10 Actors Who Stole Movies In A Single Scene
3. David Knell - Pig
A24's crime drama Pig received rave reviews for its unexpectedly subtle and restrained approach to its potentially loony premise - Nic Cage rescuing his kidnapped pig - and reaches its dramatic peak at the mid-way point.
Rob (Cage) follows the trail to the restaurant of one of his former cooks, Derek (David Knell), where a staggeringly tense confrontation unfolds.
Rather than get violent or aggressive with Derek, Rob decides to rip the man's soul out of his body with words, tearing him down for opening a fine dining establishment rather than the old-fashioned pub he always wanted.
As brilliantly understated as Cage is in the scene, it's Knell who shines brightest, over the course of eight minutes so incredibly depicting a man having his spirit stamped on by his former boss.
Knell plays the part dynamically enough that he's at once pitiable and sympathetic - an avatar for unrealised dreams and empty "success."
Knell's outstanding performance was all the more unexpected given that he has only sporadic screen credits to his name, and yet effortlessly wrangled the audience's attention away from an acting lion like Nic Cage.