8. Djimon Hounsou - Blood Diamond
Djimon Hounsou is unquestionably a good actor - he was previously nominated for an Oscar in 2002's In America, far more deservingly - but to see him show up in the nominations list for his unremarkable work on Edward Zwick's entertaining action-drama romp Blood Diamond was a huge shock. Playing Solomon Vandy, a man caught in a battle of wits over a precious diamond, Hounsou really only has two modes of play; during the more stoic scenes he keeps quiet and tries to master the dramatic whisper, before exploding into full-on manic mode once the intensity ratchets up. Given that Vandy is looking for his family for most of the movie, it should have been an effortless emotional home-run, yet the crescendo feels oddly removed from this, and the share of the film's acting praise really should rest with Leonardo DiCaprio who, more justifiably, was also nominated, albeit in the Best Actor category.