3. Samuel L. Jackson - The Spirit
As a huge Frank Miller fan and an admirer of the Eisner Award winning comic line that inspired the film, I really did want The Spirit to work. But, unfortunately, it really didn't. There was in fact very little to like about Miller's directorial debut, least of which was Samuel L. Jackson's turn as primary antagonist The Octopus. Since his powerhouse turn in Pulp Fiction, Hollywood has tried to maintain the belief that anything they put Jackson in will knock it out of the park in a similar fashion. Hence your Snakes on a Plane, or his largely inexplicable inclusion in Star Wars Episodes I - III. As you can see from said examples, it really isn't true. However under the right circumstances, the right director (Tarantino for example) the man is an absolute monument of fiery intensity; one of the most powerful modern performers out there. However for me, Jackson is at his very worst in The Spirit, worse even than in the new Star Wars Trilogy (where for the most part, he stayed out of the way). His perfunctory performance is the definition of 'phoned in'; while it does rely on his ability for intensity, he delivers it in a sort of falsetto fashion, feigning it, but never truly feeling it. Was this down to Jackson's actual ability or Miller's fledgeling, timid direction? I'm almost certain its the latter. Still, The Octopus is a character and a performance that definitely left Jackson with egg on his face.