James Gandolfini: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked
3. CIA Director - Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
A very different view on the same conflict came in the form of Kathryn Bigelow's controversial depiction of the killing of Osama Bin Laden - a surprisingly divisive film for an actor so politically switched on (and so clearly left-leaning). Zero Dark Thirty wasn't anywhere near as jingoistic as some critics took it, however, with the depiction of the CIA operation that resulted in the death of their public enemy number one being neither glowing nor condemning. It merely attempted to create the most realistic adaptation of true events, something which actually landed the filmmakers in hot water with security services for a time. James Gandolfini again appears as part of an impressive ensemble that includes Jessica Chastain, Mark Strong and, erm, John Barrowman, and once again manages to tower against even that incredible set of acting talents. And again, it's only in a relatively small role that he manages to do that, as high-ranking government official Jeremy (supposedly modelled on the former director of the CIA, Leon Panetta). It's a different kind of intensity he brought to the explosive Lieutenant Miller let alone Tony Soprano but a magnetic one nonetheless.
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/
