Michael Keaton: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

1. Bruce Wayne/Batman - Batman/Batman Returns (1989/1992)

You can keep your moody Christian Bales, your salt-and-pepper-tinged Ben Afflecks, even your gravelly-voiced Kevin Conroys. Michael Keaton was the first actor to really nail both sides of the Dark Knight. Well, besides Adam West, obviously, but sixties Batman is a very different beast to the Batman of today. Re-teaming with Burton after the success of Beetlejuice, Bruce Wayne isn't quite as different a role as he may appear at first. Keaton ratchets up the quirk factor, the weirdness, like not other portrayal of Wayne before or since. He has a manic look in his eye, sometimes he naps upside down. Like, of course Bruce Wayne would be a bit kooky. He dresses up as a bat at night, and besides, multi-billionaires tend to be a bit eccentric. He's dynamite beneath the cowl, too, managing to work with the limited resources of eyes-and-chin beneath that rubber mask. Somebody turned Batman Returns into a silent film this past Christmas and 1. It's brilliant, but 2. It goes to show how great his performance is. Sadly, he's not always quite so fantastic...