20 Best Movie Performances Of 2021

With the film industry slowly but surely adjusting to a new sense of normality over the course of the year, 2021 has certainly delivered a diverse platter of quality movies from the mega-budget to the micro-budget, on screens both huge and small.

There have been literally hundreds of great movie performances over the last 12 months, so whittling the list down to just 20 sure hasn't been easy.

That said, there are clearly those select few that went the extra mile in delivering performances of enormous conviction and emotional authenticity.

From one of the best performances in a horror film in years to more awards-friendly acting that's courting plenty of Oscar hype, and career-best turns that came totally out of nowhere, these are the 20 best performances that came across our screens in 2021.

In some cases they simply elevated the actor to a whole new echelon, while in others these performances were simple fantastic reminders of how supremely talented they've always been.

If you slept on any of these 20 performances this past year, be sure to catch up on them as soon as possible...

Dev Patel sure has come a long way from his star-making performance in Slumdog Millionaire over a decade ago.

Casting the British-Indian actor in the part of Arthurian legend Sir Gawain - one that would typically be played by a white man - was one of the many bold and deeply intriguing choices in David Lowery's face-melting art-house medieval fantasy.

If The Green Knight is best remembered for its mesmerising style, Patel nevertheless gives a performance of massive emotional breadth, even when he's not saying anything verbally but conveying so, so much through his eyes.

As not merely a hero but a complex and at times transfixing figure, Patel plays Gawain with impressive restraint, proving beyond any and all doubt that he's capable of portraying tough characters battling through gruelling challenges.