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

16. Hugh Jackman - Prisoners (2013)

Hugh Jackman often doesn't receive enough credit as an actor given his propensity for appearing in big-budget studio fare. Although he earned an Academy Award nomination for Les Miserables, the best performance of his career comes in Denis Villeneuve's tense drama. As a father whose daughter is kidnapped, Jackman's Keller Dover takes the law into his own hands in an attempt to dish out his own brand of justice. Beginning the movie as a typical family man, Jackman brilliantly depicts the struggles of a man who has his life ripped apart suddenly and unexpectedly. In an instant he can turn from calm and reserved into a raging fury, a subtle performance that could have all-too-easily become scenery-chewing. Dealing with personal trauma, marital strain, and a dogged police officer that suspects he is up to something, Jackman delivers a constantly engaging, quietly powerful performance that remains gripping right up until the gut-punch of an ending.