Jamie Foxx: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. Curtis Taylor Jr. €“ Dreamgirls

On paper, this is a thankless task. All the showy roles have been taken by Beyonce and Jennifer Hudson, with Eddie Murphy's Jimmy 'Thunder' Early getting the most spectacular, eye-grabbing role for a male lead. By comparison, Foxx's Curtis Taylor is positively restrained in a film full of folk who'll break into song if they're feeling slightly mardy. But that's sort of the point €“ much like Django, Foxx's Taylor revolves around exuding a sense of quiet menace. Obviously, he can't just blow all the suckers in the room like the Django €“ the music industry tends to frown upon such things €“ but you're still left with the unmistakeable impression that this is not a man to crossed. Witness his callous, just-business treatment of Hudson's Effie White, his Stockholm Syndrome-ing of Beyonce's Deena Jones and his forcible reining in of Early, and know that Foxx is having a ball playing the part of an unshowy, manipulative ultra-git. His character's descent from hopeful, driven entrepreneur to tyrannical music mogul is carefully handled, yet shockingly dramatic all at once €“ you'll never quite notice exactly when he crossed the moral line, but it's utterly believable when he does. He's a man who can reduce you to nothing with a ferocious stare, and unlike some villains, he actually believes he's right to do what he does. That's a terrifying combination, and Foxx plays it superbly.