10 Best One Scene Performances In Horror Movies

In Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, US marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) leads an investigation on an enclosed asylum after a dangerous patient goes missing. In the end, Teddy learns he is the escaped patient and the "investigation" was orchestrated by the administrator to help Teddy come to terms with his past.

Even though this jaw-dropping twist is subtly hinted at throughout, there's one moment where Teddy's true identity is all laid out. After entering a forbidden ward, Teddy meets mysterious inmate George Noyce (Jackie Earle Haley). 

Noyce rants and raves as if he's trying to get under Teddy's skin, but in reality Noyce is the only person being honest with him. He tells Teddy he's not investigating anything and is simply "a rat in a maze". Most importantly, he informs the so-called marshal that "all of this is for you". 

Although the writing here is magnificent, it's elevated further by Haley's visceral performance, which can only be truly appreciated on a second viewing. Only then does it become clear his words aren't threats but warnings, and he's babbling out of frustration, not madness. 

Though Haley crushes every role he takes on, his multifaceted performance here is among his best work.