8. Joaquin Phoenix - The Master
Joaquin Phoenix continues to rise through the echelons of great actors as he puts in outstanding performance after outstanding performance. The Master was his comeback after the indulgences of I'm Still Here and it certified that Phoenix is one of the greatest actors in the world. He loses himself in character like De Niro or Day-Lewis, continually mutating into something different. In The Master, he plays Freddie Quell, a WW2 veteran, haunted by the trauma of war and he cannot adjust into civilised society. Phoenix twists with agony throughout the film - his eyes are drowned in melancholy and his body rages with impulse as Freddie is tortured by rage and sexual urges. Phoenix works like a magician in The Master, he plays an unlikeable man who is weird and unnerving but Phoenix finds the character's heart and throughout the film it is impossible not to sympathise with this demonised man. Much like Paul Thomas Anderson's film, Phoenix's performance is hypnotic, intriguing and troubling, raising questions about the need for acceptance and self-destruction. The performance, like the film is impossible to forget and whether you love the film or loathe it, Pheonix's performance is shaking and the character of Freddie Quell is a battered figure of humanity long ago forgotten by society. Joaquin Phoenix gives a performance that is physical and igniting and haunting in the darkest of ways. The Master and Freddie Quell confirm Phoenix as one of the greatest actors of our time.