10 Movie Performances Way Better Than They Had Any Right To Be

1. Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

Why It Shouldn't Have Worked

Heath Ledger was nobody's pick to play the Joker. Looking at the names who've been linked to the role over the years, a clear pattern emerges: Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Crispin Glover, David Bowie... There's a certain level of inherent weirdness to them.

In contrast, Ledger was heading towards a wholesome leading man position. He'd been a teen heartthrob, a historical lead and a romantic hero in an Oscar-winning movie about gay lovers. Fans didn't want him as the Joker and they were SURE he wasn't going to work out.

But Then...

Ledger's performance ensured that he quickly became the poster boy for unexpectedly brilliant casting. He was unrecognisable from his former roles, having agonisingly constructed his character out of pieces of Batman source material and his own ideas (as well as those of Christopher Nolan obviously).

If it doesn't go down as the greatest ever comic book movie performance, it's going to take something truly unbelievable to unseat it at the top. It's still stunning to watch the transformation and tragic to think of the cost it contributed to.

Which other performances belong on this list? Share your picks below in the comments thread.