10 Movie Villains Who Were Fatally Miscast

10. Russell Crowe - Les Miserables

Les Miserables might be one of the weaker Best Picture nominees of the decade, but it does at least benefit from a collection of outstanding performances from a terrific cast... with one huge exception.

Despite his shortcomings as a person, Russell Crowe is a frequently strong actor but this part as Inspector Javert, the principal antagonist of the film, just didn't suit him.

As seen in films such as Gladiator and LA Confidential Crowe is great at playing tough, powerful male characters but in this case he's constantly alternating between this style and trying, unsuccessfully, to realise Javert's morally complex and softer elements, making this performance a confused mess.

The biggest issue of all is Crowe's awful singing, which ensured he stuck out like a sore thumb among the rest of the cast. In a rather endearing manner, Crowe openly agreed with the criticisms of his vocals online, so he was obviously aware this wasn't one of his better roles.