This week sees the UK release of Transcendence, the debut directorial effort from Wally Pfister. The man who shot Christopher Nolan's Gotham trilogy and won an Oscar for his work on Inception is now calling the shots himself, following in the footsteps of other talented cinematographers like Nicolas Roeg, Barry Sonnenfeld and Jan de Bont. Critical reaction over in the States (and from our very own Ed Owen) has been lukewarm at best, but if you're a fan of old-school sci-fi like Brainstorm, Westworld and The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes, you should still give it a chance. But beneath the hubbub over whether Pfister has succeeded or failed, Transcendence also gives us an opportunity to reassess the career of Paul Bettany. He may never have quite ascended to the heights enjoyed by his co-star Johnny Depp, and there have been a handful of bad performances along the way. But there is also a gallery of thoroughly impressive roles which demonstrate just how valuable a talent he is. So, having put the spotlight on his dear wife Jennifer Connelly two weeks ago, let's take a look back at Bettany's long and varied career, singling out five of his best and worst performances. We'll begin with a film which brought him together with a future Joker...
Freelance copywriter, film buff, community radio presenter. Former host of The Movie Hour podcast (http://www.lionheartradio.com/ and click 'Interviews'), currently presenting on Phonic FM in Exeter (http://www.phonic.fm/). Other loves include theatre, music and test cricket.
