Charlize Theron: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked

5 Awesome Performances

5. Det. Emily Sanders - In The Valley Of Elah (2007)

While Tommy Lee Jones' performance as Hank Deerfield inevitably draws the most attention in retrospect thanks to his Oscar nomination, Theron's performance alongside him is just as effective and just as impressive without the same intense beats. Without both of them there could have been some potential for Paul Haggis' Crash follow up to disappear under the weight of its own self-importance, but they are the elements that ground the plot, which occasionally threatens to stomp on the rest of the film's pillars.

As Detective Sanders, Theron is as measured as Jones is wounded. She's drawn to his situation, with the anchor of her own bullying by male colleagues who are fully aware of the open secret of her former affair with her boss (Josh Brolin). Just as Jones is an island, so too is she; perhaps less far gone, but just as driven by emotion.

There were some accusations that Theron's character was added to the mix as some sort of feminist gambit, but the reality is that she is the right actor for the job, bringing honesty and depth that flies in the face of the director's notorious penchant for hyperbole and heavy-handed symbolism.