Movies The 101 Best Movie Performances of the 21st Century

Do you like this list?

  • Total voters
    16
Takes Two To Tango

Takes Two To Tango

The one who doesn't fall, doesn't stand up.
Platinum Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2010
Messages
40,613
Reaction score
56,247

​

We had only one hard-and-fast rule: only one performance per actor on the final list.​

That means that while we could’ve chosen a half dozen or so Hoffman performances—alas, there is no Along Came Polly—he has only one. We made this decision for two reasons:

  1. We wanted to put a stamp on the performances we felt were truly worthy.
  2. It allowed us to get some more interesting entries onto the list. Rather than loading it up with Cate Blanchett or Denzel Washington roles, we were able to get some smaller performances on here.

​

Here's the top 10.

1. Naomi Watts as Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn, Mulholland Drive (2001)

2. Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, There Will Be Blood (2007)

3. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, The Master (2012)

4. Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár, Tár (2022)

5. Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, No Country for Old Men (2007)

6. Heath Ledger as the Joker, The Dark Knight (2008)

7. Denzel Washington as Detective Alonzo Harris, Training Day (2001)

8. Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, The Social Network (2010)

9. Joaquin Phoenix as Freddie Quell, The Master (2012)

10. Kirsten Dunst as Justine, Melancholia (2011)



You might not agree with the rankings and whos in the list, but I thought it interesting to read through it nonetheless.
 
Honestly, I haven’t seen most of those movies. Is The Master really that good? It kind of sounded boring.
 
Takes Two To Tango said:

​

We had only one hard-and-fast rule: only one performance per actor on the final list.​

That means that while we could’ve chosen a half dozen or so Hoffman performances—alas, there is no Along Came Polly—he has only one. We made this decision for two reasons:

  1. We wanted to put a stamp on the performances we felt were truly worthy.
  2. It allowed us to get some more interesting entries onto the list. Rather than loading it up with Cate Blanchett or Denzel Washington roles, we were able to get some smaller performances on here.

​

Here's the top 10.

1. Naomi Watts as Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn, Mulholland Drive (2001)

2. Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, There Will Be Blood (2007)

3. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, The Master (2012)

4. Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár, Tár (2022)

5. Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, No Country for Old Men (2007)

6. Heath Ledger as the Joker, The Dark Knight (2008)

7. Denzel Washington as Detective Alonzo Harris, Training Day (2001)

8. Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, The Social Network (2010)

9. Joaquin Phoenix as Freddie Quell, The Master (2012)

10. Kirsten Dunst as Justine, Melancholia (2011)



You might not agree with the rankings and whos in the list, but I thought it interesting to read through it nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I adore Philip Seymour Hoffman, he's a goddamn genius, but his wasn't even the best performance in The Master. That's Joaquin's greatest performance. Crazy to see both on the list. Similarly, Denzel's greatest performance in the 21st century is in Flight, not Training Day, but it isn't as flashy and bombastic, the character isn't as likeable, even as a villain, so it doesn't get nominated.

I must say that's the thing I noticed, over the years, when I see discussion of the greatest acting performances come up. People almost exclusively talk about characters who they admire in some shape or form. I'm guilty of it, too. It seems to be human nature. Even if the character is a villain, or imperfect, that character is always conveyed with some towering virtue in some form. Villains and antivillains people mention are almost always powerful, brilliant, stoic, beautiful/sexy, charismatic, or a combination of all of the above. They are sympathetic in some way. You never really see characters named who are completely repulsive no matter how masterfully they were acted to be that. So it's really rare that you see someone like a Joffrey leak through, and the actor get that recognition.

The single greatest sin a character can commit is weakness. To be pathetic, to be repulsive, to be a character that nobody would ever want for it to be said, "You remind me of..." Even if that character has some redeeming quality that complicates him or her. For example, Jeremy Davies is probably the only actor I think someone could compellingly argue gave a greater performance than Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan. We all just want to forget that person existed as soon as we left the theater. Joe Pantoliano gave the greatest performance in The Matrix movies after Hugo Weaving, but we only talk about it when we have threads about what character we hated the most in movie history.

That's actually a great idea for a thread. Name only performances like that.
 
Madmick said:
I adore Philip Seymour Hoffman, he's a goddamn genius, but his wasn't even the best performance in The Master. That's Joaquin's greatest performance. Crazy to see both on the list. Similarly, Denzel's greatest performance in the 21st century is in Flight, not Training Day, but it isn't as flashy and bombastic, the character isn't as likeable, even as a villain, so it doesn't get nominated.

I must say that's the thing I noticed, over the years, when I see discussion of the greatest acting performances come up. People almost exclusively talk about characters who they admire in some shape or form. I'm guilty of it, too. It seems to be human nature. Even if the character is a villain, or imperfect, that character is always conveyed with some towering virtue in some form. Villains and antivillains people mention are almost always powerful, brilliant, stoic, beautiful/sexy, charismatic, or a combination of all of the above. They are sympathetic in some way. You never really see characters named who are completely repulsive no matter how masterfully they were acted to be that. So it's really rare that you see someone like a Joffrey leak through, and the actor get that recognition.

The single greatest sin a character can commit is weakness. To be pathetic, to be repulsive, to be a character that nobody would ever want for it to be said, "You remind of..." Even if that character has some redeeming quality that complicates him or her. For example, Jeremy Davies is probably the only actor I think someone could compellingly argue gave a greater performance than Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan. We all just want to forget that person existed as soon as we left the theater. Joe Pantoliano gave the greatest performance in The Matrix movies after Hugo Weaving, but we only talk about it when we have threads about what character we hated the most in movie history.

That's actually a great idea for a thread. Name only performances like that.
Click to expand...

Nicely said my friend.
 
Haven't seen many films post-2010 so I can dig this list. Lynch, Coens, PTA, and Von Trier always have great performances in their films.
 
I'm with 1,2,5 - massive David Lynch fan so I'm biased, DDL is hard to deny and Bardem was iconic in NCFOM.
From the remaining movies I do know, I think Ledger's performance is ridiculously overrated, Denzel's character was cartoonish and Eisenberg just played himself as always.
So my overall verdict is meh.
 
Takes Two To Tango said:

​

We had only one hard-and-fast rule: only one performance per actor on the final list.​

That means that while we could’ve chosen a half dozen or so Hoffman performances—alas, there is no Along Came Polly—he has only one. We made this decision for two reasons:

  1. We wanted to put a stamp on the performances we felt were truly worthy.
  2. It allowed us to get some more interesting entries onto the list. Rather than loading it up with Cate Blanchett or Denzel Washington roles, we were able to get some smaller performances on here.

​

Here's the top 10.

1. Naomi Watts as Betty Elms/Diane Selwyn, Mulholland Drive (2001)

2. Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, There Will Be Blood (2007)

3. Philip Seymour Hoffman as Lancaster Dodd, The Master (2012)

4. Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár, Tár (2022)

5. Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh, No Country for Old Men (2007)

6. Heath Ledger as the Joker, The Dark Knight (2008)

7. Denzel Washington as Detective Alonzo Harris, Training Day (2001)

8. Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, The Social Network (2010)

9. Joaquin Phoenix as Freddie Quell, The Master (2012)

10. Kirsten Dunst as Justine, Melancholia (2011)



You might not agree with the rankings and whos in the list, but I thought it interesting to read through it nonetheless.
Click to expand...
I thought Joaquin Phoenix was the best Joker but that’s just me in the first Joker not the second one . You really got a sense of someone about to break grips with reality not someone who was already insane and violent it’s harder to transition to a victim to a killer it takes more talent to do it .

Performance to me is someone who you can’t see replacing that part there’s numerous ones , Christopher Reeves , Terrance Stamp , Harrison Ford , Arnold Shwartz ( Terminator ) , Stallone ( Rocky ) Micheal Douglas in Falling Down is a hidden gem he has to shift several times in character in that one the list goes on I think more iconic roles .
 
Deaths Head said:
I thought Joaquin Phoenix was the best Joker but that’s just me in the first Joker not the second one . You really got a sense of someone about to break grips with reality not someone who was already insane and violent it’s harder to transition to a victim to a killer it takes more talent to do it .

Performance to me is someone who you can’t see replacing that part there’s numerous ones , Christopher Reeves , Terrance Stamp , Harrison Ford , Arnold Shwartz ( Terminator ) , Stallone ( Rocky ) Micheal Douglas in Falling Down is a hidden gem he has to shift several times in character in that one the list goes on I think more iconic roles .
Click to expand...

These ranked performances are from 2000 to 2025.
 
Beatles' White Album best music ever, too!!!!!!!!!
 
I only got as far as number 1 and I already think it's the greatest list ever.

I used to think I was the only one that was super impressed by Naomi Watts in that movie.
 
Holy shit. I read the rest of the list and though I don't agree with every choice, I still think it's the best list ever made. For once someone made a serious list instead of a rage-baiting one.

(Although having Marky Mark on the list at all makes me rage)
 
Madmick said:
I adore Philip Seymour Hoffman, he's a goddamn genius, but his wasn't even the best performance in The Master. That's Joaquin's greatest performance. Crazy to see both on the list. Similarly, Denzel's greatest performance in the 21st century is in Flight, not Training Day, but it isn't as flashy and bombastic, the character isn't as likeable, even as a villain, so it doesn't get nominated.

I must say that's the thing I noticed, over the years, when I see discussion of the greatest acting performances come up. People almost exclusively talk about characters who they admire in some shape or form. I'm guilty of it, too. It seems to be human nature. Even if the character is a villain, or imperfect, that character is always conveyed with some towering virtue in some form. Villains and antivillains people mention are almost always powerful, brilliant, stoic, beautiful/sexy, charismatic, or a combination of all of the above. They are sympathetic in some way. You never really see characters named who are completely repulsive no matter how masterfully they were acted to be that. So it's really rare that you see someone like a Joffrey leak through, and the actor get that recognition.

The single greatest sin a character can commit is weakness. To be pathetic, to be repulsive, to be a character that nobody would ever want for it to be said, "You remind of..." Even if that character has some redeeming quality that complicates him or her. For example, Jeremy Davies is probably the only actor I think someone could compellingly argue gave a greater performance than Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan. We all just want to forget that person existed as soon as we left the theater. Joe Pantoliano gave the greatest performance in The Matrix movies after Hugo Weaving, but we only talk about it when we have threads about what character we hated the most in movie history.

That's actually a great idea for a thread. Name only performances like that.
Click to expand...

The Master was definitely a one and done for me. Good movie but it’s not the type of film I’d like to rewatch. That said, I absolutely see why both those guys would be ranked so high. The one scene, particularly, with Quell’s processing is just sort of a master class in acting from both guys. Just authentic and compelling stuff. It’s like DDL/Dano DRAAAAINAGE scene from TWBB. I could watch it over and over without getting tired of it.

Though the difference there is that as good as Dano is in that movie, that scene is really the DDL show. The processing scene in the Master has phenomenal, visceral work from both.

I know Joaquin has gotten a lot of praise over the years so it’s not like he’s underrated or anything but I sometimes wonder if he gets enough praise. He’s more versatile I think than he gets credit for. A lot of his best performances are very different from one another- Joker, Freddie, Commodus, Johnny Cash- all over the map. Don’t see a lot of any one of them in the others. He’s also notably funny and low-key in Signs, which I think is one of M. night’s three best films.
 
Fedorgasm said:
I only got as far as number 1 and I already think it's the greatest list ever.

I used to think I was the only one that was super impressed by Naomi Watts in that movie.
Click to expand...
Fedorgasm said:
Holy shit. I read the rest of the list and though I don't agree with every choice, I still think it's the best list ever made. For once someone made a serious list instead of a rage-baiting one.

(Although having Marky Mark on the list at all makes me rage)
Click to expand...

I'm glad you love it. Love it or hate it, it's a interesting list and their criteria in how they chose it.
 
Fedorgasm said:
I only got as far as number 1 and I already think it's the greatest list ever.

I used to think I was the only one that was super impressed by Naomi Watts in that movie.
Click to expand...

I’d have to give it a rewatch as it’s been too many years but I think Watts has been one of the best actresses out there for quite some time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,280,144
Messages
58,261,778
Members
175,984
Latest member
Omar Ahmed Lotfy

Share this page

Back
Top