1. Malcolm Gray - Legacy: Black Ops
Idris Elba is a great actor and in this movie, as US Black Ops soldier Malcolm Gray, he finally gets an opportunity to fully flex his thespian muscles and tackle a complex lead role in which he gives a quite incredible performance. When a mission goes wrong Malcolm is captured and tortured. He escapes and returns to his native Brooklyn, where he holes up in an apartment and plans to expose his brother Darnell Gray Jr (Eamonn Walker), the politician who betrayed him, while coming to terms with his own questionable acts. Malcolm is visited by a series of characters including former colleagues and his ex-lover Valentina (Monique Gabriela Curnen), now married to his brother. This is a film which threw me for a complete loop. As I reflect, I realise that from the title I was expecting something that had a bit more action, instead what I got was a claustrophobic psychological thriller which leaves you questioning whether any of what you've seen is real or whether it's just taking place inside Malcolm's head. This is a career-making performance where Elba carries a whole film on his shoulders and keeps you riveted as his character descends into madness. Whatever he does subsequently, and there are great days ahead for this actor, he'll always be able to use this movie as the equivalent of his Greatest Hits album. Click "next" for the 5 performances that sucked...