Colin Firth: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

1. King George VI - The King's Speech

To some, this might seem an obvious choice, to others, a cop-out. Firstly, a few honourable mentions. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The English Patient missed out on the list because I wanted more than a supporting performance. For TV work, I went for Tumbledown over Pride and Prejudice and for the romantic comedy, Love Actually has too many loose strings (but is saved by Firth and Hugh Grant's respective plots). Maybe A Single Man is the better overall performance but what could have been yet another costume drama awards baiter actually became something far more. It is a sad, emotional and, quite often, very funny account of King George VI and his attempts, with the help of the radical Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) to cope with his debilitating stammer. In Firth's performance we find a man who is trying his best for his country but finds his own physical and emotional limitations keep letting him down. He is supported by a great cast too with not only Rush but Helena Bonham Carter, Guy Pearce and Michael Gambon on top form. To be honest, when you act opposite that lot, you're going to raise your game but Firth's George becomes both the head and the heart of a film which connected with audiences of all ages and grossed over $400million. Is it too obvious to put this as the number one when it is his biggest hit and garnered him the Best Actor Oscar? Maybe, but if you want a film which shows an actor at the peak of his powers (coming twelve short months after A Single Man) you won't find any better.