10 Incredible Movie Performances NOBODY Expected To Be Good

Though we as moviegoers tend to think we know exactly what an actor is capable of, it's always a pleasant surprise when someone delivers a banger performance totally out of nowhere that floors us all.

Any actor is just one great performance away from redefining their entire career in the public eye, and often actors with middling reputations can prove themselves capable of so, so much more when working with great scripts and incredible directors.

That's absolutely true of these 10 performers, each of whom were cast in roles that seemed wildly above their station, going by the quality of their output up that point.

Yet for as miscast as most of these actors initially seemed to be, they all got the last laugh by proving us all so thoroughly wrong, in turn delivering a staggering feat of acting far beyond what anyone thought possible.

In some cases it even garnered serious, sustained awards buzz, but in all instances it served as a testament to the potential for actors to break free of typecasting and excel at something they've never done before...

Much as everyone loves Keanu Reeves for his most iconic movie roles and thoroughly likeable public persona, few would dare to call him a great actor. 

Rather, he's a serviceable performer whose charms and commitment have nevertheless seen him win a bevy of coveted roles.

And at the turn of the century, a fresh-off-The-Matrix Reeves was cast in Sam Raimi's supernatural thriller The Gift, where he played the pivotal role of a scumbag abusive husband who is accused of murder.

But given the generally messy quality of Reeves' prior departures into dramatic fare, it was tough to accept that he truly had what it took to portray a monster, especially while working opposite a vastly more distinguished ensemble cast including Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Greg Kinnear, and Hilary Swank.

Yet Reeves surprised just about everybody here, bringing an intimidating quality to the table and even going further to make his character legitimately detestable. It remains Reeves' finest work, even if the movie itself is something of a mixed bag.