3. Georges Méliès (Hugo)
In Martin Scorsese's Hugo, Ben Kingsley plays Georges Méliès, who you'll probably know as a real life filmmaker and magician from the late 1800s and early 1900s. In the movie, Méliès owns a curiosity shop and seems to have a chip on his shoulder with regards to the world around him. Here the actor gives a tremendous performance, bringing us a broken man who has been misunderstood over the course of his entire life. The key to its greatness? The subtle undertones that Kingsley eases in. For this is a character who makes a great transformation: bitter to start with, Kingsley slowly allows the filmmaker to become somebody that we can relate to and recognise, though it never feels forced. We feel like we know this man and understand his pain. This is certainly Kingsley doing what he does best - playing men of class and authority with a real story to tell. Heartbreaking and beautiful, it's not to be missed.