Top 5 Great Performances in Bad Movies

5. Michael Gough, Batman (1989); Batman Returns; Batman Forever; Batman & Robin
Throughout Burton and Schumacher's terrible franchise run, Michael Gough as Alfred was always a quiet presence illuminating every scene in which he appeared. He was soft-spoken and driven by his love of the Wayne family and its legacy. He always had dignity, even when the movie around him clearly had none of its own. It is a miracle of acting that Gough was able to keep a straight face as the movies continued to get louder and more ridiculous.

4. Charlize Theron, The Devil's Advocate
In a movie filled by Keanu Reeves' "acting," Connie Nielson at her most seductive, and ultimately climaxing with Al Pacino essentially screaming an entire conversation, Theron's great portrayal of a housewife that grows slowly insane gets lost in the shuffle. Feeling abandoned by her busy husband, Theron's character becomes increasingly bored and lonely. She wants a child, but can't seem to conceive (when she can even get the usually-absent Reeves to have sex with her, that is). She paints and re-paints the rooms of her apartment. She goes shopping with the shallow wives of Reeves' partners, and begins to have hallucinations. The visions get worse, as does her health. Her story does not end well, and is the highpoint of a movie that continues to run for another 45 minutes. Theron handles the character's breakdown fluidly, without any unbelievable jumps in behavior. She slowly gets worse and worse, until she's gone. Theron is an actress who has had many great roles, and in that context it is easy to see why no one ever notices this one (unless they are noticing the copious amount of nudity she has in this movie, including a full-frontal shot that is not what you expect it to be). But she is just as good in this film as she is in those others.

3. Christopher Walken, Suicide Kings
Let's face it, the only reason to watch this movie is to see Walken tied to a chair for 90 minutes. That he manages to still be a cunning and menacing presence despite having no mobility is a tribute to his skill. People tend to stigmatize Walken as always acting like Walken (Ebert uses the verb "Walkenizing"). This is growing increasingly true, though we should always remember what depths this man is capable of.

2. Johnny Depp, The Ninth Gate
In a Roman Polanski movie, you expect the star to give it their all. And that's exactly what Depp does. And he does this despite the fact the movie sucks. A lot. And goes nowhere. He plays an antique book collector who has a habit of falsely appraising peoples' collections, buying them at a low price, and selling them off for their real value. He is hired to track down a book which may hold the key to summoning the devil. In fact, the book may have been written by Satan himself. It doesn't end up mattering, 'cause the whole thing builds to an anti-climatic love scene (I'm just as surprised as you are to see that I'm referring to an Emmanuelle Seigner sex scene as 'anti-climactic'). But Depp brings his A-game, turning from low-key con man to the inadvertent savior of mankind in a seamless fashion.

1. Gabriel Byrne, End of Days
I've always had a problem with the way Satan gets portrayed on film. He's always a fiery demon or an intimidating man dressed in all black (sometimes with a black cane that has a skull on it) with a huge black beard and broadcasts his evil intentions with every word he speaks. So who in their right mind would ever sell their soul to someone like that, no matter what he promised? Which brings me to Gabriel Byrne in End of Days. The movie is terrible, save for Byrne. He plays Satan with seductive charm and charisma. Yes, you know he's Satan and that he is pure evil. But when he talks casually with Arnold Schwarzenegger (and how sad is it that my spellchecker actually knew the correct way to spell his name) about the hypocrisy of God, he makes some really good points (I still smile every time I hear him refer to the Bible as a press-kit). You find yourself wanting to believe him. And when Byrne does unleash the evil, he commands as much fear as he did charm. Few actors are capable of coming off convincingly as both warm and cold. Have you ever been able to take Morgan Freeman seriously as a villain? Byrne was a perfect choice, and he nails the role. Now if only everyone else involved in the movie had done the same...