You're unlikely to see a more star-studded film this weekend unless you go in for your umpteenth viewing of Furious 7, and nobody would blame you than Child 44. Tom Rob Smith's bestelling novel of a few years ago hits the big screens thanks to future Assassin's Creed director Daniel Espinosa, who tells a story of child murder in Stalin-era Soviet Russia with Tom Hardy, Vincent Cassel, Noomi Rapace, and Gary Oldman as General Timur Nesterov. After spending a good couple of decades as an actor's actor, the sort of performer whose best work is done on the stage or in smaller films (whilst occasionally dipping into the mainstream to pay the bills), Oldman has comfortably settled into the Golden Middle Age of his career. His talent is universally recognised, he's a household name, and he's getting more work than ever. Between Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes he's carved out a niche for well-realised roles in Hollywood blockbusters. It's a far cry from his start as the titular doomed punk in Alex Cox's Sid & Nancy biopic and his semi-autobiographical, unrelentingly grim kitchen sink directorial debut Nil By Mouth. He's an actor who's tried his had at everything the acting profession has to offer, and rarely has that resulted in disappointment. He's undoubtedly one of the best actors of his generation, but he's managed to fit a couple of stinkers in there amongst the roses. And boy, do they smell. Here are Gary Oldman's five best performances...and five that sort of sucked.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
