20 Incredible Film Performances That Didn't Get The Credit They Deserved

4. Nicolas Cage - Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans (2009)

Given the high quantity and low quality of his work over the last few years, it has become all too easy to forget that on the top of his game Nicolas Cage is still one of the best actors in the business. Bringing the crazy like only he can, Cage's role as the titular bad lieutenant is far and away his best performance in the last decade. With Werner Herzog behind the camera, the movie was never going to be a straightforward police procedural. Elements of surrealism and dark humor blend with the genre conventions in what is more of a character study than anything else. As the cop losing his grip on both reality and his sanity, Cage somehow manages to keep his character likeable while still delivering a performance that is at times depraved, manic, and unhinged while remaining just on the right side of outright scenery-chewing. Cage did land a win for Best Actor from the Toronto Film Critics Association, but his hypnotic performance was largely ignored amongst the voting bodies. Which is a real shame, as it sits comfortably with his best work and serves as a reminder that with the right director and right material, there are few better than the self-styled 'Nouveau Shamanic' actor.