9. Ray Winstone - The Departed
The Departed, Martin Scorsese's remake of the classic Hong Kong gangster thriller Infernal Affairs may not be his greatest movie - or even as good as the original - but it's still a thoroughly entertaining exploration of the nature of identity and the murky territory of cops, criminals and their codes of conduct. It might not be the masterpiece that some critics labeled it at the time of its release, but judged by the standards of any other director it's undoubtedly a great thriller. The casting of Ray Winstone as hard-man Arnold "Frenchy" French was hardly surprising - Winstone has forged almost his entire career out of playing gruff-voiced, uncompromisingly brutal characters. More than a few fans no doubt sat down to watch The Departed in anticipation - and then they heard the accent which elicited unintentional laughter around the auditorium... Still, there's always the excellent Nil By Mouth to fall back on for those who want a reminder how great Winstone can be when he's on top form.