9. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Gordon-Levitt's latest role was one of the most highly-discussed of any in the last few years; his turn as Gotham PD officer John Blake was speculated prior to the release of
The Dark Knight Rises to reflect Christopher Nolan's desire to hand the Batman mantle over from Bruce Wayne to another character. While the popular theory was that John Blake would in fact turn out to be Robin, the result was, of course, an original creation; a youthfully optimistic but extremely competent detective who would, when it's all said and done, inherit Bruce Wayne's Batcave in the film's unforgettable final shot. Nolan working with the actor on
Inception two years earlier no doubt made it clear to the director that Gordon-Levitt was capable of portraying who is ultimately the most important character in a film with no lack of them. Though Gordon-Levitt has an undeniably slight frame and a sure boyishness about himself, he more than ably lives up to the physical demands; he handles a shotgun as well as anyone else, while still playing convincingly vulnerable when the time calls for it.