5 Awesome Bryan Cranston Movie Roles You Shouldn't Miss

2. Drive

Cast as Shannon in Nicolas Winding Refn's post-modern crime drama alongside Ryan Gosling, you almost become too enthralled with the Driver and his intensity to notice very much else! Cranston's relationship with the Driver is well thought out and truly believable, which becomes more apparent as the film goes on. Shannon is integral to the plot and ultimately sets things in motion that make the Driver turn into 'A Real Hero' and is played perfectly making this performance in his career unmissable.

Cranston's ability to gel with other characters and really get into the mindset of his creation comes into play in a big way with this performance, particularly in his interaction with Nino and his need to protect the Driver.

Although Drive is a more recent entry in the list, the film's artistic direction, independent cinema style and the way it was distributed frees it from the mainstream crowd. Also, I feel as it was released in 2011 before much of the hype surrounding Breaking Bad started to boil over, if you go with the theory that most people didn't start obsessing over it until later in the series.