Bill Paxton: 5 Awesome Performances (And Five That Sucked)

4. Jim Reston - Brain Dead (1990)

Not to be confused with Peter Jackson's superior 1992 horror-comedy of the same name, 1990's Brain Dead will, if nothing else, be remembered as the movie that would forever ensure audiences got confused between Bill Pullman, and Bill Paxton.

They both star here, with Paxton taking on the role of Jim Reston, a billionaire who enlists the help of Pullman's Dr. Rex Martin, a neurosurgeon Reston hopes will be able to unlock the secrets held within the mind of a genius mathematician.

If that sounds confusing, it's because it is. Brain Dead tries to be deep and thought-provoking but instead comes across as dumb, and at times, unintentionally hilarious.

Paxton is completely wasted in a dry, humourless role too, with some bafflingly weird dialogue thrown in for good measure ("the universe is just a wet dream" is a particular standout).

And this is one of those rare occasions where he doesn't even seem to be trying. Even when the film is bad you can tell that, at the very least, he's putting in some effort, but throughout Brain Dead Paxton just looks... well, brain dead.

The film would probably have been better as an out-and-out horror-comedy. Its low budget and uninspired, stationary camera work make it seem funnier than it should be, and at least then Paxton would be able to bring more of his signature levity to proceedings.