13 Bravest Acting Performances Of 2014

2. Michael Keaton As Riggan Thomson - Birdman

After spending years out in the Hollywood wilderness playing small supporting roles, Michael Keaton rebounded back to the big leagues with his out-there performance as downtrodden, possibly insane actor Riggan Thomson in ambitious drama Birdman. Even ignoring director Alejandro González Iñárritu's flamboyant direction, Birdman would still be a great movie without it thanks to a fine array of performances, none better than Keaton's in a part that has all-too-uncanny similarities to his own career. It's hard to ignore the comparisons between Thomson's career as Birdman and Keaton's own struggles to be taken seriously post-Batman, a fact that surely wasn't lost on Keaton as he laid himself bare for a performance that, while potentially quite unflattering (given that at one point he runs around Times Square in his pants), finds dignity in the emotional truth at its core. Of course, everyone wants to live a life worth remembering, and Keaton realises this with a sometimes sad, often hilarious and always brilliantly off-the-wall turn. The inevitable Best Actor Oscar win will be truly well-deserved.