Akira Kurosawa’s 1950’s classic “Rashomon” was groundbreaking for several reasons. Even if the Japanese director had been making films successfully since the 1940s, “Rashomon” was the true breakthrough for him on his home turf, with awards accolades and critical recognition occurring immediately.

Add to that, it was the first Japanese movie to really be successful overseas in the United States and Europe, leading the director to international acclaim there as well.

Lastly, and most importantly, it rewrote the rules of a film’s narrative: it told the same occurrence over again from three separate times, yet each time the events are recalled by a different person, and their personal view on the situation would slant and alter, compared to the others.

Thus, creating the Rashomon Effect, a specific narrative device used throughout the years by other filmmakers in other movies. So, let’s take a look at some of these key examples.

1. Gone Girl (2014)

David Fincher was no stranger to directing nail-biting thrillers with a heavy mystery slant, making him an unsurprising choice when signed on to adapt Gillian Flynn’s bestselling novel.

The first half of the film plays as a tense slow-building suspense film in his trademark approach, and focused on Ben Affleck’s jaded husband. He becomes suspect number one when his wife (Rosamund Pike) goes missing. The audience follows his plight and is fairly sympathetic, if though near the end we begin to question his trustworthiness as an innocent and upstanding husband.

The carpet is pulled out from underneath the audience, though, when the truth about Pike’s ‘disappearance’ is revealed, as suddenly the timeline jumps back and things are told from her perspective. Quite refreshing as well; it isn’t a last-minute twist, but only the halfway point of the story, leading to a fine variation on the Rashomon Effect as it suddenly replays former events but has us looking at them in a whole new light.

2. Hero (2002)

Zhang Yimou’s first venture with big budget Wuxian spectacles still remains his best poke at the genre. The visuals are gorgeous, the action elegantly filmed and choreographed, and a who’s who of A-list Hong Kong talent fills the entire roster in stellar performances. Also, quite superior to usual action fare is the film’s clever story structure, a device it lifts from Kurosawa’s 1950s classic, of course.

Jet Li’s nameless mercenary gains an audience with China’s emperor to share a tale of his eliminating of three famed assassins who stood as major threats to the ruler. We recount Li’s version of the tale, only for the emperor himself to reinterpret events and share his own hypothetical thoughts on what Li has just spoke, before an inevitable twist in the third act pulls everything together.

Each version of the story is is elegant and stunningly directed with each alternative emotional pathos and a fierce colour palette to signify each version.

It borrows the aesthetic of Kurosawa’s structure, yet twists it into something that syncs very much up to Yimou’s obsessions as a filmmaker. It’s a gorgeous and carefully made piece of spectacle, with a smartly plotted structure in a memorable twist on the Rashomon Effect.

3. Courage Under Fire (1996)

Edward Zwick directed Denzel Washington in yet another superior performance, this time in a fairly straightforward lift on the Rashomon Effect, melding it into a war movie and its familiar thematics and pathos, yet giving it a fresh coat of paint (at least aesthetically) with its approach.

Washington is a desk-bound lieutenant haunted by a traumatic tour during Desert Storm. He’s put in charge of simply signing off on the paperwork for Meg Ryan’s captain to receive a posthumous Medal Of Honor, yet his persistent determination to find purpose in the war has him unveiling an ugly truth behind supposed events.

The lead essentially becomes a detective as he tracks surviving members of Ryan’s crew down, with each witness statement coming out as vastly different, from Ryan being the stoic soldier who sacrificed herself to save the crew, to her being a snivelling coward that turned on her soldiers and died a justifiable sudden death.

It’s a fine device that lends itself nicely to Zwick’s (at times) pandering message piece. With some fine performances and battle sequences, some of the pathos may be a little Hollywood, but its use of the Rashomon Effect gives it an edge in building an involving story.

4. Predestination (2014)

“Daybreakers” directors the Spierig brothers teamed a second time with Ethan Hawke for this mind-blowing sci-fi mystery that will keep you guessing throughout its running time, before dropping a mind-blowing twist in its final moments.

Hawke is a time-traveling enforcer on an adamant mission to hunt down the “Fizzle Bomber,” a terrorist who makes a specific attack in 1975 New York. Soon, his story intertwines with a troubled woman played by Sarah Snook, a relationship that unravels in a series of time-travelling set-pieces that eventually alter all the initial events we thought we knew.

This genre film is not a direct descendent of “Rashomon,” as it’s not a story told in fragmented alternative perspectives, although that’s actually not fully clear until it’s third act, which reveals we’ve actually been following a single narrative path the whole film. Until that point, though, it feels very much like a time-travelling spin on the Rashomon Effect as characters jump back and forth to specific events in time, and armed with an ever-building sense of revealing its true mystery.

So, it comes down to tricking an audience into thinking that it’s paying homage to Kurosawa’s movie, before pulling out the carpet and revealing it hasn’t at all, in this tense and nutty genre piece.

5. The Usual Suspects (1995)

A fine variation on the principles of Kurosawa’s movie, yet successfully customising the mechanic in the aid of a gripping and mind-screwing thriller by future blockbuster makers Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie.

Centred around the aftermaths of a harbour heist gone very very wrong, the one living suspect (Kevin Spacey) is tirelessly interrogated by tough cop (Chazz Palminteri) to get to the bottom of this convoluted plot, which all ties in together to a elusive crime puppetmaster named Keyser Soze.

As Spacey’s mild-mannered robber unveils complex revelation after revelation, so gripped by the plot the audience becomes that most don’t think twice about the factor that the entire story is basically hearsay from his character – a man who is (possibly) a master manipulator and who has just fed Palminteri and the viewers a massive pile of horse pat.

And therein lies the stunning cleverness of McQuarrie’s Oscar-winning script, taking the purpose of the Rashomon Effect yet submitting the audience to it without their knowledge, and with it leading to one of the greatest final twists of all time.

Since the invention of the rules of storytelling, the established formula for a satisfying tale is the three-act structure: beginning, middle and end. It’s no surprise then that the template for a complete series of movies is that of the three-parter.

It’s been done time and time again yet usually due to studio’s milking successful properties, running out of fresh ideas or just unnecessary sequelization of a distinct idea, the films tend to run out of steam and decline by when the third part comes about.

It’s happened to cult classics like the Mad Max series, or even iconic Oscar winners like the Godfather movies. So when that trilogy escalates in quality with every movie, it’s a rare occasion. Let’s examine those times where the original movie was only the tip of the iceberg in terms of quality.

10. The Hobbit Trilogy

Much like the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Peter Jackson’s return to his iconic franchise was marred in controversy and disappointment, yet unlike its sci-fi equivalent, the Hobbit series just sort’ve became forgotten quickly instead of a permanent black spot for the director.

There was many a problem in conception; milking a 200-page story into a epic trilogy was misguided and stunk of studio greed. Secondly, Jackson was thrown headlong into a hectic shooting schedule after filling the vacated director’s chair at the last minute – it was a miserable experience for him, too.

“An Unexpected Journey” (2012) is definitely the weakest as it drags basically the opening moments of the book for what feel like forever, as well as inserting references to its more later trilogy, even when it doesn’t fit. The cast is strong and well chosen, but overall it’s a movie that drags and was a damp squib for what was a highly anticipated primer.

“The Desolation Of Smaug” (2013), however, was a much stronger and focused film. Even its early barrel action scene managed to be more exciting than anything in the former, but also introducing the conflict with dragon Smaug (voiced chillingly by Benedict Cumberbatch) was the necessary jolt of excitement the trilogy needed.

“The Battle of the Five Armies” (2013) takes the cake as it finally felt like Jackson was having fun again as the main conflicts came to a head in some epic and excitingly filmed action spectacles, and with zero slog through unnecessary plots. It was hardly a rival to the LOTR trilogy or even a fitting adaptation of the classic book, but at least it worked as a efficient piece blockbuster filmmaking, and is the most superior out of the three films.

9. The Punisher Trilogy

Marvel’s gun-toting character Frank ’The Punisher’ Castle, was always an attempt to cash-in on the ‘vigilante’ craze in cinemas of the 70s, so it was no surprise when it was one of the first Marvel movies to make it to the big screen in the macho 80s.

The Punisher” (1989) featured the hulking frame of Dolph Lundgren in a fairly grim mode. It was a dark, bloody and workable action film in an environment where they were a dime a dozen. The movie was watchable, but didn’t really embrace the character source material and it felt like just another vigilante tale amongst hundreds, even though for fans of 80’s action movies it is worth digging up.

With the comic-to-movie explosion of the early 2000s, though, the chance to re-adapt Castle’s character into another variation came back, especially since comic writer Garth Ennis had revitalised the character with a recent run.

Working as a origin tale and a variation of Ennis’ “Welcome Back, Frank” plotline, the new movie starred Thomas Jane in the lead role. The film was an odd mix, partly enamoured with the comics, as it replicated scenarios and imagery from Ennis’ run, whilst uncharastically placing the story in Miami and playing other things like a dull action movie. Jane was fantastic in the role, even if the movie itself isn’t as strong as his take.

Lastly, though, was Lexi Alexander’s “Punisher: War Zone” (2008). Jane had vacated the part and the large presence of Ray Stevenson took over instead. The setting returned to New York City and flawlessly captured the black humour, shocking violence and gritty nature of Ennis’ run. Sure, villain Dominic West’s OTT performance can wear on the nerves, but the rest is gleefully insane and spot-on adaptation of its source material.

The movie was sadly dismissed upon release, but has justifiable began to build a cult reputation, as well as the character finally reaching new heights of exposure with his recent Netflix show.

8. The Star Wars Prequel Trilogy

A sore point for many a fan of Star Wars (although “The Last Jedi” must’ve had close to as much venomous hate thrown at it), the prequel trilogy is often dismissed as one giant cow pie. Yet for those less flippant, for what it’s worth, it improves with every entry.

Starting with George Lucas’ return to directing with “The Phantom Menace” (1999), it represented an exciting moment as the franchise was back with a new entry, but due to its stale dialogue, flat storytelling, and of course, Jake Lloyd’s acting and one Jar Jar Binks, it’s unanimously considered the most hated from the series, and for good reason. Still, the internet was pretty much born from people complaining about how this film is lacking, so let’s move along.

“Attack of the Clones” (2002) came onto the scene with nowhere to go but up, and it does so even if that path is a bumpy road, with new lead Hayden Christensen stumbling all over the place, and the main romance plot between him and Natalie Portman being laughably bad.

Still, the B-plot featuring Obi-Wan’s detective work and the origins of the Clone Troopers are intriguing and well made. Christopher Lee as Count Dooku is great, and the last 20 minutes of the movie were breathless fantasy action, starting with a elaborate Gladiator arena-style monster battle, and ending with Yoda kicking all kinds of behind.

Still, one should say the second film had good moments despite itself, not so much the case with the third, which is actually a solid (and the most underrated) movie in the franchise. Certainly all weak points were present; CGI overload, nonsensical continuity, and baffling choices (the less said about Vader’s entrance the better).

Yet, the plot finally kicked into gear in telling Darth Vader’s origins and manages to contain a handful of dark and even powerful moments. Also, the showdown between Obi-Wan and Anakin might be the strongest lightsaber battle out the series and is mesmerising to watch.

7. Captain America

With the relentless juggernaut that is Marvel’s Cinematic Universe being a series on its own, the only trilogy within that spectrum that has gotten better as it went along is the Captain America saga.

Starting with the World War II-set “Captain America: The First Avenger” (2011), it worked as an origin tale for the titular Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), as he literally went from zero to hero due to a scientific super-serum. It was an enjoyable ode to classic adventure movies, with a spot-on choice of director with Joe Johnston who channeled his similarly themed “The Rocketeer.” It was fun and old-fashioned romp, yet its simple nature left room for improvement.

That improvement came with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014), the Russo brothers took over as directors and as Rogers was forced into the modern world, so was the series. It was not only an exciting superhero action movie, but a fine homage to tense spy thrillers, with just as much turncoat intrigue as giant helicarrier destruction.

It also successfully took the stale old fashioned nature of the character and turned him into a tough yet noble figure in the world of backstabbing espionage, in what many consider the best Phase 2 movie.

Yet when the Russo brothers returned yet for another round, they needed to topple all expectations from the already high bar set. With the actual Avengers sequel “Avengers: Age Of Ultron” (2015) disappointing many by feeling like a bloated trailer for other Marvel movies, the third Captain America entry feels very much like the actually proper Avengers follow-up many were anticipating.

Cap and his partner Bucky (Sebastian Stan) take a slight backseat as a Civil War escalates between all superheroes in a massive smash-up like no other. The pace clips along with plenty of drama and laughs, and a stellar introduction of both Spider-Man and Black Panther into the MCU.

6. The Dollars Trilogy

Sergio Leone made limited films during his legendary career, and each was a giant leap forward in terms of scale and quality. That escalation is made no clearer then in the trilogy that broke him and Clint Eastwood into into the industry.

Starting with “A Fistful Of Dollars” (1964), a low budget yet inventively filmed western remake of Samurai movie “Yojimbo.” It was a dusty and different type of western, full of dirty faces, questionable morality, and razor sharp one-liners. Overnight it single-handedly created the sub-genre ’Spaghetti Western’ and made the director and star sensations in Hollywood.

As effective as the first was, “For a Few Dollars More” (1965) was an exciting expansion of the former’s formula. Linking Eastwood’s stone-faced bounty hunter with Lee Van Cleef’s wiser gun-for-hire was a righteous method to shake things up. Also, the action and camerawork were upped, as well as the humour and emotional pathos. It was a fantastic example of Leone expanding what worked in the former film, whilst improving it in every other aspect.

The final piece of the trilogy, though, “The Good, The Bad And The Ugly” (1966), was a true signifier to see how far Leone had come in such little time. Instead of content being a grimy genre effort, this movie expanded its grasp to a location-spanning treatise on the Civil War, with three nefarious gunmen (Eastwood, Van Cleef, and Eli Wallach) each crossing paths in quest to find a buried treasure.

It wasn’t so much an expansion on the former formula as it was a stratospheric leap into a whole new league of cinema. The epic scale, stunning camerawork and iconic musical score all lead to this being considered the no contest pinnacle of an already stellar series.

That classic case of ’style over substance’ has been a criticism thrown at films since the inception of the medium, although it really became a prominent occurrence since the rise of the ‘MTV generation’ in the 80s as music video and commercial directors got snatched up solely for their impressive visual aesthetic and not much else, a trend that hasn’t slowed down since.

No doubt there has been success stories with this transition (e.g. David Fincher, Spike Jonze), yet a lot of times it can be your go-to culprit for easily glossing over plot holes or non-existent thematics, but can it save an outright terrible film? Not really, but it can make it nice to look at, at least. Let’s observe such cases in this list of horrible yet drop dead gorgeous movies.

10. Immortals (2011)

Director Tarsem Singh has made a pedigree of being one of the most sought after commercial and music video directors abound. With painterly perfection applied to every frame, costume and edit in his control, he’s chipped out a distinctive style that is gobsmacking original and wholly intoxicating.

His film career has been suitably hit and miss, though – “The Cell” turned most off initially, although it has enjoyed minor cult success since; “The Fall” was an incredible match of his keen eye with an engrossing and involving plot. Yet “Immortals,” an attempt at big budget action spectacle, is a bit of a misfire.

Based on the epic tales of Greek mythology laced with a battle of the gods between mortal men, the poster was splayed with “from the producers of ‘300’’’ and they were hoping for similar bombastic sleeper success. Yet although that film wasn’t exactly Shakespeare, it did have solid actors and a strong enough thread from the Frank Miller source material.

In the case here, they’re operating on a thin script, with the bland characters never given anything to hold onto. A lean Henry Cavill is a boring lead as well as his cohorts and love interest with plenty of overblown melodrama shoehorned along the way; only Mickey Rourke as the villain generates any excitement, although it was an obvious paycheque movie for the weathered actor.

Regardless of its shallow and uninvolving main drive, Singh literally and purposefully makes every frame look like a Caravaggio painting, with a passion for the look and feel that stands high above its weaker parts, so it’s sadly disappointing that it isn’t supported by a much stronger film.

9. Highlander 2: The Quickening (1991)

The first entry in the ‘Highlander’ series was a smash hit for the late 80s, saddled with famed Duran Duran music video director Russell Mulcahy who directed the hell out of the premise of a secret war set between immortals on Earth. Its mythology was rife with franchise potential and Mulcahy brought all the flourishes and panache from his famed career to the features.

A sequel was a given after its massive success, yet what happened was a disastrous experience both behind the scenes and what audiences were subjected to.
 After production began in Argentina, the sudden decline in the country’s economy left the production in dire straits, and it was held hostage by its insurance company that was suddenly supervising the shoot, who heavily edited the final product.

Who knows if there was anything to save in the first place, as the script already had numerous problems already – a wafer-thin plot also stomped all over the original’s legacy by taking a dump on continuity, and any stupidly retconning almost every aspect – the ‘immortals’ are actually aliens, Sean Connery is inexplicably not dead, and the whole ‘there can only be one’ thing is tossed out the window.

What is good (as in most of Mulcahy’s movies) is the look of the piece. Certainly the grimy urban dystopian takes all its tricks from “Blade Runner,” but that doesn’t mean it’s not able to conjure some stunning imagery, with the care and precision given to each lighting frame set up in this ‘cyberpunk’ inspired future, which is completely lacking in absolutely every other aspect of this terrible sequel.

8. Max Payne (2008)

We all know that video game to movies transitions are tough and seem cursed to never succeed, yet when the adaptation for Remedy Entertainment’s cult 2001 hit “Max Payne” got picked up, they at least had a game that was gloriously steeped in lush cinematic references, with people remaining hopeful the transition had a chance.

The game was the first to integrate slow-motion gunplay as a gameplay mechanic, a fad that was a la mode in the mainstream after the cinematic phenomenon “The Matrix” (1999). Yet the game also blended film noir, John Woo action, and a gothic horror aesthetic in what was a game that made you feel you were playing a movie.

The film didn’t fare well, though,. In all fairness, the source’s plot was fairly standard ‘cop out for revenge,’ yet when the interactive element is stripped out it makes the story feel pretty formulaic. It didn’t help that the gothic aspect was then shoehorned into a goofy and unnecessary drug subplot that annoyed game loyalists.

The action aspect aped better movies unsuccessfully – the Wachowski style slo-mo done by just having things happen slowly, instead of something actually ‘exciting’ happening slowly – and the whole thing was saddled with a completely disinterested Mark Wahlberg as the lead and hack director John Moore calling the shots.

Yet one place where Moore did completely succeed is recreating the specific and rich visual world of the game. The Tim Burton meets cop thriller aspects are replicated to a tee, with an impressive image palette that Moore quite accurately replicates. It’s just a shame that that’s about all he gets right with this churning down to a big old missed opportunity.

7. The Keep (1983)

Mainstream auteur Michael Mann rarely makes mediocre product; it’s happened, (cough* “Blackhat” *cough) but for the most part you can always expect him to deliver a solid endeavour, especially during his prestigious 80’s period. For this forgotten member of his filmography, he left behind his usual tropes of cops and robbers and took on the enticing prospect of updating the folklore Golem legend, setting it appropriately at the tail end of World War II.

As enticing as the prospect sounds, the film was sadly plagued with problems. The most taxing was that the effect-heavy set pieces movie was hit with a heavy blow as legendary visual effects supervisor Wally Veevers passed away mid-production, leaving the ambitious effects (especially for the time) in a bad state, with them forced to be completed fast and cheap.

Also, it was a film where Mann was fought against every step of the way in post-production, with the producers releasing their own cut and the director essentially disowning the film, even to the extent that he prevented its DVD release for way over a decade. When the final product is essentially the hokey mess it turns out to be, it’s not surprising he’s embarrassed by the result.

In all fairness, it begins atmospherically and intriguing, a synth Tangerine Dream score and an intriguing premise set-up, yet quickly it devolves into a total mess, with nonsensical plot twists and laughably bad moments. Looks wise, though, it is stunning – Mann’s premiere scare sequence is haunting and dreamlike in pace, where two Nazis break through the ancient Jewish seal and the camera languidly pulls back revealing a cold, dark abyss. It’s a tragic reminder of what could’ve been in this impressive looking yet deeply broken movie.

6. The Bad Batch (2016)

Ana Lily Amirpour turned a lot of heads with her debut “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” (2014), a quirky horror movie that felt like an enjoyable love letter to such 90’s auteurs like David Lynch, Abel Ferrara and Jim Jarmusch, all photographed in stylish black-and-white film stock and adding a fresh perspective on vampire tropes by setting the macabre tale in the Middle East. Certain flaws were hinted at behind the camera – there was a certain air of pretension and demanding pacing, but most of those misgivings could be forgiven for by its strong points and the exciting arrival of a new talent.

Well, it remained a case of the sophomore slump for its follow up – a stateside production, the director was able to land a bevy of US talent (Keanu Reeves, Jason Momoa, Jim Carrey) and was armed with a more ambitious budget and concept (this time focused on cannibals stationed in the desert).

Unfortunately, all the flaws from her debut not only remained but were expanded upon, the pretension shot sky high as the meandering plot lumbered forward with no discernible purpose or motivations, random ugly violence is thrown at the audience for mild shocks, and the entire cast (while looking colourfully eccentric at least) remains monotone and robotic – aside from a nigh-on recognisable Carrey in a weird and brief cameo.

Visually, though, its dusty wasteland and wandering eye are stunning – unique locations and a penchant for making every minor character stand out via photography and unique costuming remains an achievement, but it just doesn’t work as a movie, making it feel like Amirpour would find more success as an art photographer or stylist, since that’s where her interests lie.

2017 was groundbreaking for Hollywood and the film industry in several ways, slightly devastating, even – amongst the sex scandals and the rise of streaming as rival to cinemas, it was almost as if the precedent had been twisted in ways that will see much change in the coming year. But what about the quality of the movies themselves?

Happily, the film content was quite strong, with numerous interesting stories by strong directors who stepped up with individual voices, and most of them are reflected here in this list of nominees. Surely it wasn’t a watershed year in quality; big tentpole sequels are still the priority for studios, but the hunger for new and individual movies is beginning to subside ever so slightly.

It says a lot that amongst this list of nominees for the Best Picture Oscar there is not a single weak or lacking entry, something one would be hard pressed to say in the last several years. So without further adieu, let’s rank and examine those ‘Best Of’ for 2017, and in order of preference since all are high quality…

9. The Post

The combination of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep is the sort of powerhouse combo that awards campaigners would chop off their right arm for (who can count how many golden statues and nominations those three share between them?) More surprising is that it while sits at the bottom of the list, it is by no means is it a weak movie – it’s just not as arresting or original as its competition. Although what it strives to do, it does very well.

Centred around the the Washington Post and their attempts to print the condemning Pentagon Papers, the film discusses the thematics of the freedom of the press being a necessity to society, a subject that feels ironic and nostalgic in the era of ‘fake news’.

Spielberg consciously echoes the political thrillers of the 70s, even playing this film as a loose prequel to “All the President’s Men” (it’s centred around the same characters and newspaper) with his final frame even directly referencing the opening of Alan J. Pakula’s 1976 classic.

And therein sort of lies its flaw. Whilst this is a compellingly told story, sharply shot and dramatically played, the true meat of the story really happened straight afterwards with the Watergate scandal, with this one feeling like it’s dragging its feet. Also in comparison to the rest of the list, the movie feels fairly ‘safe’, with plenty of Oscar bait monologues and unsubtle ‘message’ moments.

Regardless, it’s stunningly made by the old professional, and of course Hanks and Streep bring the gusto, with a handful of fantastic TV performers filling out the stellar supporting cast (even with a “Mr. Show” reunion between Bob Odenkirk and David Cross). Also, thankfully Spielberg reins in the smaltz (for the most part), keeping this one his most lean and effective. Regardless of its flaws, it’s still an enjoyable and worthy watch.

8. Call Me By Your Name

It seemed like 2017 was rife with memorable coming-of-age stories, usually set in specific and flavourful periods; it’s no coincidence that two examples of that cut of film sit on this list due to the high quality that conceded with it. The first is Lucas Guadagnino’s breezy book adaptation, recalling the atypical tumultuous period of male teen adolescence, chronicled by a brave performance from newcomer Timothee Chalamet, a boy who experiences a sexual awakening during a summer in the south of France during the heyday of the 80s.

The visuals and locations are lush and intoxicating, yet the drama is human and real – Chalamet feels natural as a teen believably finding his way in life, with his journey refreshingly not sugar-coated (he conjures as much empathy as frustration from the audience).

It helps also that he’s given a fantastic counterpart in the form of Armie Hammer, an older gentleman who is first a distant object of desire, then later a troubled love interest; the chemistry between the two sparks and genuinely charts a compelling arc in their complex relationship. Hammer is solid as the stoic foreigner, displaying square-jawed charm yet also bullheaded selfishness.

Best of all from the cast, though, is the always reliable Michael Stuhlbarg as Chalemet’s father – it’s a sensitive and smart turn from the chameleon-like character actor, and although he’s out of the spotlight for the majority of the run time, he manages to steal the entire film in a touching scene near the film’s finale, one that successfully encapsulates the film’s bittersweet pathos of ‘lost love’ in a nutshell.

7. Darkest Hour

Reeling from a costly critical and financial flop (2015’s “Pan”), British director Joe Wright contemplated leaving the film business altogether, yet with this standard yet passionately told biopic, he found a new lease on his occupation, and plenty of thanks for that goes to a peak Gary Oldman playing Winston Churchill.

It’s a solid companion piece to fellow nominee “Dunkirk” as it tells the turmoil and conflict that Churchill went through circa the same period, except on the home front. Wright’s direction is energetic and theatrically elaborate, a clean sheen of style that successfully livens up the standard historical piece. The exciting passion the director feels for the subject helps shake up the staleness of its script in a successful manner.

Regardless of Wright’s investment, though, it really wouldn’t be anything without the true selling point – Gary Oldman. Hidden under weightily prosthetics, the character actor truly comes alive and inhabits this historical figure, to the extent you’ll forget where one ends and the other begins. He’s able to humanise the larger-than-life figure, a difficult man, yet one with a massive heart and a fighting spirit to do what’s right.

We’re unable to say it’s a career best for the versatile actor, since his long-running backlog is filled with transformative and arresting performances, but it certainly is the best use of this national treasure and his flawless skill. Since the 90s (his subtle and introverted lead in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” notwithstanding), it’s the first proper lead role for the under-utilised actor, putting the man front and centre where he belongs.

6. Lady Bird

Low-key actress Greta Gerwig turned in this first solo directing effort, another coming-of-age drama set in the mid-2000s (this time charting the female adolescent experience), with it landing a critical reception so strong that it holds the highest Rotten Tomatoes rating … ever. Although this subtle piece was hardly aggressively pursuing such a title (nor arguably is it worthy of it), there is plenty to recommend here.

Actress Saoirse Ronan is the lead in another likeable performance that has her living through the final year of high school. Her journey charts falling in and out of a romance, her bumpy relationship with her ‘tough love’ mother (a career-best Laurie Metcalf), and discovering her priorities as a young adult. And refreshingly, that’s about it – the film lacks those big pandering moments usually associated with awards seasons, not to mention its sub-genre.

It’s slightness can hamper it (the film can sometimes feel like it doesn’t add up to much), but there’s no denying it’s charmingly told and a well-performed ordeal that feels close to the heart of its director. It’s a warm yet honest tale about growing up, one that doesn’t carry the burden of a giant ‘message’ or even give clear cut crowd pleasing moments – and most importantly, it announces a distinct and enjoyable new voice behind the camera in the form of Gerwig.

We’ve all laid witness to an actor dramatically claiming he ‘lost’ himself in a role. A statement like that could be dripping with pretension, yet what about the times where the concept wasn’t just accurate, but actually downplayed the whole ordeal?

A great actor tends to fully inhabit their character, live in its shoes, think its thoughts – what happens when that process creates a dark cloud around that professional that can’t be shaken off, can’t be left behind, and ultimately scars the individual? Let’s see a few of those instances, where extreme roles pushed these actors to a near breaking point.

10. Ben Foster – The Program (2015)

Ben Foster is one of our generation’s hardest working actors and no stranger to going deep and dedicated to his roles. In “Alpha Dog” (2006) he risked his sight by taking glaucoma drops to appear authentic as a meth user; in “Lone Survivor” (2013) he ate handfuls of dirt to understand the ordeal that Marines went through when dealing with heavy shrapnel shells; in his brief supporting role in “Rampart” (2011) he lived in homeless spots on the streets of L.A., being threatened by daily violence all in prep for a minor appearance in the movie.

Yet the film that almost broke him (at least the only one he’s willing to admit to) was his portrayal as dishonoured cyclist Lance Armstrong in the 2015 movie. Foster naturally trained to a punishing degree to get the lean athletic physique of Armstrong (even competing in the Colorado US Challenge Tour).

Yet what caused the actor to tip over the edge, and as he eloquently puts it “lost his f****** marbles” was when he undertook a consistent diet of doping to really inhabit the figure’s mindset and physical state. The ordeal took a heavy weight on the almost unbreakable Foster, to the extent that it took many months to properly recover; not to mention, it made him more cautious in how far he was willing to go for a role. It didn’t help that the film was received with lukewarm reviews, although Foster, as always, is mesmerising in his role.

9. Isabelle Adjani – Possession (1981)

This cult classic from late Polish director Andrzej Zulawski was even more taxing to make then for the audience to watch; inspired by the director’s real-life messy divorce, it follows the trial and tribulations of a destructing marriage between Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani. As the mental health of the main characters deteriorates, so does all semblance of logic from the plot, resulting in a bewildering third act involving tentacle sex, shootouts with the police, and the end of the world as we know it.

Grounding the ordeal are two gripping and naked performances by its leads, particularly Adjani; a symbol of delicate European beauty at the time, the young actress pushed in all her chips with this film, and barely came out of it in one piece. Her demanding performance asked her to deliver almost all the emotions a human can bear (sometime all in one scene!), as she sways from hysterical to broken, angelic to demonic, frightening to seductive. No better example can be shown then her hysterical tunnel freak-out, one prolonged long take witnessing her complete meltdown in real time.

The film took a massive toil on her, and while she remained productive in the industry throughout the 80s, she spiralled into a depression that culminated in a speculated suicide attempt. She’s gone on record that it took her many years to shed the role, and she’d never dare take on a similar one ever again.

8. Jim Carrey – Man on the Moon (1999)

The Milos Forman-directed biopic on cult comedian Andy Kaufman received a decent if unremarkable reception at the time of its release; most were stunned by funnyman Jim Carrey’s immersive lead performance, even if the script was unable to penetrate the figure’s teflon psyche. Still, only mild murmurings presided about Carrey’s method acting on the set until the recent release of a through Netflix documentary, one that featured footage which Universal had withheld for almost 20 years, in fear it would make Carrey’s antics paint him like an “asshole.”

Carrey had held a unanimous love for Kaufman’s polarising brand of comedy, citing him as one of his role models and a fellow kindred spirit (they even share the same birthday). So when he landed the role, he completely jumped off the edge and became Andy Kaufman 24/7 on-set and off-set, only confiding in Kaufman’s real-life collaborator Bob Zmuda. The worst days had him coming in as Kaufman’s comedy alter-ego Tony Lipton, an utter nightmare for crew members and actors, disrupting filming, throwing props at random people, and even trespassing across the Universal backlots, amongst others antics.

On the flip side, when Carrey was filming as the generally soft-spoken Kaufman persona, everything went relatively swimmingly, unless wrestler Jerry Lawler was on-set. Carrey continually antagonised Lawler to the point of spitting in his face; the wrestler’s patience broke and he choked the method actor to the point of needing a neck brace and stretcher. Universal swept the incident under the rug as a publicity stunt, yet the documentary has finally revealed otherwise.

For Carrey, letting go of the role was a draining and almost traumatic experience followed by stagnating depression. It drastically changed his life, work ethic and outlook on the world, beginning a long-winding process that has culminated in his recent spiritual awakening and hiatus from the acting scene.

7. Choi Min-sik – Oldboy (2003)

Captivating Korean lead Choi Min-sik is rightfully considered a national treasure back in his homeland, but the extents he went for on Chan-wook Park’s offbeat revenge treatise “Oldboy” were taxing and traumatic for the actor, regardless of the international accolades and awards that came flooding in droves afters its release.

Choi took on the role of a tubby anti-social businessman who is kidnapped and locked away in a tiny room for 15 years, never being given an explanation or reason behind it. As his character spirals toward the loopy spectrum, with the actor’s isolated performance reflected the same in parallel, a physical and mental transformation occured. It did so to the extent that when Choi’s role needed to burn marks into his skin to reflect every year passed within captivity, he voluntarily turned down prosthetics and singed his own flesh with a hot wire instead.

Things grew more twisted as the actor needed to partake in the Korean tradition of eating live octopus, a process that is not only as disgusting as it sounds, but extremely dangerous (the tentacles can attach themselves on your insides and effectively kill you). The difference here was they usually slice the cumbersome creature in half – Choi was having to eat them whole and go through numerous takes (seven times in total).

The situation would be traumatic for the average joe, yet add to it that Choi was a devout Buddhist, following a strong belief that one cannot harm other living beings in any forms, so to tear and consume another creature as it remained alive took things to a whole other level of disturbing. Choi gave a prayer to each animal he ate, and Park has gone on recording claiming Choi was haunted by the scene, taking a good while to move past it.

6. Johnny Depp – Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

Fellow Kentucky residents actor Johnny Depp and iconic 70’s writer Hunter S. Thompson became close friends and kindred spirits when a chance meeting at a dinner party ended up with the two men blowing up a gas canister attached with nitroglycerin. When the ball finally got rolling on the stagnating adaptation of Thompson’s literature drug classic “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” the author personally asked Depp to portray him, to which the actor accepted.

Depp lived at Thompson’s house in his basement, next to a gunpowder storage and stacks of Thompson’s handwritten notes; eventually his process became obsessive, recording and observing every nuance of the author’s eccentric outlook and behaviour. Finally, when director Terry Gillian called a pre-production meeting with the actor in Las Vegas, Depp showed up appearing drugged out and decked in Thompson’s clothes, ones that hadn’t been washed going on 30 years.

On set, several people questioned where Thompson began and where Depp ended as he was fully immersed in his portrayal even after shots wrapped, and even had trouble shaking off the character several months after filming wrapped. Most crew worried that his behaviour even went too far with rumoured drinking and drug usage in attempts to become ‘method.’

Regardless of other people’s concerns, it seems to be an eccentricity Depp embraced – he returned to portraying Thompson several years later in the inferior “The Rum Diary” (2011), a passion project he fought for years to get made, and several nuances of the character constantly appeared in other Depp performances (e.g. “Rango”).

The arduous process for a struggling actor to get their foot in the door and land a big, fat lead role in a major movie is tough enough process, and one where most would assume is guaranteed to last until filming wraps. Well, that’s not always the case.

It’s rare (not to mention expensive) to kick a major actor to the curb during a movie’s production, yet in a handful of cases such a thing has managed to happen due to a handful of offbeat reasons. Let’s take a look at those rare instances…

1. Predator (1987)

Original Actor: Jean-Claude Van Damme

Replacement: Kevin Peter Hall

Not long before the “Muscles from Brussels” became a phenomenon in Hollywood, Jean-Claude Van Damme was just a struggling European martial artist trying to make it in Tinseltown. He took what seemed like a surefire opportunity to showcase his action skills by starring in a 80’s era Joel Silver/Arnold Schwarzenegger blockbuster, a recipe for success in those days. That project would become the macho classic “Predator.”

On set, he constantly hounded Silver, attempting to impress him with flying splits and fast kicks inches from some crew member’s head, all to the point that the producer told him to tone it down and remind him that “the Predator is not a kickboxer.” Also, Van Damme hadn’t really read the fine print – he had been hired to play the alien monster and not one of the impressively testosterone fuelled military men who fought said extraterrestrial.

Keep in mind that the Predator creature became a sci-fi/horror Icon when effects guru Stan Winston came onboard in the ninth hour and turned in his classic design, but the first go around was by a subpar company that delivered a goofy Ant-faced creature more at home in a 50’s C-movie. Van Damme was uncomfortable in the suit, hated that it hid his face, and most importantly, he couldn’t display his kickboxing skills. He ended up breaking the expensive Alien headgear out of frustration.

It was the last straw for Silver and he fired Van Damme. The film went into hiatus to figure how to salvage the creature; Winston was brought in, as well as Kevin Peter Hall’s towering presence, and the rest is genre history. Coincidentally, Schwarzenegger and Van Damme would eventually share the screen 25 years later in “The Expendables 2” (2012).

2. Her (2013)

Original Actor: Samantha Morton

Replacement: Scarlett Johansson

Spike Jonze’s warm sci-fi romance features lonely figure Joaquin Phoenix getting a new lease on life through his intimate relationship with his faceless A.I. companion. English actress Samantha Morton was originally slated to take on the entire vocally performed role, and became heavily involved during filming – even to the extent that she remained on set throughout by acting out the dialogue scenes with Phoenix until filming completed.

Once post-production began, Jonze had a dilemma – he didn’t feel Morton’s voice fit anymore, since the character had evolved into something different from his original vision. Supposedly they gracefully parted ways, and Jonze brought in Scarlet Johansson. In the lengthy post-process of ADR, the two worked together to bring the faceless yet pivotal character to life in a truly unique love story. Morton was given an associate producer credit for her trouble, but one wonders why the need to axe her completely, instead of taking advantage of her well-known range?

3. Back to the Future (1985)

Original Actor: Eric Stoltz

Replacement: Michael J. Fox

Robert Zemeckis’ mid-80’s time travelling blockbuster is a no-contest classic, yet during its production things were not always clear-cut – the lovable main hero Marty McFly was originally being played by Eric Stoltz, a fairly unproven talent by that point.
Five weeks into production, the movie stepped on the brakes at the behest of Zemeckis.

Stoltz, while solid and no slouch in acting, just was not clicking with the tone of the movie; in the director’s own words, “I wasn’t getting the laughs I thought I would.” After a one-on-one with his producer Steven Spielberg, the higher-ups backed his decision and Stoltz was let go from what would’ve been his first big proper lead role.

Michael J. Fox, who was amidst massive popularity with the sitcom “Family Ties,” was quickly snatched up, and the rest is movie history. Luckily, Stoltz didn’t hold sour grapes considering it freed his schedule up for his actual breakthrough performance with “Mask” (1985), which even garnered him a Golden Globe nomination.

4. Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings (2001)

Original Actor: Stuart Townsend

Replacement: Viggo Mortensen

Irish actor Stuart Townsend seemed like he was on the verge of breaking into the big leagues throughout the late 90’s. He had a Gaelic charm, good looks, decent acting, and was dating Charlize Theron – several good things going for him then? Well, it looked to be ratcheting up in the right direction as he landed the heroic role of Aragorn in Peter Jackson’s iconic adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s book series.

The man trained arduously for two months in fitness and sword fighting, then a day before filming he was giving his leaving papers – plus the studio refused to pay him for his time, citing that he didn’t work hard enough and therefore was in breach of contract (ouch).

Jackson had later admitted that he cast the role too young with Aragorn needing to be about 20 years older than Townsend was capable of. Viggo Mortensen was brought in instead, for a role that catapulted him straight to the A-list after toiling away for years as a supporting player.

Meanwhile, Townsend landed a series of tough luck with several flops, splitting with Theron, and was also was dropped last minute as Fandral in Marvel’s “Thor” (2011).

5. Dick Tracy (1990)

Original Actor: Sean Young

Replacement: Glenne Headly

During the late 80s, actress Sean Young had her star in ascendence, yet soon she became better known for troubled on-set behaviour and a handful of casting conflicts. During production of ‘Wall Street” (1987), she fought tooth and nail with director Oliver Stone, believing she should have her role switched with female lead Daryl Hannah; instead her supporting role was whittled down and the actress was sent packing soon after.

She also had the Kim Basinger role in “Batman” (1990) but had to be let go when she broke her hip during rehearsals. Then, with “Batman Returns” (1992) she vied so hard for the role of Catwoman that she stormed the pre-production office in a DIY version of the outfit, but director Tim Burton wasn’t impressed and instead hid under a desk until she was escorted off.

The most scandalous incident (for the time, at least) was being fired as female love interest Tess Trueheart in Warren Beatty’s colourful comic adaptation of “Dick Tracy.” Young’s version is that after turning down Beatty’s aggressive sexual advances, it hurt the star’s pride and she was fired. Beatty’s version was that Young started to rub him the wrong way during the rehearsal process – she was rude to a child actor in a test reading and therefore felt not ‘maternal’ enough for said part. After one week of filming, he replaced Young with the adorable (and late) Glenne Headly. Young’s career was unable to turn around on the up ever again.

Other elements can come into to play (e.g. D.W. Griffith’s pro-KKK mentality), but the majority criteria for this article focuses on filmmakers that stand as unflappable personalities with uncompromisable visions, ones that don’t sit well with standard movie conventions. With that philosophy, it has them enter a place where that body of work that can’t be loved by all of the media or all viewers.

10. Pier Paolo Pasolini

After a haphazard youth living through the fascist regime of World War II Italy, Pier Paolo Pasolini grew into a visible anti-establishment poet, who also was openly homosexual and shared strong Communist beliefs – all elements that made him a controversial persona in a sensitive time in the country’s history.

Still, it wasn’t until the man became a film director that he truly made waves on a major scale. His debut film “Accattone” (1961) was set in Rome’s grimy slums, filled with the dark underbelly of Italy’s postwar criminals and survivors; the film caused a stir with its unfiltered portrayal of life in a time when the country was attempting to turn its economic tides and sell a positive outlook.

Later, Pasolini’s short movie “La Ricotta” had the government try him for “offences toward the state and church” – it appeared even this early into his career, a target was on the man’s back. He had garnered an aura of a man who was willing to overturn and examine Italian society via visual metaphor, hyperrealism, or by elaborating literary adaptations with a fearlessness that other filmmakers would buckle under. Sadly, this flamboyant rep followed him until his tragic and brutal murder in 1975, a crime that remains still not fully solved.

Most Controversial Movie: “Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom” (1975) is a rough-edged shocker oddly coupled with whip-crack intelligence – it’s a film that has lost none of its power (or controversy) to this day. Pasolini’s final film before his death, the movie deals with the dicey issues of a rich feudal system and its fascist-like grip on Italian society during the Franco regime.

Adapted and reimagined from Marquis de Sade’s tomb of sleaze, the story features a group of wealthy folk abducting 12 teenage boys and girls and subjecting them to torture or rape, and ultimately murder; it’s all an elaborate and loaded metaphor, but it doesn’t make it an easier movie to watch despite the intellect behind it.

Understandably, the movie caused quite a stir, exposing a scab that the country’s government wished to forget; its rough content also had it banned outright in several countries, with only the sentence being overturned in places like Australia in recent times. It’s a grim last note to leave on Pasolini’s fascinating if controversial existence, yet strangely enough this gut punch of a movie has remained his most remembered and celebrated movie for a erratic career.

9. Larry Clark

Larry Clark had garnered a major pedigree as photographer over the course of two decades by documenting a rough and tumble existence as a drug-addled youth. He made the natural transition to filmmaking in the mid-90s with “Kids” (1995), a film that laid down his precedent for an unfiltered and shocking brand of cinema to which he lay claim.

Focused around young New York teens living a haphazard delinquent existence amidst a whirlwind of sex, drugs and violence, its grainy documentary style and unprofessional actors only helped add to the grim believability of a movie that divided audiences and shook up the cinema world.

Several more similar films followed (“Bully,” “Wassup Rockers”) with Clark placing a stamp on a specific type of cinema that unveiled an ugly underbelly of youth culture to which most viewers want to play ignorant. Yet Clark has also come under fire for being an exploiter of his young actors, with the public split regarding whether his films are all shock and not much substance.

Whatever the stance, it doesn’t help that the man himself is a tough and abrasive person, one who has admittedly struggled with drug addiction, not to mention has been know for a heated, and at times, physically abrasive temper.

Most Controversial Movie: Clark’s filmography is certainly ripe for picking when it comes this category, but due to the insane fallout “Ken Park” (2002) created, it easily take the spot here. Focused on Clark’s usual penchant for tough living youths, the film also featured unsimulated sex scenes featuring underage teens.

It was unable to land distribution in the US after an unfavourable festival screening and it was outright banned in Australia, even threatening instigators of an unauthorised screening with jail time. Also, its UK distribution was pulled due to an argument that got physical between Clark and his distributor, which ended with the director punching and strangling said associate.

8. Oliver Stone

Having lived a life as erratic and colourful as his boisterous film career, Oliver Stone grew up in a privileged New York existence before volunteering as a soldier during the Vietnam War. Returning home and being disillusioned with the state of America, he cut his teeth as a successful screenwriter, tackling important subjects by writing the (now considered) seminal remake of “Scarface” (1983), and winning an Oscar for “Midnight Express” (1978).

Stone stepped up to directing with some forgettable genre movies before leaning on his own life experiences with “Platoon” (1986) and “Wall Street” (1987), which sent him straight to the A-list. With his new found pedigree and brain filled with distinct and blunt options on everything from who really killed President Kennedy (“JFK”) to the spiralling madness behind rock star fame (“The Doors”), Stone soon etched a name out as a man with an opinion that left critics and audiences polarised.

In recent years, his bite might’ve softened slightly (e.g. his 9/11 movie “World Trade Center” completely exercised any conspiracy theory hubbub to focus on the human drama instead), yet last year’s “Snowden” still proved he wasn’t afraid to pick up a ‘hot potato’ subject and give it a thorough examination underneath a opinionated microscope.

Most Controversial Movie: Stone’s “Natural Born Killers” (1994) was the most controversial film of the 90s, let alone his career. Based on a pre-fame screenplay by Quentin Tarantino that played as homage to Grindhouse’s obsession with killer couples on the road, when Stone stepped on board as director, the shockingly violent movie also took on an entirely different angle – it added dark satire to the mix, focusing on the media obsession with sensationalism for higher ratings.

Stone’s thesis that the horrendous killers (Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis) obtained a purity and honesty that was lacking in a shallow society was a tough pill to swallow for most – especially in said ultra-PC decade. The movie and Stone were crucified in the press as a go-to-scapegoat in the years to follow (e.g. the ‘Columbine Massacre’ was NBK’s fault etc.).

7. Ken Russell

Ken Russell was solely responsible for shaking up the British film industry throughout the 70s. Amidst a flood of social message ‘kitchen sink’ movies during the time, this individual thinker made hybrid movies that felt like Antonioni and Cronenberg’s illegitimate love children.

From the Oscar winning “Women in Love” (1969) to his bridge-burning US debut “Altered States” (1980), Russell had created a strong and bulletproof run of provoking and boundary-pushing classics that sadly (due to his boisterous reputation and tough attitude) had the quality and creative freedom considerably dwindle before his death in 2011.

His visual finesse and thematic fearlessness were features that earned him a loyal following, yet his obsessive disdain for religion and the Church in general sent him into several problems over the years, and had him written off as shallow sensualist amongst several critics, where sex and violence were unnecessarily thrown at audiences for his juvenile satisfaction.

That verdict could easily fall on his later lesser work, yet in his golden period Russell’s passionate filmmaking matched with a subtle intelligence really can’t be written off as adolescent fluff, regardless of the uneasy themes and formats it so heartily explores.

Most Controversial Movie: By far the most uproar Russell created is with the movie that many call his masterpiece “The Devils” (1971) – a movie where even reading the synopsis will get most churchgoers red-faced. It’s an angry and gripping experience that pulls no punches in exploring its grim and devastating tale that shocks the most with Russell’s trademark hallucinatory imagery and raw metaphors, coupled with career bests from Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave.

Naturally, of course the film caused a proverbial crap storm on release – even after substantial cuts were made by Russell and the studio itself, it was still released with an X rating in the UK, and was completely banned in Italy (with the Government even threatening jail time to Reed and Redgrave if they entered the country). Only in recent times has a partially restored cut enjoyed a release on DVD. Over the years more minutes of missing footage were found, yet the studio refused to pay for a proper restoration due to the adamant controversy that still follows the picture to this day.

6. Leni Riefenstahl

In terms of gaining a controversial reputation, no matter which field of career you’re in, being a Nazi sympathiser easily sits at the top of the heap when it comes to unfavourable perceptions. Well, so is the story of one of film’s first major female directors, Leni Riefenstahl.

Having become a prominent German film actress during the 1920s, Riefenstahl stepped up to directing in the 30s when several prolific film directors in said industry had started to flee to Hollywood because of the country’s growing unrest. The woman stayed in steed and began to development a working relationship with Adolf Hitler himself, becoming his most celebrated propaganda director.

She created “Triumph of the Will” (1935) a ode to, well, the Nazi party and Hitler himself, yet filmed in such epic and groundbreaking style that regardless of its disturbing purpose and undercurrent, film scholars still hold it as a technically revolutionary movie. This reputation was only further cemented with her “Olympia” (1938) double bill, her groundbreaking documentation of the 1936 Summer Olympics which began to give her an international reputation.

Yet, once the ugly undercurrent of actual doings of the Nazi party began to emerge internationally in the late 1930s, Riefenstahl’s name was tarnished and so was her momentum. Scholars have remained split over her reputation ever since – some laying claim to the technical innovation her work did for the medium, and some unable to ignore the politics behind the films.

Most Controversial Movie: Yes, this is an easy choice – “Triumph of the Will,” no further explanation necessary really.

There’s a general perception that many actors show up looking pretty, remember their lines, then collect a paycheck. Whilst that connotation is quite common, they’re are several occasions where just the opposite is true, that a performer goes way beyond the line of duty to fully inhabit and immerse themselves into a role, sometimes at the cost of their own physical or mental health.

Here are a handful of those extreme and at times shocking body transformation for a handful of actors whose dedication deserves a honorary tip of the hat…

10. Chris Pratt – Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

The ‘Marvel Physique’ has certainly become a common phase in this day and edge as superhero movies flood our cinema, and it refers to the particular studio’s impressive track record of casting solid actors first, then training them into peak alpha-male condition. The lanky Hugh Jackman set the precedent with the Wolverine movies, yet also impressive transitions were lean pretty boys Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans bulking up to Olympian shape for “Thor” and “Captain America” (respectively). Even the meek Paul Rudd slapped on the six-pack abs for his turn as Ant-Man.

Still, no transformation from rags to riches in the name of Marvel has been more shocking than that of Chris Pratt, the chunky and lovable goof from TV’s “Parks and Recreation.” He took on lead hero Star-lord in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” the galactic rogue that displayed charm, wit and a ridiculous chiseled set of muscle. It was a physical transition within that sleeper hit that suddenly shot the actor from being the supporting ‘best friend’ to the square-jawed leading man in a recent string of blockbusters.

9. Tom Cruise – Tropic Thunder (2008)

This is an exception on this list since it solely focuses on heavy prosthetics as opposed to a genuine physical transformation. If that criteria is game, well, why not John Hurt for “The Elephant Man,” or any movie made over the last 30 years featuring Ron Perlman? Well, this performance is such a vital and drastic persona change – from Hollywood’s golden boy Tom Cruise, no less – that it really needs a mention as Cruise completely disappears into the role with such and abandon of ego (albeit for spoof value) that it remains one the most impressive roles taken over his filmography.

“Tropic Thunder” was ultimately made at a time when Cruise’s star power was considerably waning due to an aggressive viral Scientology campaign from him, not to mention acting like a lunatic on “Oprah.” It lead to a handful of flops from him, yet good friend Ben Stiller cast Cruise in his Hollywood over-the-top and hilarious piss-take on the industry.

Highlights included Robert Downey Jr’s method actor donning full blackface, and Jack Black’s cokehead actor being stranded without his drug of choice; yet the true scene stealer was Cruise himself in a surprise supporting role as Les Grossman, a bald, overweight and maniacally egotistically movie producer who even gets Asian guerilla warriors to think twice about getting on his bad side. Add to that an impromptu dance to Ludacris’ “Get Back” during the end credits and Cruise won back plenty of favour with his dedication to such a repulsive (yet hilarious) role.

8. Jake Gyllenhaal – Nightcrawler (2014)

Since the early 2010s, Jake Gyllenhaal has been impressing us with a series of strong and chameleon-like performances that elevated his leading man status to a whole new playing field. Amongst the impressive list are his two dark collaborations with Denis Villeneuve, “Prisoners” and “Enemy”; the pure bulked up muscle from “Southpaw”; and the unflattering safari shorts and villainy in “Okja.” Yet the pinnacle performance that even managed to sway haters and draw unanimous plaudits from critics was with Dan Gilroy’s sinister debut “Nightcrawler.”

Playing a freelance photojournalist in L.A.’s cutthroat news world, Gyllenhaal read the script and immediately pictured the main character as a “hungry coyote” scavenging the isolated and dark highways of the city. In order to sculpt his ideal look, he burnt off 20 pounds for the role, with a routine consisting of working out for up to eight hours everyday, including cycling or jogging to the set, successfully creating a gaunt and intimidating profile. His is an infallibly amoral character that is as determined as he is conniving – it’s a true stand-out role in a rightfully applauded movie.

7. Matt Damon – The Informant (2009)

The Boston-born chiseled actor carved out an impressive list of performances over his career, yet aside from bulking up as Jason Bourne for that respected action franchise, he wasn’t well celebrated for his dedication to physical method acting. In fact, a pre-fame turn as a war veteran/heroine addict in “Courage Under Fire” saw him shed 40 pounds and put his health in extreme dire order (it took him two whole years to recover), and he has remained cautious in his dedication since.

Well, much later in his career, regular directorial collaborator Steven Soderbergh convinced him otherwise to delve into the other side of the spectrum. In the real-life and utterly bizarre tale centred around false ‘informant’ Mark Whitacre, Damon was responsible for getting into the rotund lumpy shoes of said character by a steady program of pizza, burgers and dark beer – a process which he found incredibly enjoyable. Add to that glasses, a pornstache and the baffling trend of flamboyant early 90’s clothing and Damon is close to unrecognisable in this little-seen oddball comedy.

6. Tom Hanks – Cast Away (2000)

Hanks was a likeable movie presence pretty much from the jump as he got his start in a series enjoyable 80’s comedies. That changed when he starred in “Philadelphia” as a gay man dying of AIDS, where he lost a considerable amount of weight in an impressive performance that won him an Oscar, which led to a series of respectable dramas that the critics adored. Yet as more success piled up, comfortable living and a common persona kept being his fallback in several movies.

In need of a change, he teamed up again with his “Forrest Gump” director Robert Zemeckis, and they took on the ambitious task of following a ‘average joe’ with the before, during and after of being stranded on a desert island. The film was made in chronological order in tandem with Hanks’ psychical transformation on his journey.

The ‘before’ section had Hanks encouraged to get more pudgy as he ceased his normal exercise routine, then filming took an entire year off for him to get to whittled down to lanky shape in order to appear convincingly as a desert island survivor, packing on a hell of a beard with a sparse fruit diet and sun-worn complexion. The transition was a surprising one, yet it immediately added an extra layer of authenticity that stories around the subject had been sadly lacking in this impressive piece of work from the actor and the director.

“You’ll never work in this town again!” is an immortal slogan thrown around Hollywood, a scornful marking that makes working in that elite business just that much more difficult.

For whatever reasons, these several actors enjoyed success at the top and then due to bad manners or just general maniac behaviour lost that top spot, becoming pariahs in the industry. It’s a sad yet common story that will only see more names soon in these current heated and haphazard times in the industry…

10. Lindsay Lohan

So is the way of the sad story of some Hollywood starlets. Lindsay Lohan was the adorable Disney kid who enjoyed a series of successes (in remakes of “The Parent Trap” and “Freaky Friday”) that showed her as a strong and memorable presence on screen even at an early age. She then came of age in the superior high school comedy “Mean Girls.” All eyes were set on her, yet soon her offscreen exploits began to take centre stage as her cute-as-a-button image became more of a constant ‘party girl’ image instead.

She had on-set drama when she attempted to step into the serious acting leagues with Robert Altman’s “A Prairie Home Companion.” Then her toxic reputation followed her onto her next couple of attempts at comebacks in “I Know Who Killed Me” and more recently, “The Canyons,” both edgy indies that were critically lambasted and flopped at the box office; not to mention, they had the media eat up plenty of juicy filming conflicts due to her prima donna nature on each film. The offers have seemingly dried up now, with the actress going instead to TV for work.

9. Charlie Sheen

Martin Sheen’s son rose to heavy prominence in the 80s as he moved to leading man (aka Oliver Stone’s alter ego) in the seminal “Platoon” and “Wall Street.” Plenty of lesser quality yet popular movies followed as Sheen embraced a hard-partying womanising reputation over the years, and although his acting performances suffered, he still enjoyed bankability.

A brief clean-up and attempt at a straight arrow life when he married Denise Richards and started a family, with solid work on the sitcom “Spin City”; even if his movie roster was less prominent, a comeback seemed inevitable. This came in the form of another sitcom, “Two and a Half Men,” with other 80’s stalwart Jon Cryer. It was a massive ratings hit (regardless of quality) and a solid living for Sheen, yet things soured between him and showrunner Chuck Lorre due to the actor’s increasingly unhinged and intoxicated behaviour on set.

Sheen was eventually fired and a massive meltdown and media circus followed, with such infamous internet memes like ‘tiger blood’ and ‘winning’ following.
Sheen managed to win his own solo show “Anger Management” afterward, which managed to be even less funny than his former sitcom, and displayed plenty of Sheen’s hotheadedness aimed at his crew and wrapped up in two seasons.

No work, a HIV diagnosis and possible negative sexual allegations have arisen in the meantime, and it looks like Sheen has finally become un-hireable regardless of his popularity as an internet meme.

8. Katherine Heigl

After toiling away in as a young actress in thankless sequel roles (“Under Siege 2: Dark Territory,” “Bride of Chucky”), Katherine Heigl managed to have a killer upswing during the mid-2000s when she broke through with her role in the pop culture TV success “Grey’s Anatomy.” Soon after she conquered movies when she landed the plum lead role in “Knocked Up,” the Judd Apatow dramedy that pretty much helped create a ‘comedy renaissance’ with similar movies produced or directed by the filmmaker, starring several of the same actors.

Heigl excluded herself from that list almost immediately when she badmouthed Apatow and the rest involved with the movie, calling it ‘sexist’ during the movie’s press circuit. After burning that bridge, she soon soured herself on the sets of “Grey’s” by belaying the quality of showrunner Shonda Rhimes’ writing. Sure, she managed to churn out a few generic rom-coms after, but her difficult reputation subsided and she’s been less prominent and hardly in demand as of late. This is seen with her latest film “Unforgettable” – a mediocre “Fatal Attraction” rip-off.

7. Edward Norton

It’s no mean feat to get an Oscar nomination with your film debut, but Edward Norton managed to do it with “Primal Fear,” which quickly etched him out as the one of the most exciting names in the movie business.

Several other movies followed that helped further cement this notion (“Fight Club,” “American History X,” “25th Hour”), which are considered some of the best films made in that period, matched only with his incredible skill that soon mounted him the ‘young De Niro’ title of raw but nuanced New York talent. Then roles started to dry up as a reputation for micromanaging several films he appeared in began to reoccur over and over.

His last major push as a commercial and relevant lead actor was with Marvel’s “The Incredible Hulk” – the direct follow-up to the studio’s bombastic debut with “Iron Man” that turned Robert Downey Jr’s troubled career around. The similarly unorthodox casting here was meant to lead to a similar success. Unfortunately, Norton’s performance wasn’t as fully embraced, not to mention several reports of him being argumentative and controlling on-set leaked to the press.

So when it came time for when the green one would return for the superhero team-up “The Avengers,” Marvel decided to drop Norton from the role and replace him with Mark Ruffalo. Since then roles have been way less prominent, and although recently smaller roles with interesting directors have helped win him back some points, it’s quite clear that his earlier status has been sadly squandered due to him unable to play nice with most.

6. Mickey Rourke

Now this is an odd example. Throughout the 80s, Mickey Rourke was iron-hot as an actor with appealing good looks, only matched by his barnstorming acting skill and authentic street toughness.

The world was truly his oyster as he moved through exciting movies where critics fawned over his acting (“Angel Heart,” “Rumble Fish,” “9 1/2 Weeks”), yet soon after things took a swerve for the worst, as his outspoken and general nasty reputation proceeded him and got him blacklisted him in the industry. He reverted to boxing for a number of years instead, which mussed up his good looks when cheap surgery attempted to fix it.

He attempted a miserable return to the profession in 1997 that initially felt embarrassing, yet after more than a decade of taking smaller interesting roles and putting in the work to prove he was a new man, he finally landed the role he had been working toward in 2008’s “The Wrestler.” It was a iconic performance that echoed his fall from grace in a moving yet harrowing manner. Awards and unanimous critical praise signified one of the biggest comebacks in Hollywood history – but sadly things weren’t meant to be.

After playing the villain in “Iron Man 2,” Rourke’s nasty back-talk began again when he badmouthed the whole production and Marvel head Kevin Feige as a “nerd,” and this pattern soon occurred again and again with his following movies. Soon after, fewer and fewer respectable roles came along and it was clear he was only in it for the paycheques, whilst his looks decayed even further past the point of weathered charm to downright weird. “Blunt Force Trauma” and “WEAPONiZED” are some of his latest VOD releases – and even just the titles signify that it’s a long way from working with Aronofsky or Coppola.

Mind-bending movies – stories that deliberately target the audience’s brain as their plaything, either by making us work through their abstract mysteries, or by pulling the rug from underneath the audience in its final moments, or taking us on a spiralling dream-like journey like no other film could.

Let’s examine the best of the best from this exclusive sub-genre, with a criteria of only one entry permitted by its director (otherwise this would just be a David Lynch and Christopher Nolan list). Prepare your mind…

25. Altered States (1980)

Ken Russell was already Britain’s ‘Enfant Terrible’ before he went to the United States for this troubled production that quickly killed his chance of working there again. Based on the novel by Paddy Chayefsky (disowned by him as well), the film follows a Harvard scientist (William Hurt) who becomes obsessed with finding human nature’s true role in the universe. How does he set about doing this? By locking himself in an isolation chamber and taking hallucinatory drugs – as you do.

The film devolves into silly nonsense as Hurt’s physical state regresses to primal form as a reaction to this ordeal, yet where the film flourishes is with its incredible ‘vision’ related imagery; here Russell is truly in his element as he creates an awe-inspiring world that likely stands as the most stunning and elaborately made hallucinogenic sequences put to celluloid, as well as his strongest work in that specific field (which is saying something). The plot is interesting even if some of the execution is flawed, yet it’s more than worth your time for its trippy mise-en-scene and hellish imagery.

24. Triangle (2009)

This strong little thriller from underrated director Christopher Smith makes for a loopy and memorable experience that squeezes the most out of its premise – a group of travellers are stranded on an empty cruise ship within the Bermuda Triangle. It isn’t soon after that they’re all stalked by a hooded axe-wielding killer – yet things aren’t all that they seem.

Playing with the standard ‘slasher’ tropes Smith knows so well, “Triangle” plays up the facade of the familiar and then slowly strips away those elements and introduces a cracking labyrinth-like plot that will leave most dumbfounded by its conclusion. It’s helped by some gripping direction and a game performance by its lead Melissa George, in what is a must-watch for genre fans in the mood for something different with their kicks. Just be prepared for something closer to “Donnie Darko” than “Friday the 13th.”

23. Predestination (2015)

One of the more recent and overlooked entries in this article, Ethan Hawke reunited with his “Daybreakers” directors, the Spierig brothers, for this sci-fi mystery with a hell of an end twist that stands as one of the best in recent memory.

Ultimately, to discuss this film in high capacity would to do it a giant disservice, so in simple terms, Hawke is a time-traveling enforcer on an adamant mission to hunt down the “Fizzle Bomber,” a terrorist who attacks specifically in 1975 New York. Sounds high concept enough? Well things get suitably strange when his story intertwines with Sarah Snook’s, a young woman with a troubled past and even more complex gender issues.

A tense and clever thriller with juicy sci-fi elements and a nutty third act. Slickly directed by the Spierigs and anchored by two fantastic central performances by Hawke and Snook, resulting in the best time travel thriller in recent times (sorry “Looper”).

22. Fight Club (1999)

David Fincher’s masterpiece satire on the pre-millennial male deserves a spot here, regardless of carrying one of cinema’s most known twists.

If you didn’t know already, Edward Norton’s aimless office worker has his life flipped upside down as he becomes involved with a dysfunctional love interest (a hilarious Helena Bonham Carter) and, more importantly, Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt), an enigmatic yet frightful mentor.

Fincher’s source material was already chock full of Chuck Palahniuk’s vivid opinions and acidic humour, yet the director is able to add to the colourful text in an incredible exercise in take-no-prisoners style, balancing its black comedy within an insane mind puzzle. Every moment of the movie is building up to its third act twist in such an eclectic manner that on repeat viewings it’s amazing you didn’t see it coming – it’s the most famous ‘mind screws’ in celluloid, but it can back up all that the hype with a cracking (if often referenced) piece of cinema.

21. Abre los Ojos (1997)

In the late 90s, filmmaker Alejandro Amenabar had a penchant for twisty thrillers that bitch slapped your brain, with no better example than with this buzzworthy hit – an impactful morality tale of a wealthy playboy (Eduardo Noriega) who beds the wrong lady and ends up mutilated in car crash for his troubles. With his physique and mind severely traumatised, things dive into paranoid thriller territory with a helping of sci-fi.

Beautifully and carefully made with an airtight script to match its far-flung twists, “Abre los Ojos” still stands as Amenabar’s best work, so much so that even when Hollywood did a big budget Tom Cruise remake (“Vanilla Sky” in 2001), it could only feel like a decent copy shrouded by the shadow of the original. This just helped assert that it’s a mission impossible to replicate the magic of something this fresh, original and balls-out weird.

20. Identity (2003)

A typically dark and stormy night where a handful of strangers end up stranded in a musty motel. A mysterious killer picks them off one by one, and then they all realise they’re connected in more ways than one. So far, so Agatha Christie, right?

Well, therein lies the fun factor with this piece – as formulaic genre fodder, it’s solid and executed way better than it deserves, directed by James Mangold with a loving handle on genre tropes and moody atmospheres, plus a cracking good cast (John Cusack, Ray Liotta, John Hawkes). Yet what really pushes this one to ‘mind fuck’ levels is its third act, which opens a door to very fresh and completely unexpected territory. To delve into it too much would do a disservice but for those who’ve missed this one, give it a look for a wonderfully pulpy yet equally clever horror/thriller.

19. Mind Game (2004)

Anime has a great tradition of making completely insane movies that can fascinate yet confuse, and none would be more appropriate than this mid-2000’s effort that should’ve changed its title to ‘mind fuck’ since it so definitively manifests that category.

Nishi is a dorky aspiring manga artist whose infatuation with his high school crush eventually leads him on a crazy journey where he ends up everywhere, from a gangster’s car to a whale’s belly, to even the afterlife itself (before being resurrected, of course).

Director Masaaki Yuasa throws a shed worth of concepts and thematics at us at once, all felt even more schizophrenic by its constant flippant styles of animations, from floaty hand-drawn to CGI, to even live-action melding. Thankfully it lacks pretension somehow and manages to be a hilarious and sometimes touching adventure that, well, happens to be weird as all hell.

18. Primer (2004)

This indie has split several opinions on it – some feel it’s a refreshingly mature take on the sci-fi genre, whilst otherwise feel it’s an unnecessary complicated mess with amateur acting and boring direction. To be honest, both could be true, but somewhere in the middle lies a gripping mind puzzle, one that sheds any high-concept gloss for its subject in a stripped bare examination of how someone could realistically build a time machine, and the dire repercussions it would have in turn.

Shane Carruth’s directorial debut can feel frustrating at times, as it purposely makes the plot difficult to follow. The first 30 minutes are fairly make or break, as we have tech talk thrown at us at a rapid overlapping pace, with a jarring handheld style and non-conventional plot structure. Does it feel unnecessarily dense? Perhaps, but the work the audience does becomes satisfying as things pay off in its third act, and unravels a whip-smart plot in what might be the definitive film on the mechanics of time travel.