The 10 Most Underrated Film Performances of 2008

5. Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell as Annie and Glenn Marchand in “Snow Angels”

Easily one of the ten best films of the year, David Gordon Green’s “Snow Angels” is an emotionally devastating portrait of the ripple effect of relationships gone wrong and their impact on small town life. The most damaged pair in the film are Annie and Glenn Marchand, brought vividly to life by Beckinsale and Rockwell. The latter has been one of the more intriguing character actors working for years and also did good work in “Choke” and “Frost/Nixon” this year, but the popular opinion of Kate Beckinsale should have changed in 2008. After “Snow Angels” and nearly-as-good work in “Nothing But the Truth”, Beckinsale will no longer merely be known for how she fills out leather pants in the “Underworld” movies. Under pitch-perfect direction from David Gordon Green, Rockwell and Beckinsale gave two of the most tragically powerful performances of the year and their names haven’t even been mentioned in the year-end conversation. I’d hate to think that people who get paid to write about movies can’t remember one that came out nine months ago, but it seems to be the only logical reason that the cast of “Snow Angels” has been so incorrectly ignored in light of far-inferior-but-recent work.

4. Josh Brolin and James Cromwell as George W. and George Herbert Walker Bush, “W.”

“W.” is definitely not a perfect film, but everything that works about Oliver Stone’s part-satire, part-comedy, part-drama is in the two performances by Brolin and Cromwell. Brolin was ignored last year for his great work in “No Country For Old Men”, and it’s unexplainably happening again in 2008 with his lead work in “W.” and supporting work in “Milk”, with neither role getting the credit it deserves. And Cromwell brings a gravity to Bush Sr. - a gravity that I’m not sure he has in real life - that makes him one of the most intriguing characters in the film. We’ve seen the Cheney impression before. We’ve seen the war room stuff and “Mission Accomplished.” What was new about “W.” was the dynamic of a man-child always trying to impress his superior father and just always missing the mark. “W.” never quite comes together, but it only gets close to doing so because of Brolin and Cromwell.

3. The Ensemble of Synecdoche, New York

Charlie Kaufman’s “Synecdoche, New York” may feature the most “in-tune” ensemble of the year (don’t be surprised to see it appear in the Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble category). Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Emily Watson, Samantha Morton, Dianne Wiest, Hope Davis - it’s like an art movie dream cast, and you won’t find a group more committed to a filmmaker’s unusual vision than this group. Perhaps it’s because the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the Academy don’t have ensemble categories and no one in “Synecdoche” stands out enough to warrant individual acclaim, but it seems a shame to discount all of the note-perfect work in Kaufman’s film just because no actor is better than another in the final product. Like most of Kaufman’s films, “Synecdoche, New York” is a puzzle of a script, one that has gotten appropriate acclaim, including a screenplay nomination from the Chicago Film Critics Association, but the cast has been ignored, which, frankly, is a puzzle as well.

2. Benicio Del Toro as Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara in “Che”

Del Toro reportedly worked for years to get as deep under the skin of such an incredibly complex man as he could, and his commitment to the research shows in every frame of the riveting “Che”, a film that challenges viewer expectations on every level. With “Che”, Soderbergh tries to give the viewer the feeling of what it was like to be around Guevara, and it takes a consistent performance to even attempt to make something that ambitious work. Del Toro’s work in “Che” is defining for both people involved. Benicio is committed and believable in every single scene of what is ultimately a 260-minute movie. He’s in nearly every shot of the complex film and carries the entire project on his back. A four-hour-plus movie about Che Guevara wandering through the jungles of Cuba and Bolivia is a tough sell already, but if critics did their part and let readers know how flawless one of the best actors alive is in the film then the entire project might be getting more of the year-end press it deserves. When anyone who’s seen the film thinks of Che Guevara, they will picture Del Toro and vice versa. It’s easily one of the best acting performances of the year and it’s shocking to me to see far-lesser performances - Tom Cruise in “Tropic Thunder”, Clint Eastwood in “Gran Torino”, Amy Adams in “Doubt” - getting nominations while no one’s talking about “Che”.

1. Everyone but Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight”

Ledger’s work in “The Dark Knight” is both remarkable and Oscar-worthy, but don’t be surprised if the entire ensemble scores a nomination for their group work by the Screen Actors Guild. What Christopher Nolan accomplished with the best superhero movie ever made wouldn’t have worked without his note-perfect ensemble. Yes, maybe Maggie Gyllenhaal doesn’t do enough to make this one of the more notable performances of her career, but “The Dark Knight” contains career-best work from Aaron Eckhart, one of Gary Oldman’s best turns in years, and a foundation of warmth to offset The Joker’s cold, pale exterior from Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman. And, of course, Christian Bale has redefined one of the most recognizable characters in the history of the genre (even if he does growl a bit too much in “TDK”). Eckhart, Oldman, Bale - none of them have been mentioned as being notable 2008 performances in any way this awards season because Ledger steals so much of the show. The fact is that Ledger’s work wouldn’t have been nearly as good without his cast-mates in “The Dark Knight”.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com