Every Best Actor Oscar Movie Winner Of The 21st Century Ranked

Who should have won: Tom Hanks - Cast Away.

Since its release, Ridley Scott's Gladiator has aged into a frustratingly uneven and safe historical epic, albeit an uproariously entertaining one with effective action sequences, a haunting finale, and memorable performances.

Scooping Best Actor off the back of his admittedly awesome "Are you not entertained?" speech, Russell Crowe's turn as vengeful warrior Maximus finds much of its brilliance in the film's quieter, sadder moments, as he drowns in grief and suffers under the weight of his quest for revenge and atonement.

It's a raging performance, crowd-pleasing and loud in the way the Academy often loves, and though it lacks the profundity or depth of Cast Away's Tom Hanks, it's hard to argue with how much grit and determination Crowe brings to the screen.