Best of 2008: Top 10 Performances by a Leading Actor

Best of 2008: Top 10 Performances by a Leading Actor

Honestly, I am just happy enough with my list of 10 men. Unlike the women of '08, the guys proved to show high caliber but less quantity - save a few. My list of ten actors was insanely weak until December rolled around.

In the list, most of the guys are newcomers to top ten-class acting - at least to my 23 year-old eye. Colin Farrell surprised many with his dark, comedic turn in "In Bruges". He's lovable, pitiful, and insanely irritating - also known as brilliance. I'm glad he gained recognition and a Golden Globe for his performance. Though I kind of despise "Frost/Nixon" for many reasons, I love it for Frank Langhella's sacrosanct work as Richard Nixon. His voice, his hair, his gestures, his attitude all make the movie great - I hate saying that. In "The Reader," newcomer David Kross had to learn English, turn 18, and shoot explicit nude scenes with the goddess that is Kate Winslet. Though he was surely terrified, Kross perfected his character's voice and tone, keeping every flinch and word close to the novel. His scene when he realizes his lover is being tried is heart-wrenching and stunning to unravel. Mickey Rourke, as you may have heard, has this think known as a come-back in "The Wrestler." Though I've never seen him in anything other than "Sin City," Rourke serves muscle and heart in the sinisterly real drama. Playing a passively introvertent professor who turns into a bongo-banging illegal immigrant ally, Richrad Jenkins conveys the most level-headed performance of the year in "The Visitor." He's true and compassionate, showing the true meaning of a 180 degree transition. Also, in "The Wackness," Ben Kingsley dishes out a role I would've never cast him as - a pot-smoking, depressed psychologist. Never sticking out in my mind before, Kinglsey gave one of the funniest roles of the year.

Two men appearing once in my Supporting Actor list and here are Brad Pitt for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and Robert Downey, Jr. for "Iron Man." In one of his best performances to date, Pitt strives to capture a man's entire life, only it's all to be done backwards. A shapeshifting role, the man shows that he's not just some guy in the tabloids. Downey, Jr., beneath Tina Fey, had the most incredible year. He struck stars with critics for "Iron Man," playing the dangerously narcissistic Tony Stark, then a couple months later gained instant Oscar buzz for "Tropic Thunder." The man deserves a pat on the back! In the superhero phenonmenon, he translates a new version of the genre, regrouping the shambles "Spiderman 3" and the X-Men trilogy left us in. "The Dark Knight" didn't hurt either.

Then, we have two of my favorite contemporary actors. Leonardo DiCaprio goes head-to-head with Winslet in "Revolutionary Road." Winslet stuck out more for me, but DiCaprio shouldn't be forgotten. He provided the realism sided with hope, while Kate's character just wanted to escape everything. I would've enjoyed this role more if "Mad Men" didn't exist - too many similarities. Finally, Sean Penn will recruit you as Harvey Milk. In Van Sant's terrifically spliced "Milk," Penn becomes the title role. Forgetting who Sean Penn is or was, you become captivated with the character and purely want him to live freely. One of the best performances of the decade.

Conclusively, the final list of 2008's Top 10 Performances by a Leading Male are:

10. Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark in IRON MAN

9. Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Wheeler in REVOLUTIONARY ROAD

8. Ben Kingsely as Dr. Squires in THE WACKNESS

7. Brad Pitt as Benjamin Button in THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON

6. David Kross as Michael Berg in THE READER

5. Colin Farrell as Ray in IN BRUGES

4. Frank Langhella as Richard Nixon in FROST/NIXON

3. Richard Jenkins as Professor Walter Vale in THE VISITOR

2. Mickey Rourke as Randy "The Ram" Robinson in THE WRESTLER

1. Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in MILK