects
Sean Patrick Flanery- Powder

 

[Snikt]

Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Matt Damon - Good Will Hunting, Bourne Trilogy

Tom Hanks - Almost anything

Denzel Washington - Almost anything, especially Malcom X & Training Day

John Travolta - Pulp Fiction

Hugh Jackman - The Fountatin (Seriously deserved an Oscar nomination)

 

[Laderlappen]

Have anybody ever seen Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Probably the best acted movie of all time.