There were some great performances this past year on the big screen.  Below are my top 10.  The list mixes starring and supporting performances, male and female roles and American and foreign films.  I also decided not rank the list and put it in alphabetical order by the performer’s last name.  And of course this list is just a small sample of the year’s best performances - so if I missed yours, let me know what it is in the comments.

Also be sure to takepart and read up on the potential SAG strike, which could change how many performances we see next year.

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Asia Argento in Boarding Gate, Mother of Tears and The Last Mistress

Miss. Argento lit up the screen multiple times this year. The look on her face at the end of Boarding Gate sold the entire film for me and her turn in The Last Mistress is truly amazing.  She is beautiful, but beauty doesn’t account for the magnetism she gave us in 2008.

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Juliette Binoche in  Flight of the Red Balloon

Juliette Binoche almost always gives a good performance but here she really captures the difficulty in being both a good parent and dealing with one’s own personal problems.

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Benicio Del Toro in Che

Che is an impressive study of revolution and resolution and part of the reason the film (both parts) is so successful and hypnotizing is Benicio Del Toro’s ability to captivate us while keeping us at an emotional distance, thus allowing us to keep our focus on the politics instead of the people.

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Guillaume Depardieu in The Duchess of Langeais

If I was going to rank this list, Guillaume would have probably been at the top.  His performance in Rivette’s The Duchess of Langeais is nothing short of great and makes it all the more sad that he passed away this year.

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Lei Hao in Summer Palace

At times frighteningly calm and at others a ball of hysteria, Lei Hao’s Yu Hong is a woman who changes her emotions quickly and violently. Lei Hao does an amazing job of making it work and more than that, making her character one we empathize with.

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Richard Jenkins in The Visitor

Often times the performances that get the most buzz are the ones where actors dramatically change their appearance, or where they are required to scream or cry in excessive amounts.  Richard Jenkins performance in The Visitor is a great example of how being quiet and calm can be just as captivating.

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Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight

I’m not sure what I can say that hasn’t been said - except to again point out that we lost Mr. Ledger too soon.

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Eddie Marsan in Happy-Go-Lucky

In a movie defined by a happy main character (the amazing Sally Hawkins) Eddie Marsan brings a much needed foil to the joy and will scare you as well as break your heart

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Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

All the performances in Revolutionary Road are amazing but Michael Shannon’s few scenes rise above everything else done on screen.

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Michelle Williams in Wendy and Lucy

This may be the female performance of the year. Her restraint will cause your own shoulders to tense up.