Redditors recently got together on r/movies, the largest film subreddit, to discuss which actors delivered the most ‘electric’ performances. By this, they don’t simply mean a performance that was good or larger-than-life, but one that was energetic, charismatic, and spellbinding.
The Reddit users came up with a ton of solid picks, from Charlize Theron‘s chilling turn as a real-life killer to Bob Odenkirk‘s charming, smarmy, layered Saul Goodman. When these characters were on-screen, it was hard to look away.
10 Al Pacino – ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ (1975)
Sidney Lumet‘s Dog Day Afternoon dramatizes a real-life bank robbery gone wrong, with Al Pacino in the lead role of Sonny Wortzik. What was intended to be a quick and easy heist quickly escalates into a tense hostage situation, drawing the attention of the media and law enforcement.
It’s a bravura performance from Pacino. He captures the character’s depth and desperation, revealing him to be a far more complex figure than he at first seems. “Pacino was incredible in that. Probably one of the greatest performances ever,” said Redditor thatdani.
9 Christian Bale – ‘The Fighter’ (2010)
Based on a true story, The Fighter chronicles the rise of underdog box Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg). However, the best performance belongs to Christian Bale as Micky’s washed-up, cocaine-addicted half-brother and trainer, Dicky Ecklund.
Ecklund is a deeply flawed character, but Bale manages to play him with warmth and humanity, without glossing over his darker side. He won an Oscar for his efforts. “Truly one of the best performances of all time,” said user olipoppet simply.
8 Bob Odenkirk – ‘Better Call Saul’ (2015-2022)
In Breaking Bad, Saul Goodman was an amoral clown, a fresh take on the slimy lawyer archetype that made for some of the show’s funniest moments. However, Better Call Saul revealed him to be so much more. Odenkirk took the character in new directions, fleshing him out into a dramatic figure as complicated and conflicted as Walter White (Bryan Cranston).
What makes Saul/Jimmy so compelling is that, ultimately, his conscience has not been wholly extinguished. The heart of the drama is the battle between his morality and his instinct for self-preservation. “Bob Odenkirk’s Saul Goodman is one of the best performances out there. I’d watch him reading a phone book out loud, for hours,” said user tauntonlake.
7 Ann-Margret – ‘Viva Las Vegas’ (1964)
Viva Las Vegas revolves around Lucky Jackson (Elvis Presley), a race car driver who arrives in Las Vegas with dreams of winning the Grand Prix. There, he encounters aspiring singer Rusty Martin (Ann-Margret). The two are drawn to each other, and strike up a romance. Elvis was one of the biggest stars on the planet at the time, and yet Ann-Margret more than holds her own alongside him.
Ann-Margret is vibrant and magnetic, and the chemistry between the two is palpable. “She outshined Elvis by a mile,” said Redditor CaptinOlonA. “That’s the movie that started my woman crush on Ann-Margret. She’s amazing in nearly everything,” added user Ankylowright.
6 Laurence Fishburne – ‘King of New York’ (1990)
Abel Ferrara directed this crime film about Frank White (Christopher Walken), a former drug lord who is released from prison and returns to New York City with a plan to reclaim his criminal empire. Laurence Fishburne plays Jimmy Jump, one of Frank’s enforcers. Jimmy helps Frank to eliminate rival mobsters.
Fishburne knocks it out of the park; Jimmy is violent, cold-blooded, and unpredictable, a far cry from the wise Morpheus or the selfless Captain Miller in Event Horizon. “He stole every scene,” said Redditor kingoflimbs_us.
5 Klaus Kinski – ‘Aguirre, the Wrath of God’ (1972)
This epic from Werner Herzog tells the story of the ill-fated 16th-century Spanish expedition led by the ruthless and power-hungry Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) in search of the mythical city of El Dorado. The journey becomes increasingly perilous as the expedition faces the harsh realities of the jungle, and Aguirre’s sanity begins to unravel.
Kinski is the driving force behind the film’s relentless tension, embodying the character’s destructive ambition with wild eyes and volatile gestures. “No one has his presence on screen. Like an electric firestorm,” said user Hairybard. “[Kinski’s] presence is so dominant it’s honestly a little uncomfortable to watch. Like you can sense the tension when he’s onscreen,” agreed Redditor Tomgar.
4 Daniel Day-Lewis – ‘Phantom Thread’ (2017)
Daniel Day-Lewis has many storied roles under his belt, with There Will Be Blood generally cited as his best. However, one Redditor preferred his performance as renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock in Phantom Thread. The fastidious and controlling Woodcock begins a complex relationship with Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps), a waitress who becomes his muse and lover.
“I’d say Phantom Thread was even more low-key and devious [than his performance in There Will Be Blood],” said user Bodhrans-Not-Bombs. “He’s utterly controlling the scene but it just grates on you in a very uneasy way. I’ve never seen someone use a measuring tape so antagonistically.”
3 John Lithgow – ‘Raising Cain’ (1992)
John Lithgow may be most well-known for playing lovable goofballs in comedies, but in this thriller from Brian De Palma, he taps into his menacing side. He is Dr. Carter Nix, a brilliant child psychologist with a sinister secret—he has multiple personalities, including a murderous alter ego named Cain.
Lithgow morphs between personalities a la James McAvoy in Split, and is at times genuinely unsettling. Redditor njdevils901 praised Lithgow’s work in Raising Cain, as well as Blow Out and Obsession, saying, “[He’s great in] pretty much every De Palma movie he’s in.”
2 Charlize Theron – ‘Monster’ (2003)
Charlize Theron rightly rocketed to fame and won an Oscar for her performance in Monster as real-life serial killer Aileen Wuornos. The film traces Wuornos’s tumultuous journey from a traumatic childhood to a squalid existence on the streets of Florida, through her chance encounter with Selby Wall (Christina Ricci), and ultimately her murderous downward spiral.
Theron underwent a major physical transformation, completely disappearing into the character. She radiates vulnerability and rage. In particular, user MolaMolaMania praised “the scene with Pruitt Taylor Vince where she’s trying to goad him into attacking so that she can kill him in self-defense. Both actors are incredible, and I realized about halfway through the scene that my jaw was hanging open.”
1 Joaquin Phoenix – ‘Joker’ (2019)
Heath Ledger‘s towering Joker performance casts a long shadow, but Joaquin Phoenix successfully put his own spin on the character in this grim, gritty origin story directed by Todd Phillips. Rather than being an out-and-out superhero movie, Joker is more of a psychological thriller delving into Arthur Fleck’s (Phoenix) deteriorating mental state.
Phoenix is simultaneously sympathetic and loathsome, funny and tragic. In a career chock-full of amazing performances, this might be his finest work. “Arthur Fleck was intense, captivating, and utterly mesmerizing,” said user woodsgebriella.
