Why is so much emphasis put on a performance in a film? Aren’t there so many other components? Well, there are a few reasons why acting is put on such a pedestal. Firstly, as I can see it, acting is the final on-set checkmark waiting to go off. All of the words have been written. All of the sets and costumes have been made. The lighting is set. All that’s left to do is to pick up the drivers of these synthetic vehicles. Great! The shot went well! In post production, much of the decisions are hinged around the performances, allowing them to take off; other types of shots usually are meant to put you in the place of a character (say an establishing scenic image). Secondly, for all types of movie goers (and not just hardcore cinephiles), these are the familiar faces we can rely on. We usually don’t see other crew members in a shot (outside of cameos or mistakes), but we can pair a name to these visages at leisure.



There’s a connection that anyone that has ever watched a movie has made countless times before. It’s true. Acting is not the only important part of a film: it isn’t even close to being so. Yet, it’s often the saving grace of a mediocre film, or the final cherry on top of a spectacular film. There were too many incredible performances to pick this decade. As you can see, we bunched many performances together. We felt badly enough leaving out virtually hundreds of standout moments. Limiting this list to thirty entries is a little crazy, and we tried out best. Here are the thirty best performances of the decade.

