Adrien Brody: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked

1. Wladyslaw Szpilman - The Pianist (2002)

Brody very deservedly won his first (and so far only) Oscar for his portrayal as famed Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman, who survived the holocaust by hiding out in the ruins of the Warsaw Ghetto. Whilst cynics with hearts of ice might decry the portrayal of a war-time european Jew as a shoe-in for an Oscar, Brody thoroughly deserved the win. His portrayal of Wladyslaw is incredibly affecting, powerfully conveying the composer's shock at the state of his country (if not humanity at large) thanks to the actions of Nazi Germany. His performance is only expounded when the character - as with the real life man - finds help through the aid of a German captain, who gives him a better place to hide, food and water in exchange for a few tunes on the piano. Wladyslaw's shock and damage from the war is slowly repaired by the random kindness of one of his enemies, and Brody plays the confusing contradiction to perfection. The Pianist is a hard watch, yet in some strange way made more easily digestible through Brody's soulful, compassionate performance, as he gently takes viewers by the hand with him into that harsh reality.