11 Most Intense Performances In Comic Book Movies

8. Tom Hanks - Michael Sullivan (Road To Perdition)

Few people may recognise that 2002's Road to Perdition is in fact a comic book film, but it's true. The Sam Mendes effort, which starred the likes of Tom Hanks, Paul Newman and Jude Law, centres around the the tale of Michael Sullivan, a religious hitman who works under the employ of Newman's John Rooney in Depression-era America.

Everyone is sensational in the film, and Newman was even nominated for a whole host of awards upon its release. He, Hanks and Law make the film a thoroughly compelling watch, with their performances buoyed only by the film's stunning visuals and score. It is Hanks who anchors the production though, turning in a decidedly more stoic turn as the film's anti-hero that's only offset - or positively shattered - by moments of extreme violence and confrontation.

Although the character of Sullivan is reticent in a whole host of respects, he ends up being one of Hanks' most expressive performances. There's real pain to the character, and while that only tends to shine through in those moments of confrontation, it's in the film's quieter scenes that Hanks is allowed to show the intensity of his performance, embodying the character as he navigates Depression-era America with his son in tow.

It's one of the actor's finest parts, but when he's played everyone from Captain John Miller in Saving Private Ryan, to Jim Lovell in Apollo 13 and the eponymous Captain Phillips himself, it's easy to see why it's overlooked.