8. Jack Black Takes On An Iconic Role And Doesn't Screw It Up In King King
When Peter Jackson started production on his epic re-telling of
King Kong after the success of
The Lord of the Rings, he knew he needed to think long and hard about who would play the massively important role of film director Carl Denhem, a character who audiences would really need to believe could go to the obsessed lengths that he does in order to capture Kong. And although Black's performance in this movie still has its detractors, I for one am a fan: I've always thought he nailed it, given that it was considered to be a bizarre casting choice. But what Jackson obviously saw in Denham was the mania and the desperation, two traits which allow us to understand why somebody would be so persistant to achieve their dreams. Black makes Denham flawed and terrible, but he's a funny character, too, and although he's responsible for everything bad that happens in the movie, it's still impossible to hate him, because Black still keeps him relatable. Some people thought Black's turn here was jarring, but I'm convinced it might actually be his all-time greatest performance. So there.