20 Most Intense Movie Performances Of All Time

8. Tommy DeSimone (Joe Pesci) - Goodfellas

Though he's based on a real-life mobster figure of even more disturbing reputation, Tommy DeSimone is still one of Hollywood's most notorious monsters. And thanks to Joe Pesci's explosive performance, he's one of the most discomforting figures in film history.

The biggest testament to his volatility - and to the intensity of Joe Pesci's stunning performance - comes when he flips on Henry Hill for his own amusement, goading him for saying he's "funny" simply as an exercise in intimidation. He's busting balls, but you get a real insight into what he really is, not only in the way he acts but also in the way Hill reacts. There's real terror there before he realises the ruse.

And it's not until we see the murder of Billy Batts - committed on the back of a simple insult - that the true extent of his explosiveness really reveals itself. Like the best Pesci characters, he's a hand grenade, but in the case of Goodfellas, we actually see it explode more than once.