10 Best Michael Keaton Performances
1. Riggan Thompson
Birdman is nothing short of a fabulous film, created to give the illusion of it being a single shot from start to finish. Keaton plays Riggan Thompson, an aging actor who was famous for playing a superhero and is now trying to be taken seriously on Broadway.
There is enough meta humour in here for those in the know, but the film is at its heart a sweet tale of a man struggling to show that he has more to give. He strives for this both on the stage and in his home life. His daughter, played by the ever-brilliant Emma Stone, is also his assistant. They are both close and not, though their journey together brings them closer.
The film is something of an adult coming of age story, with Riggan failing to get away from the character that he is so well known for - then finally coming to terms with that. He goes to extreme measures to do so, costing him blood, sweat and tears, all captured perfectly in the performance.
Another Best Picture winner, this film generated a huge buzz on release and thankfully has not dulled in the years since. This may be Keaton's best recent role and, if this is anything to go on, his return to another cape and cowl is going to be glorious.