John Malkovich is one of Hollywood's most recognisable faces; that signature smirk has helped make him a dependably despicable bad guy in a number of acclaimed movies...and also in a spate of not-so-acclaimed, even sucky ones. Though the actor has been nominated for Academy Awards for two of his performances, he's also starred in his share of dreck, with the last decade in particular not being too kind to the actor's reputation. Still, to celebrate the release of RED 2 in the UK today, it's time to remember those fabulous, quintessentially Malkovich performances that made him such a reliable cinematic nutjob, and those dreadful paycheque turns we'd all just rather forget. Before we run down 5 awesome John Malkovich performances, and 5 that sucked, here's an honourable mention for a very special performance indeed...
Honourable Mention - Being John Malkovich
Though not really substantial enough in of itself to earn a spot on the "awesome" list, there's no doubting the brilliance of his brief turn in Spike Jonze's Being John Malkovich. Though the movie's premise could have enlisted many actors for the role, getting Malkovich helped the film reach its dramatic and comedic potential; watching Malkovich grumpily try to figure out why he's having bizarre thoughts in his head, and then trying to get the portal into his mind closed, is riotously funny, and Malkovich does a stand-up job playing an exaggerated version of himself. The highlight has to be when Malkovich decides to enter into the portal himself, at which point everyone in the world resembles himself, and the only word anyone can say is "Malkovich". From here things get even more disturbing and weird, while Malkovich remains a brilliant sport throughout. And now, here are 5 more awesome performances from the man...