1. Red - The Shawshank Redemption
Morgan Freeman's portrayal of Red in Frank Darabont's American classic is his most famous and renowned performance and a seminal part of what makes the movie so great. Everybody loves The Shawshank Redemption and whilst it's not *quite* one of the greatest films of all time, it's a great, old-fashioned piece of storytelling with powerful performances at the heart of it. Freeman brings gentle humanity to the film and is infinitely more likeable than Tim Robbins' Andy as he connects with the audience much better. Whilst the narration is a flaw in the film, Freeman delivers it with such sincerity and in his instantly recognisable deep, smooth voice we don't care that it is a little patronising. Freeman's performance in Shawshank will go down in the pantheon of great movie performances and deservedly so as he is the figure that holds the movie together with the warmth he emits. The Shawshank Redemption is essentially a tale of friendship and overcoming corruption and Freeman is perfectly for the role that was originally intended for one of Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood. Even with those esteemed names, it's impossible to think of anyone other than Freeman playing Red.