6. Owen Davian in Mission: Impossible 3
Easily Hoffman's most high profile role to date, the part of sadistic arms dealer Owen Davian sees Hoffman squaring up against Tom Cruise In JJ Abrams' 2006 contribution to the Mission Impossible franchise. Often when a critically regarded actor is cast as a leading man in a mainstream action film, you get the impression that they're not taking it particularly seriously - I'd point an angry finger at Liam Neeson in this regard. Fortunately, this is by no means the case with Hoffman's performance in MI3. While this part lacks the subtle, nuanced nature of Hoffman's other film roles, it allows him to let loose and unshackle himself from the staggering complexity inherent to the psychological makeup of his other parts (obviously Sandy Lyle is absent from this category). He is a terrifying presence on screen, switching from the insatiably ferocious to the disconnectedly evil at the push of a button. A hero is only as good as his villain and MI3 hits the nail on the head with Hoffman's maniacal Owen Davian, lifting up what was otherwise a fairly mediocre movie into a distinctly memorable one. His countdown to 10 stands out as one of the highlights of the franchise and it's arguably all Hoffman's doing - well done sir.