20 Best Movie Performances Of 2017

18. Ana De Armas - Blade Runner 2049

Ana de Armas well and truly put her name on the map with her unexpectedly nuanced performance in Blade Runner 2049 as K's hologram girlfriend Joi.

Joi's "arc" throughout the movie is a fascinating one, because at first she seems like a hollow, beautiful fabrication, before the film seems to suggest that she's got hidden depths despite being an A.I., before the film swings back around to remind the audience that, yes, her interactions with K are still driven by a pre-programmed algorithm.

Still, that didn't stop us all feeling sad when Joi's holographic emitter was stomped to pieces by Luv, did it? That's a testament to Armas' performance, both as a perfect embodiment of a "model" woman, and as an entity with seemingly unexpected nuance (even if it's merely a convincing ruse). Like K, the audience is thoroughly seduced by her work here.

Expect Armas' career to take off following her magnificent turn in Denis Villeneuve's intoxicating sci-fi thriller.