5. Marlon Brando - Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (1979)
Its old news to hear someone say Marlon Brando was one of the absolute greats of the movie business - its commonly accepted that his performances were rarely anything short of phenomenal. Yet there are still occasions when even the greatest actors can have their moments of weakness. For Brando, Apocalypse Now was one of them. Its to the credit of Francis Ford Coppola that Brandos performance was transformed from potentially the biggest mistake in movie history into cinema gold. When Coppola flew Brando into Manila to play the role of renegade army Colonel, Walter Kurtz, he was already way over budget and well behind schedule. Bando was to be his saving grace. Coppolas vision for the character was a lean, hungry, fighter; a rogue leader that inspired men and could get physical with Martin Sheens Captain Willard. Instead, what greeted him was a 300 pound, hungry (for hamburgers most likely) actor that had not even bothered to learn his lines. Out of time and options, Coppola decided to dress Brando in all black to hide his weight and film his scenes in the shadows. What followed was one of the most haunting and intense performances ever put to film. To be as memorable and mesmerising as Brando is in his 10 minutes as Colonel Walter Kurtz in Apocalypse Now (an epic 153-minute film, mind you) is about as close as you can get to perfection.