Oldman, you mad bastard. Bringing an insane charm to so many roles, it’s almost impossible to choose which one to highlight as his finest. Is it his psychopathic cop Stansfield, killing to classical music in Leon? Possibly. His turn as villainous Dr Smith in Lost In Space? An outside bet. No, I hold up his other bad guy turn as Jean-Baptisite Emmanuel Zorg in The Fifth Element. Menacing, comical, dangerous, and pathetic. All in one movie. What a champ.

14. Alan Rickman – Robin Hood: The Prince Of Thieves (1990)

For many of you reading this, I suspect, Alan Rickman pretty much defined scene-stealing. I remember going to see this film as a tiny child, and wishing the Sheriff of Nottingham had won instead. Rickman cemented his career thanks to an entire movie full of scenery chewing, and set the template for years to come. Think over-the-top baddie, and you think Alan Rickman. Every cry in this magical clip is a strangled scream of pure pantomime.

13. Terrence Stamp – Superman II (1980)

Well, of course, there’s only one contender here – kneel before Zod! Out of work for around a decade, Stamp had major reservations about taking the role. So of course he did what anyone would do and consulted a Dutch baron, who told him to go for it. And go for it he did, producing one of the iconic super villain performances of all time. The key to it is deciding to be fearless, and realising subtlety was not the way to go.

12. Jack Nicholson – The Shining (1980)

Oh Jack, you’ve managed to build an entire award-winning career out of chewing the shit out of any scenery on display. You love it! Whether it’s throwing a bowl of cocaine at your face, or asking us if we’ve ever danced with the devil in the pale moonlight, there’s no stopping you. Not even hiding behind a bathroom door. Director Stanley Kubrick was known for his restraint, so allowing Jack to go full on mental was a true stroke of genius.

11. Charlton Heston – Planet Of The Apes (1968)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPfcim_p38w

Well if you’re going to chew scenery, you might as well do it in the one of the most iconic scenes in movie history. After barking his way through scene after scene of this sci-fi classics, dispensing zingers with ease (‘Take your stinkin’ paws off me, you damn dirty ape), Heston saves his best for last. How do you sell discovering the ape ruled planet you’ve been trying to escape is in fact a future version of Earth that we ourselves have destroyed? Just like this…

10. Michael Sheen – Twilight: Breaking Dawn Pt 2 (2012)

For those who have yet to watch Twilight, it’s worth it just for Michael Sheen. While Robert Pattinson increasingly looks like a deranged clown throughout the series, Sheen realises exactly what he’s got himself into and just rolls with it, saving his very best for this scene in the final film. I’ve tried at home and got nowhere near producing this amazing laugh.

9. Ben Kingsley – Sexy Beast (2000)

This man was Ghandi.

8. Christopher Walken – Gigli

Oh, Walken, you mad bastard. Since the very early days of Annie Hall, he’s shown an intensity that just cannot be matched. Sometimes it’s in the service of good. Sometimes, it’s in the service of evil. Gigli is one such demon spawn, and Walken shows up for one scene just to be entirely mental and then bugger off. Which is a shame, as if you’d made the story all about his police detective and his love of pie, I suspect it may have been a far more warmly regarded movie.

7. Michelle Pfeiffer – Batman Returns (1992)

It seems obvious, but playing a comic book baddie really does bring out the scenery chewing best in some great (and not so great) actors. It also allows them to ham it up where other roles may have necessitated them to tone it down. But more importantly, it allows them to be a bit more free and have fun. At the end of her career, what role do you think Michelle Pfeiffer will be most remembered for? Yes, that’s right – the one where she dressed up in a leather cat suit and said the words, “I am Catwoman, hear me roar…”

6. Arnold Schwarzenegger – Batman & Robin (1997)

If there’s one thing Joel Schumacher failed to do in his first Batman film, it was to give you epilepsy. Luckily, he managed to rectify that with his follow-up, the flashing neon masterpiece nightmare that is Batman & Robin. So how to overpower the visuals? Well how about paying Arnold Schwarzenegger the GDP of a small country to put on a sci-fi costume and make shit puns for the length of the film? Perfect. You can tell the former Governator is loving being freed from any previous constraints he’s been under to actually act realistically, and just gives such a mammoth performance you don’t know where Mr Freeze ends and Arnie begins.

5. William Shatner – Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982)

Shatner is sometimes regarded as a bad actor with a weird line delivery. I think that’s grossly unfair, as his long career and success in an iconic role didn’t just happen by chance. When called upon, Shatner could produce heart-breaking moments, as well as ridiculous over the top hamming, all in one film. The Wrath Of Khan is one of my all time top five favourite films, and Shatner is a big part of that. His roar is so loud it echoes into space.

4. John Malkovich – Con Air (1997)

John Malkovich is an actor known for his range and complexity of performances. He’s a man who convincingly portrayed what it was like to journey inside your own head. But his finest performance surely came in Simon West’s masterful action film. Not content with putting a lot of big egos in one place, West really upped the ante when he cast Malkovich as Cyrus the Virus. It’s magnificent.

3. Faye Dunaway – Mommie Dearest (1981)

It’s a difficult thing playing someone else, especially when that someone else was a real person, and not only a real person, but an international icon at that. So congratulations to Faye Dunaway for her performance as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest. The allegations in the book which inspired the film were momentous, revealing Crawford to be a complete mental wreck and probably one of the worst mothers ever.

So kudos to Dunaway for channelling that madness into something compelling, sad, and terrifying all at the same time. She’s like something out of a horror film at times. But fair enough, wire hangers aren’t the best things for your clothes – remember to put your favourite pieces on a nice wooden one, kids.

2. Jon Voight – Anaconda (1997)

Is this my personal favourite bit of scenery chewing? I think probably yes. Voight completely owns this film, and makes the entire movie worth watching. Which is surely the whole point of classic over-acting? What’s the high point though you ask? Is it the leer? Surely yes. It’s the leer. So much without words.

1. Nicolas Cage – The Wicker Man (2006)

In the company of gods, one man stands tall. No one, and I mean no one, compares to the majesty of Nicolas Cage in full bat-shit crazy flight. This is the man who doesn’t know the meaning of underplaying a scene. If it’s not turned up to 11, he doesn’t want to know. But where do we even start with his performances? Is it his performance as both himself and Travolta in Face/Off, his loony turn in Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call – New Orleans, or his early legendary role in Vampire’s Kiss? All are worthy, but this is Den Of Geek, and there will forever be a special place here for, “Not the bees!”