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#10
LT. JIM GORDON (BATMAN BEGINS / THE DARK KNIGHT, 2005/2008)
The Dark Knight poster

In a career filled with villainous portrayals, Christopher Nolan’s redo of the Batman franchise gave Gary Oldman a chance to play the good guy for once as Lt. Jim Gordon, the one un-corruptible cop in Gotham City who helps Batman fight against the forces of evil. Taking on the comic character’s look of thick rimmed glasses and moustache to go along with his perfect American accent, Oldman steals scenes with seasoned subtlety.

 

 


#9
DREXL SPIVEY (TRUE ROMANCE, 1993)
True Romane poster

A highlight amongst a packed cast of supporting players, Oldman’s turn as white-guy-who-thinks-he’s-black pimp Drexel saw the London born chameleon transform himself into a truly disgusting ratbag, and had us all in awe while doing so.

 

 

#8
 JEAN-BAPTISTE EMANUEL ZOG (THE FIFTH ELEMENT, 1997)
The Fifth Element poster

Oldman’s second film with French director Luc Besson saw him go all out with what has to be his most eccentric part to date: an arms dealer with a Texan draw, funny looking hair and unique name, which suited the oddball future sci-fi setting that Besson conjured.

 

 

#7
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN (IMMORTAL BELOVED, 1994)
Immortal Beloved poster

As a child Oldman studied music intensely before moving on to acting, and that passion for music is felt in every frame of his turn as Ludwig van Beethoven in the underappreciated Immortal Beloved. Dark and all-consuming, Oldman brilliantly portrays the power and afflictions which were a part of the great composers life.

 

 

#6
GEORGE SMILEY (TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY, 2011)
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy poster

While Oldman’s ability to conjure rage has been praised, less so has been his ability to play restraint. That has changed with the release of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, an espionage thriller which stars Oldman as a semi-retired spy brought back into the fold to find a Russian mole. Oldman plays with part with powerfully cold reserve, holding the screen with a look and speaking volumes with the slightest gesture.   

 

 

#5
JACKIE FLANNERY (STATE OF GRACE, 1990)
State of Grace poster

Running circles around the likes of Sean Penn and Ed Harris, State of Grace featured Oldman at his unhinged best as heavy drinking Irish-American gangster Jackie Flannery. Belonging in the pantheon of bat shit crazy characters, Oldman infuses the part with a tenderness while also brilliantly portraying the homicidal insanity which is Jackie Flannery.

 

 

#4
STANSFIELD (LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL, 1994)
Leon: The Professional poster

In Gary Oldman’s vast gallery of nutters, Stansfield from Leon: The Professional reigns supreme. A corrupt DEA agent with a love for Beethoven and taste for the theatrical, the role gave Oldman a chance to go all out with a gloriously over the top performance which has been praised as one of the greatest on screen villains of all time.  

 

 


#3
DRACULA (BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA, 1992)
Bram Stokers Dracula poster

The movie that made Oldman a superstar, Francis Ford Coppola’s operatic adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula contained a mixed bag of performances, yet Oldman’s brilliant portrayal of the iconic vampire was all the performance Coppola needed. Sensual, intense and bloody scary, Oldman’s take on the often played character stood apart from others before it and has yet to be bettered since.

 

 

 

#2
SID VICIOUS (SID & NANCY, 1986)

Sid and Nancy poster

Oldman’s breakthrough role also stands as one of his best performances and showed everyone the lengths which he will go through in order to make a role work. As infamous punk rock god Sid Vicious, the chameleon prowess which Oldman is now legendary was in full gear, with massive weight loss and near identical look sure to make even those who knew the Sex Pistols bass player do a double take.

Yet most important was Oldman’s inheritance of the punk rock philosophy, that “fuck the world” attitude which Vicious embodied and ultimately proved to be a falsity with the murder of his equally messed up girlfriend Nancy Spungen (played brilliantly by Chloe Webb) the beginning of the end to the punk rock movement.

 

 

 

#1
LEE HARVEY OSWALD (JFK, 1991)
JFK poster

Oliver Stone’s controversial take on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy featured career defining from many great actors, and Gary Oldman’s turn as Lee Harvey Oswald is no exception. Although JFK is the title of the film, it is Oswald’s story which intrigues the most as Stone tries to convince us that the most infamous assassin of all time was only a “patsy” in a great conspiracy.

In turn Oldman plays the man with a chilling authenticity, nailing every eccentric trait and emotional shift while brilliantly adapting his performance to suit the varied eye witness testimonies to Oswald’s life.    

 

 

 

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