Mark Strong: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

1. Frank D'Amico - Kick-Ass

And now for something a little more effervescent and volcanic, my favourite Strong performance to date has to be as Frank D'Amico, the cantankerous, murderous mob boss in Kick-Ass. The movie's thoroughly subversive tone feeds right through to Strong's villain, who while a violent crime lord, is also trying to bond with his son, Chris (who in the sequel, becomes the lead villain, The Mother F***er). This helps accentuate the film's comical tone, as does the hilarious failure of the considerably more aggressive D'Amico to kill Kick-Ass, accidentally murdering a party entertainer dressed like him early in the film. This is a rare role where Strong gets to harness his funnier side, and though he mostly plays it straight, it's the inherent hilarity of the situation that makes his performance so great. The fact that he gets an awesome death at the end - being shot out of a high-rise window with a bazooka, and then exploding in mid-air - certainly doesn't hurt. And now click "Next" to see 5 performances that sucked...