11 Most Intense Performances In Comic Book Movies
9. Bruce Willis - John Hartigan (Sin City)
Frank Miller's neo-noir epic, Sin City, is about as seminal a comic book as you could hope to find. Dark, atmospheric, and the pure exemplification of the Modern Age of comics when it was in its formative moments, Miller's text never looked as though it would lend itself to a live action format, so heavily stylised was the source-material.
And yet, in 2005, Miller collaborated with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino to make a Sin City film proper. It was every bit as stylish as the comic, and with a cast comprised of Bruce Willis, Elijah Wood, Benicio del Toro and Mickey Rourke, there was plenty of substance to match.
As for the film's most intense performance, that honour must go to Bruce Willis' John Hartigan. Mickey Rourke's turn as Marv is equally compelling, but the short stories that Willis stars in (namely, That Yellow Bastard Parts I and II), are the film's best. Willis totally nails the torn and tormented Hartigan as well, refusing to sleepwalk the part as he has done in, well, pretty much every film he's made since.
Hartigan might possess the usual Miller-isms of your average comic book anti-hero, but Willis was still perfect for the part.