9. Javier Bardem As Anton Chigurh (No Country For Old Men)
Before the release of No Country For Old Men (easily one of the best films of the last decade), Javier Bardem was a barely known name outside of the Spanish-speaking cinematic world. More to the point, even within his Spanish filmography, the majority of his roles were softer, even romantic ones. That's a pretty good reason as to why his turn as Anton Chigurh was so disturbing; that it was simply not expected of someone with such a low profile. However, Bardem bores himself into your mind from his performance as a whole. Chigurh is a cold, isolated and extremely detached serial killer. He is utterly psychotic and relentless in his spree, and although he claims to have his reasons, we're never really sure what those justifications may be. Furthermore, the man looks huge, and extremely intimidating enough, even before you check out the bolt pistol he uses to carry out his acts of righteousness. It's almost as if the people he encounters are his cattle to be put down as he pleases. In the film, Chigurh kills almost every single character he encounters, sometimes simply deciding their fate with the toss of a coin. Chigurh believes he's following a moral code (known only to him), but also seems to take great pleasure in dishing out his punishment: he is truly disturbing to behold, should you picture him appearing in you doorway.
