Charlize Theron: 5 Awesome Performances & 5 That Sucked

1. Aileen Wuornos - Monster (2003)

If you couldn't have guess where this ranking was headed from the frequent allusions to broken characters and wounds, then you probably haven't been paying enough attention.

Theron's performance in Monster might well be most memorable for the physical transformation she underwent to portray the fractured serial killer, but to concentrate solely on that aspect is to do a disservice to the substance of the performance.

She channels the same morbid fascination - the irresistible draw of rubber-necking - that Wuornos managed in her infamous documentary film opposite Nick Broomfield. It's arguably her most showy performance of all, but that is no bad thing, and the true power of the film is that she makes the story entirely gripping without an ounce of glamourising.