Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1986: Results

10. David Bowie in Labyrinth - Bowie delivers a perfectly serviceable performance which coasts heavily on his presence, a little too heavily as he's strangely just sort of there much of the time. Playing very much with a lack seriousness without being funny, a lack of menace without being fun and even is musical performances don't really have that much flair to them despite his costuming. 

Best Scene: Dance magic dance.  

9. Rutger Hauer in The Hitcher - Hauer is effective at being menacing in his charismatic way even if it asks far too little of him. 

Best Scene: Opening. 

8. Clancy Brown in Highlander - Brown basically gives two performances, one as a brute, one more so as a crazed villain. He's good at both even if there is a lack of cohesion. 

Best Scene: Church

7. Chow Yun-Fat in A Better Tomorrow - Chow is charismatic and brings the only real emotional impact within the overall scheme of his film. It's only a shame he's not the lead. 

Best Scene: Shoot out. 

6. Michael Caine in Mona Lisa - Caine gives a properly menacing and sleazy performance. 

Best Scene: Final confrontation. 

5. Tom Noonan in Manhunter - Noonan gives a quietly creepy performance that gets under your skin by his calm. 

Best Scene: Do you see?

4. Ray Liotta in Something Wild - Liotta takes over is film with ease giving a charismatic but properly threatening performance of a man going out of control in pursuit of his wife. 

Best Scene: Home invasion. 

3. Dean Stockwell in Blue Velvet - Stockwell gives a brilliantly idiosyncratic work that is so wonderfully one of a kind in its Lynchian goodness. 

Best Scene: His scene. 

2. John Goodman in True Stories - Goodman delivers the most compelling vignettes consistently in is first funny though later moving portrayal of a man searching for love. 

Best Scene: "People like us" first try. 

1. Alan Ruck in Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Good predictions Luke, A, Tahmeed, 8000's Ytrewq, Lucas, Harris & Bryan. Though within overall a light comedy Ruck gives a genuinely emotionally nuanced and in the end quite powerful portrayal of an depressed teenager finding is strength. 

Best Scene: Killing the car. 

Updated Overall

Next: 2017 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1986: Chow Yun-Fat in A Better Tomorrow

Chow Yun-fat did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Mark Lee aka Brother Mark in A Better Tomorrow. 

A Better Tomorrow follows the somewhat convoluted story of an ex-gangster dealing with his family and his old gang ties. 

I’ll admit I had a slightly strange experience watching A Better Tomorrow where I found it just kind of unfocused and clunky, then suddenly quite captivating and stylish. When it was the latter it almost always corresponded with when Chow Yun-Fat is on screen as Brother Mark essentially the best friend/enforcer for the ex-gangster. Something that Chow just owns naturally with such a fantastic cool to his performance, particularly in his earliest scenes where indeed his lighting his cigarette with a counterfeit bill is just a certain kind of cinematic cool that is difficult to achieve. Chow matches the idea and despite being the supporting character here, is the one who comes to life with the striking presence of the proper cool gangster we’d want to follow as he takes on a more nefarious mobster. Chow, for me, very much is the film as it also came to life when he walked on screen each time, partially because Brother Mark seems to move the plot forward in the most compelling fashion, but also because of that presence of Chow’s. Something however that is a mix of badass with a few other elements because it isn’t just the wielding two guns in the and firing, as cool as that is and as well as Chow performs those moments. 

It is around those moments where Chow actually shines, such as the scene where he goes in guns ablazin’, however first setting up some additional guns for himself as he casually walks in. A moment where Chow makes much with the little grin of his in his planting, knows exactly what he’s doing and plays a bit of fun in the moment, before unleashing his fury in the actual gunfight, which is both him shooting down fools and getting injured in return fire. Something where we get the other side of his performance which is presenting some vulnerability, less emotionally but just physically as he literally gets shot. Afterwards then reflecting that state within the character where as much as Chow must be functional at times in terms of progressing the plot you are granted a bit more for his portrayal of Brother Mark’s increasing critical nature as he interacts with a fundamental determination in his moments. Chow’s performance moves from just cool to more so granting the gravity of the situation as the tensions overall raise, to the point Mark is even beaten severely where Chow shows the physical pain combined though with that quiet certainty of his conviction and loyalty regardless. Leading to eventually the final battle where Chow is again great as an action performer in very much selling the action in every little beat he is giving with this time greater intensity and less of an overt cool as he goes about mowing down the gangster’s men one by one. Chow successfully depicts this progression of his character largely through action and creates a compelling character that consistently anchored me to this story despite being a supporting character. In a way it suggests director John Woo figuring out that Chow was the person he always should’ve been focused on in his later films by the promise shown by Chow here. 

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 1986

And the Nominees Were Not:

John Goodman in True Stories

Dean Stockwell in Blue Velvet

Alan Ruck in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Ray Liotta in Something Wild

Clancy Brown in Highlander

Chow Yun-Fat in A Better Tomorrow

Tom Noonan in Manhunter

Rutger Hauer in The Hitcher

Michael Caine in Mona Lisa

David Bowie in Labyrinth

Alternate Best Actor 2000: Results

5. George Clooney in O Brother Where Art Thou?- Clooney gives a fun and endearing performance, which is fun to follow through this adventure.

Best Scene: The boys are about to be hanged.

4. Chow Yun-Fat in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon- Yun-Fat succeeds well in a role tailored made for his particular screen presence.

Best Scene: His last scene.

3. Eric Bana in Chopper- Bana is a lot of fun with a bonkers performance that somehow makes his character believable.

Best Scene: Chopper kills the Turk.

2. Christian Bale in American Psycho- Bale performance gives a comedic phony performance that actually suits his character far better then if he played it straight.

Best Scene: Bateman kills Paul Allen.

1. Guy Pearce in Memento- Good Prediction Koook160. This was an easy choice for me. Guy Pearce gives a great performance brilliantly realizing his character's most unusual disability while flawlessly taking his character down a many differing paths, and never becoming dull for a moment even though his character does repeat himself often.

Best Scene: Leonard confronts John G. or at least he thinks he does.

Overall Rank:

1. Guy Pearce in Memento
2. Lee Byung-hun in Joint Security Area
   
3. Tony Leung Chiu Wai in The Mood For Love
4. Willem Dafoe in Shadow of the Vampire
5. Tom Hanks in Castaway
6. Christian Bale in American Psycho
7. Eric Bana in Chopper
8. Sol Kyung-gu in Peppermint Candy
   
9. Michael Douglas in Wonder Boys 
10. Damian Alcazar in Herod's Law
11. John Cusack in High Fidelity
    
12. Russell Crowe in Gladiator
13. Chow Yun-Fat in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
14. George Clooney in O Brother Where Art Thou?
15. Song Kang-ho in Foul King
    
16. Jamie Bell in Billy Elliot  
17. Colin Farrell in Tigerland
    
18. Denis Lavant in Beau Travail 
19. Dennis Hopper in The Spreading Ground
20. Paul Bettany in Gangster No. 1 
21. Ricardo Darin in Nine Queens
    
22. Bruce Greenwood in Thirteen Days 
23. Mel Gibson in The Patriot
24. Samuel L. Jackson in Unbreakable  
25. William H. Macy in Panic
    
26. Dennis Quaid in Frequency
27. Bruce Willis in Unbreakable
28. Joaquin Phoenix in Quills
29. Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans  
30. Mel Gibson in Chicken Run 
31. Søren Pilmark in Flickering Lights
32. Owen Wilson in Shanghai Noon
33. Samuel L. Jackson in Shaft 
34. Haley Joel Osment in Pay It Forward 
35. Josse De Pauw in Everybody's Famous
    
36. Lee Sung-jae in Barking Dogs Never Bite
    
37. Ethan Hawke in Hamlet
    
38. Gaston Pauls in Nine Queens
    
39. Bolek Polivka in Divided We Fall
    
40. Andrew Shim in A Room For Romeo Brass
41. Ben Marshall in A Room For Romeo Brass
    
42. Omar Epps in Love and Basketball
    
43. Jim Caviezel in Frequency 
44. Kevin Spacey in Pat It Forward
45. Samuel L. Jackson in Rules of Engagement 
    
46. David Spade in The Emperor's New Groove
    
47. George Clooney in A Perfect Storm
48. Mark Wahlberg in A Perfect Storm
49. Rob Brown in Finding Forrester
50. John Goodman in The Emperor's New Groove
    
51. Mark Ruffalo in You Can Count On Me
    
52. Hugh Jackman in X-Men 
53. Csongor Kassai in Divided We Fall 
54. Vince Vaughn in The Cell
    
55. Matthew McConaughey in U-571
56. Tommy Lee Jones in Rules of Engagement
57. Gary Sinise in Mission to Mars
58. Tatsuya Fujimara in Battle Royale 
59. Jackie Chan in Shanghai Noon
60. Matt Damon in The Legend of Bagger Vance
61. Val Kilmer in Red Planet 
62. Brendan Fraser in Bedazzled
63. John Malkovich in Shadow of the Vampire 
    
64. Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents 
65. Matthew Perry in Whole Nine Yards
66. Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents
67. Bruce Willis in The Whole Nine Yards
68. Ed Harris in Pollock
69. Nicolas Cage in Gone in Sixty Seconds
70. Geoffrey Rush in Quills
71. Javier Bardem in Before Night Falls
72. Matthew Davis in Tigerland
    
73. Giuseppe Sulfaro in Malena
    
74. Keanu Reeves in The Replacements 
75. Arnold Schwarzenegger in The 6th Day 
76. Sylvester Stallone in Get Carter
77. Kevin Costner in Thirteen Days 
78. Mark Wahlberg in The Yards
    
79. Patrick Fugit in Almost Famous
80. Jim Carrey in The Grinch
81. Jared Leto in Requiem for a Dream
    
82. Eddie Murphy in Nutty Professor II
83. Jamie Foxx in Bait
84. Giovanni Ribisi in Boiler Room
    
85. Christopher Lambert in Highlander Endgame 
86. Barry Pepper in Battlefield Earth
87. Martin Lawrence in Big Momma's House
88. Matt Damon in All the Pretty Horses
    
89. Breckin Meyer in Road Trip
90. Adrian Paul in Highlander Endgame 
91. Justin Whalin in Dungeons & Dragons
    
92. Adam Sandler in Little Nicky 
93. Damon Wayans in Bamboozled
    
94. John Travolta in Battlefield Earth

Next Year: 2000 Supporting

Alternate Best Actor 2000: Chow Yun-Fat in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Chow Yun-Fat did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Li Mu Bai in Chow Yun-Fat in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is an entertaining martial arts film about two warriors in search of a stolen sword.

Chow Yun-Fat role is one tailored made for Chow Yun-Fat. Li Mu Bai is the great warrior of the film, although I would very much classify him as lead, he has the least screen time of the film. Li Mu Bai shows up every time in the film to be this wise man who is a master with the sword. He basically shows up pretty much just to get things done by being the most competent person in the room, the courtyard or the forest. Li Mu Bai is a great swordsman and this must be understood. There is not any build up for Li Mu Bai really whenever he shows up it must be understood that he is an impressive force instantly the man to do this is of course Chow Yun-Fat.

Chow Yun-Fat has a terrific amount of natural screen presence which is perfect for this role where he has to make his impact so quickly. Yun-Fat is able to allow us to take it for granted that Li Mu Bai is this great man that the film makes him out to be.Yun-Fat is able to exude the right confidence for Li Mu Bai. Yun-Fat's presence is a unique one where he has strong presence although he always feels rather unassuming in his methods. Yun-Fat never seems uncaring though even as he delivers in the part with such a general ease in his approach. Yun-Fat always brings quiet conviction in his eyes even as he keeps Li Mu Bai a man who is fairly contained with his emotions.

Yun-Fat fits this part without question and makes Li Mu Bai everything that he should stand. Whether it is a wisdom which Yun-Fat conveys through the assured manner he has in the role, or his fighting ability where Yun-Fat of course excels as he is a master of an action scene being believable no matter how absurd a set piece may be. Technically there is also a path that Li Mu Bai is following to find justice for his murdered master, but even this Yun-Fat portrays as a wholly righteous cause. Chow Yun-Fat keeps this as something that Li Mu Bai feels is his duty, but not an unhealthy obsession which is the right way considering the nature of the role.

The unsaid love story between Li Mu Bai and Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) is very well played by both actors as they find the right poignancy through just the genuine simplicity of the love they portray between the two warriors. They both suggest so well in their reaction to one another making the moment at the end of the film when they do vocalize their feelings rather moving. In the end this is not an overly complex role for Chow Yun-Fat, what is demanded from him is to be a very traditional sort of hero who is sympathetic and skilled. Chow Yun-Fat absolutely meets these demands and makes Li Mu Bai properly fulfill his role in the scheme of the film.

Alternate Best Actor 2000

And the Nominees Were Not:

Christian Bale in American Psycho

Eric Bana in Chopper

Chow Yun-Fat in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Guy Pearce in Memento

George Clooney in O Brother Where Art Thou?

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2010: Results

5. Sam Rockwell in Conviction- Rockwell gives the best performance in his film giving some poignancy to his character's situation even though the power of his performance is limited by the film's problems.

4. Andrew Garfield in The Social Network- Garfield plays the emotions of his role a little to heavily at times but still gives an effective performance with a few stand out moments.

3. Chow Yun-Fat in Let the Bullets Fly- Yun-Fat gives a very entertaining villainous turn even if he could have brought just a little more menace to his role. 

2. Pierce Brosnan in The Ghost Writer- Brosnan gives a strong performance effectively creating the different faces of a career politicians with too many secrets.

1. Ben Mendelsohn in Animal Kingdom- Good Prediction Fisti. This might not be a great year for great performances as I don't give anyone a five, but it is a great year for good performances. My personal winner came down to the two criminal uncles of Mendelsohn and John Hawkes in Winter's Bone.

Overall Rank:

1. Ben Kingsley in Shutter Island 
   
2. Taika Waititi in Boy
3. Armie Hammer in The Social Network  
4. Ben Mendelsohn in Animal Kingdom
5. John Hawkes in Winter's Bone
6. Michael Lonsdale in Of Gods and Men
7. Cillian Murphy in Inception
8. Pete Postlethwaite in The Town
9. Ted Levine in Shutter Island
10. Barry Pepper in True Grit 
11. Joel Edgerton in Animal Kingdom
12. Jackie Earle Haley in Shutter Island
13. Jeremy Renner in The Town 
14. Tom Hardy in Inception 
15. John Ortiz in Jack Goes Boating
16. Ray Winstone in Edge of Darkness
17. Pierce Brosnan in The Ghost Writer
18. David Bradley in Another Year
19. Joaquin Cosio in El Infierno
20. Chow Yun-Fat in Let The Bullets Fly 
21. Guy Pearce in Animal Kingdom
22. David O'Hara in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 
23. Olivier Rabourdin in Of Gods and Men
24. Peter Wight in Another Year 
25. Jon Hamm in The Town 
26. Kayvan Novak in Four Lions
27. Andrew Garfield in The Social Network
28. Nigel Lindsay in Four Lions
29. Max von Sydow in Shutter Island  
30. John Malkovich in RED
31. Mark Ruffalo in Shutter Island  
32. Michael Keaton in The Other Guys  
33. Jason Schwartzman in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
34. Justin Timberlake in The Social Network   
35. Bob Hoskins in Made in Dagenham
36. Sam Rockwell in Iron Man 2   
37. Chris Evans in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
38. Bill Murray in Get Low  
39. Kieran Culkin in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
40. Ed Harris in The Way Back
41. Sam Rockwell in Conviction 
42. Brandon Routh in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
43. Laurent Lafitte in Little White Lies
44. Arsher Ali in Four Lion 
45. Philipee Laudenbach in Of Gods and Men
46. Gary Oldman in The Book of Eli
47. Emilio Estevez in The Way
48. Ken Watanabe in Inception
49. Ned Beatty in Toy Story 3 
50. Guy Pearce in The King's Speech  
51. Colin Farrell in The Way Back
52. Jack McGee in The Fighter 
53. Jacques Herlin Of Gods and Men 
54. Benoit Magimel in Little White Lies
55. Sullivan Stapleton in Animal Kingdom 
56. Nicolas Cage in Kick-Ass 
57. Morten Rose in Submarino
58. Te Aho Aho Eketone-Whitu in Boy
59. Ewan McGregor in I Love You Philip Morris 
60. Michael Douglas in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
61. Adeel Ahktar in Four Lions
62. Mark Strong in Kick-Ass
63. Michael Keaton in Toy Story 3 
64. Gary Lewis in Valhalla Rising 
65. Gabriele Ferzetti in I am Love
66. Frank Langella in All Good Things
67. John Carroll Lynch in Shutter Island 
68. Ewan Stewart in Valhalla Rising
69. Lucas Black in Get Low 
70. Samuel L. Jackson in Mother and Child
71. Chris Cooper in The Town
72. Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Inception
73. Garret Dillahunt in Winter's Bone 
74. Mickey O'Keefe in The Fighter 
75. Mark Webber in Scott Pilgrim vs the World
76. Matt Damon in True Grit
77. Luke Ford in Animal Kingdom
78. Bill Cobbs in Get Low
79. Choi Moo-sung in I Saw the Devil 
80. Chris Evans in The Losers
81. Dustin Hoffman in Barney's Version 
82. Jim Sturgess in The Way Back
83. Brian Cox in RED 
84. Chris Cooper in The Company Men
85. Oliver Platt in Please Give
86. Maarten Stevenson in Valhalla Rising
87. Pete Postlethwaite in Inception
88. Kevin Costner in The Company Men
89. Tom Wilkinson in The Ghost Writer
90. Don Cheadle in Iron Man 2 
91. Idris Elba in The Losers
92. Ray Winstone in Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
93. Karl Urban in RED 
94. Stephen Rea in Ondine
95. Eli Wallach in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
96. Rupert Grint in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows   
97. Mickey Rourke in The Expendables 
98. Paolo Bonacelli in The American  
99. Josh Brolin in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
100. Robert Pugh in The Ghost Writer
101. Andrew Garfield in Never Let Me Go 
102. Benedict Cumberbatch in Four Lions 
103. Saul Rubinek in Barney's Version
104. Michael Caine in Inception
105. Michael Gambon in The King's Speech
106. Morgan Freeman in RED 
107. Gilles Lellouche in Little White Lies
108. Stellan Skarsgard in King of Devil's Island 
109. Tom Berenger in Inception 
110. Gerard Butler in How to Train Your Dragon
111. David Zayas in The Expendables
112. Dileep Rao in Inception
113. Mark Strong in The Way Back 
114. Stanley Tucci in Easy A
115. Jimmy Smits in Mother and Child
116. Lee David in Poetry
117. Scott Speedman in Barney's Version 
118. Jean Dujardin in Little White Lies
119. Frank Grillo in Edge of Darkness
120. Hugo Weaving in The Wolfman
121. Edoardo Gabbriellini in I am Love
122. Tim Blake Nelson in Leaves of Grass
123. Eric Roberts in The Expendables
124. Jackie Chan in The Karate Kid 
125. Yoruck van Wageningen in The Way
126. Elias Koteas in The Killer Inside Me
127. Christopher Mintz-Plasse in Kick-Ass   
128. Peter Gallagher in Conviction  
129. James Nesbitt in The Way 
130. Flavio Parenti in I am Love
131. Ned Beatty in The Killer Inside Me
132. Vincent Cassel in Black Swan  
133. Thomas Haden Church in Easy A
134. Alan Rickman in Alice in Wonderland 
135. Richard Dreyfuss in Leaves of Grass
136. Bill Pullman in The Killer Inside Me
137. Michael Sheen in Alice in Wonderland
138. Mark Ruffalo in The Kids Are Alright
139. Derek Jacobi in The King's Speech
140. Josh Hutcherson in The Kids Are Alright 
141. Josh Brolin in True Grit 
142. Jason Statham in The Expendables
143. Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2 
144. Danny Huston in Edge of Darkness
145. Miles Teller in Rabbit Hole
146. Ben Barnes in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader  
147. Crispin Glover in Alice in Wonderland 
148. Brandon T. Jackson in Percy Jackson 
149. Liu Kai-chi in Stool Pigeon
150. Jamie Foxx in Due Date
151. Josh Pais in Leaves of Grass
152. Timothy Spall in The King's Speech
153. Dolph Lundgren in The Expendables
154. Jet Li in The Expendables
155. Randy Couture in The Expendables
156. Anthony Hopkins in The Wolfman
157. Jesse Moss in Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
158. Jason Patric in The Losers

Next Year: 2001 Lead

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2010: Chow Yun-Fat in Let The Bullets Fly

Chow Yun-Fat did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Huang Fox in Let the Bullets Fly.

Let the Bullets Fly is an entertaining film about a bandit leader who pretends to be the governor of a city only to be faced by a crime lord.

Chow Yun-Fat portrays the villain of the picture Huang Fox who is the crime lord who quickly does not take to kindly to the governor. The film amounts to their struggle for the city which involves a lot of double crosses, banter, and some bullets of course. Chow Yun-Fat when acting in his own language has a tremendous amount of presence and just owns the screen. This is true here and important in his role as Huang Fox who is a pompous somewhat over the top crime lord who does not mind telling everyone about his money and power.

Chow Yun-Fat has a lot of fun in his role as the crime lord giving a very expressive performance as the crime lord. A great deal of the scenes are where the bandit and the crime lord are basically trying to out think each other in various ways particularly in long scenes where they try to out trick each other in strange negotiations. Yun-Fat is great in all this scenes showing a sly intelligence in the man and always the joy of the game in Fox throughout the whole thing. He and Wen Jiang as the bandit create the right tone by portraying their power struggle in a very strange yet oddly believable fashion.

Although he plays the villain this is a very humorous performance by Chow Yun-Fat. Most of the humor comes from his scenes where he flaunts his power which Yun-Fat portrays in such a joyful and completely unabashed manner. Whether he is abusing people randomly or having some of his men kill themselves Yun-Fat honestly is able to bring some comedy to the scenes through the gleefully insane way that he plays the part. Fox easily could have fallen flat but the energy Yun-Fat brings to the part brings this part alive in a very entertaining fashion.

The only part of the performance that is a little underwhelming is the menace in the role. This is not to say Chow Yun-Fat does not make a fine villain, he does, but he is not quite an amazing villain. Yun-Fat is decent enough when he needs to show the direct villainy and does have some intensity. He never quite finds the perfect balance between being the evil crime lord and the comedic crime lord. Yes he does manage some menace while being enjoyable to watch but he never meets the two aspects of the character in a way that would make Huang Fox an all time great villain.

He handles the role in an energetic fashion with a lot of style and that usually Yun-Fat screen presence on display. Chow Yun-Fat gives a strong performance as Huang Fox although to be sure he is better in the comic moments than the menacing ones. This is not one where he is okay in one bad in the other though. He is great in the comedic scenes of his portrayal, and still fine in the moments where the true villain comes out. Chow Yun-Fat gives an effective villainous turn here, it is not one of those absolutely unforgettable villain portrayals but it is a pretty good one.

Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2010

And the Nominees Were Not:

Ben Mendelsohn in Animal Kingdom

Sam Rockwell in Conviction

Andrew Garfield in The Social Network

Pierce Brosnan in The Ghost Writer

Chow Yun-Fat in Let the Bullets Fly