10 Ridiculous Performances That Actually Improved Movies

1. Gary Oldman - Leon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74BzSTQCl_c And yet, even that indelible performance doesn't quite stick in the mind as firmly as Gary Oldman's hilarious, frightening, brilliant turn as Stansfield in Luc Besson's hyper-stylised action classic, Leon. Oldman had, until recently, been a woefully under-appreciated character actor, before his profile was seriously raised by starring in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, and then gaining an Academy Award nomination for his stellar work in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. However, this remains probably his most memorable - and certainly his most insane - work to date, as a crooked cop who spends his time munching pills, killing people, listening to Beethoven and screaming. Oldman's energetic performance gives the film a visceral edge it otherwise could have lacked; Stansfield could have easily been a relatively generic cop, but Oldman makes him scary, unpredictable and physically imposing despite a relatively small frame. That it's also riotously funny, as evidenced by the above clip, is the icing on the cake; this is an extraordinarily entertaining villain who, in Oldman's charge, adds plenty to an already great slice of action cinema. What other daft turns helped improve films? Let us know in the comments below.