1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Lets be honest now, theres scarcely even a mediocre performance in Tarantinos stupendously crafted Pulp Fiction, let alone a bad one. Willis has an entire vignette to himself here, Butchs quest for his fathers wartime watch, and jesus, what he does with his time in the spotlight is nothing short of astounding. Willis leans somewhat on his action star prowess for his turn as Butch, Pulp Fictions hapless failed prize fighter. As a result, hes effortlessly believable portraying the same sort of aggression and tenacity that gets him into trouble in almost every action movie he stars in. But its perhaps those moments of surprising tenderness smooching with Fabienne for example, or after the films male on male rape scene where he shares a strange moment of noble kinship with Marsellus Wallace where his superb performance truly shines. Willis provides much in the way of substance in Pulp Fiction. His turn as Butch is subtle, nuanced and unique while still feeling familiar, and even still, somehow satisfying our expectations of Willis as an actor without ever taking Butch in any sort of clichéd direction. Tarantino is famed for making unusual but, with retrospect, absolutely spot-on casting choices and Willis in Pulp Fiction is just one of the many gleaming examples. So, you've seen the best. Click Next now to get right into the worst.