20 Essential Movie Performances That Will Define 2015

3. Jennifer Jason Leigh - Daisy Domergue (The Hateful Eight)

Release Date: November 13 The Movie: Quentin Tarantino's "eighth" film (as he counts Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2 as one movie), a western set in post-Civil War Wyoming as eight strangers converge on a snowy mountain pass, and of course, bullets fly and blood is shed. The Role: Leigh plays Daisy Domergue, a dangerous outlaw who is being transported to the town of Red Rock to hang for her crimes by John "The Hangman" Ruth (Kurt Russell). As with practically any Tarantino female, she's got plenty of spunk. Why It'll Define 2015: Leigh has the only significant female part in the movie, and as anyone who read the leaked script knows, it's a savage doozy of a role which could easily net her an Oscar nomination, if not the win outright. She's perfectly cast for the role, and should stand out in what is a brilliant acting ensemble.