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

8. Michael Keaton - Batman

Why It Shouldn't Have Worked

Well before Ben Affleck, Heath Ledger, Will Smith and Jared Leto were cast to tidal waves of controversy (whipped up by a fanbase who seem to like everything their way), Michael Keaton was the original unwanted Batman casting.

Looking back at it now, you can sort of see why fans were unimpressed. Keaton was mostly known for Mr Mom and Beetlejuice (as well as some other comedies) and there was NOTHING to suggest he'd make a good option for straight guy Bruce Wayne let alone convincing as a superhero. Tim Burton might have liked him, but this was the absolute definition of casting against type.

And logic.

But Then...

Keaton took an under-written part (on purpose, it has to be said) and added a disquietened feel to Wayne that suggested an uneasy disguise worn to hide a coiled spring inside. He is nervous, wary and uncomfortable, and as Batman, he's the perfect marriage of restraint and theatricality. He's a self-conscious freak, reveling in the grotesque, Gothic elements of his character and it's still brilliant to watch.