Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Results

5. Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles - McKay recreates Orson Welles effectively unfortunately the film fails to give him the opportunity to truly delve into the man.

Best Scene: Welles's outburst on stage.

4. Nicholas Tse in Bodyguards and Assassins - A fairly simple and small role, but Tse makes his character very endearing and in turn makes his final scene very moving.

Best Scene: Si tries to slow the assassin down.

3. Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank- Fassbender combines the right amount of sleaze and charm to his character, although this is not his best performance from 2009.

Best Scene: Connor takes advantage of Mia.

2. Peter Capaldi in In The Loop - Capaldi gives a extremely entertaining and properly intense performance as the foul mouthed fixer Malcolm Tucker. Every scene he is in is a treat, and when the film asks a little more of him Capaldi is more than up to the task.

Best Scene: Malcolm's introduction. 

1. Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Watchmen- Good Predictions Koook and Kevin. The film adaptation of Watchmen did not get everything right but one thing it did which was genius was casting Jeffrey Dean Morgan as The Comedian. The Comedian is a complex character and Morgan does not simplify any aspect of him. He gives a powerful performance that is unflinching in the realization of a brute, but also manages to believably allow the man some charm with a semblance of a soul somewhere in him.

Best Scene: The Watchmen's meeting.

Overall Ranking:

1. Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds
2. Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Watchmen
3. Jackie Earle Haley in Watchmen
4. Peter Capaldi in In The Loop
5. Michael Fassbender in Inglorious Basterds
6. August Diehl in Inglorious Basterds
7. Tom Hollander in In The Loop
8. Robert Duvall in The Road
9. Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank
10. Denis Menochet in Inglourious Basterds
11. Timothy Spall in The Damned United
12. Paul Higgins in In The Loop
13. Nicholas Tse in Bodyguards and Assassins
14. Woody Harrelson in Zombieland
15. David Rasche in In The Loop
16. Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles
17. Fred Melamed in A Serious Man
18. Woody Harrelson in The Messenger
19. Michael Gambon in The Half-Blood Prince
20. Steve Buscemi in The Messenger
21. John Malkovich in The Great Buck Howard 
22. Billy Crudup in Public Enemies 
23. Richard Sammel in Inglorious Basterds
24. Michael K. Williams in The Road
25. Peter Sarsgaard in An Education
26. Wang Xueqi in Bodyguards and Assassins
27. Mark Strong in Sherlock Holmes
28. Jim Broadbent in The Half-Blood Prince 
29. Daniel Bruhl in Inglourious Basterds
30. James Gandolfini in In The Loop
31. Sam Shepard in Brothers
32. Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes
33. Alan Rickman in The Half-Blood Prince
34. Val Kilmer in Bad Lieutenant 
35. Donnie Yen in Bodyguards and Assassins
36. Karl Urban in Star Trek
37. Colm Meaney in The Damned United
38. Zach Woods in In The Loop
39. Tom Felton in The Half-Blood Prince
40. Shea Whigham in Bad Lieutenant 
41. Brad Pitt in Inglourious Basterds
42. Chris Addison in In The Loop
43. Brad Dourif in Bad Lieutenant 
44. Robbie Coltrane in The Half-Blood Prince
45. Matt Damon in Invictus
46. Liev Schreiber in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
47. Xzibit in Bad Lieutenant
48. Guy Pearce in The Road
49. David James in District 9
50. Jason Bateman in State of Play
51. Stanley Tucci in The Lovely Bones
52. Steve Coogan in In The Loop
53. Mengke Bateer in Bodyguards and Assassins
54. Scott Bakula in The Informant!
55. B.J. Novak in Inglourious Basterds 
56. Simon Pegg in Star Trek
57. Christopher Plummer in The Last Station
58. Patrick Wilson in Watchmen
59. Ben Affleck in State of Play
60. Liam Cunningham in Harry Brown
61. Alfred Molina in An Education
62. Eric Bana in Star Trek 
63. David Thewlis in The Half-Blood Prince
64. Til Schweiger in Inglourious Basterds
65. Oliver Platt in 2012
66. Danny Huston in X-Men Origins: Wolverine
67. Ben Cross in Star Trek 
68. Tom Hanks in The Great Buck Howard
69. Gedeon Burkhard in Inglourious Basterds
70. Eric Tsang in Bodyguards and Assassins
71. Richard Kind in A Serious Man
72. Zhang Hanyu in Bodyguards and Assassins 
73. J.K. Simmons in Up in the Air
74. Robert Duvall in Crazy Heart
75. Christian Bale in Public Enemies
76. Stephen Lang in Avatar
77. Billy Crudup in Watchmen 
78. Michael Imperioli in The Lovely Bones
79. Eddie Marsan in Me and Orson Welles
80. Wang Po-chieh in Bodyguards and Assassins
81. Leon Lai in Bodyguards and Assassins
82. Gary Oldman in A Christmas Carol
83. Rupert Grint in The Half-Blood Prince
84. Hu Jun  in Bodyguards and Assassins
85. Mike Myers in Inglourious Basterds
86. Jason Bateman in Up in the Air
87. Colin Farrell in Crazy Heart
88. Paul Giamatti in The Last Station
89. Colin Firth in A Christmas Carol
90. Jonah Hill in Funny People
91. James Tupper in Me and Orson Welles
92. Woody Harrelson in 2012
93. Ben Chaplin in Me and Orson Welles
94. Leo Bill in Me and Orson Welles
95. Nicholas Hoult in A Single Man
96. Geoffrey Arend in 500 Days of Summer
97. Robert Wisden in Watchmen
98. Eli Roth in Inglourious Basterds
99. Matthew Goode in Watchmen
100. Anton Yelchin in Star Trek

Next Year: 1961 Lead

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles

Christian McKay did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a BAFTA, for portraying Orson Welles in Me and Orson Welles.

Me and Orson Welles tells the of Welles's production of Julius Caesar as seen through the eyes of a wannabe actor with a small part named Richard (Zac Efron). As fluffy famous people stories go I've seen far worse I suppose.

Christian McKay does play Orson Welles and benefits greatly from the fact that he looks quite a bit like the real Orson Welles. McKay goes further than that putting on the Welles voice which might not be dead on I suppose, but it is certainly more than close enough and even more importantly feels natural in his performance. McKay also carries himself the way Welles would in his film performances and in interviews in that there was almost a distinct way in which he would interact with another. There is almost a separation about him in that he interacts like no one else, and McKay plays Welles as if Welles is almost performing in a certain way. It is not even necessarily to entertain anyone else but rather McKay pretty much plays it as Welles way of stroking his own ego at all times.

McKay definitely does bring to life the elements of that charm Welles showed particularly well as Harry Lime in The Third Man. McKay never gets to the great level Welles did in the performance but he does not fail to find some of it though. McKay creates the flamboyance of Welles well and fills the room in just the right way to make it so his presence is always known. McKay brings the slyness in that the charm is almost a deception. Although there is obviously no reason to find him likable McKay makes Welles oddly likable just because he makes him the sort of man you'd want to be around simply to watch. Although the film presents him as a genius it does not present him as a perfect artist as it also depicts him as an egomaniac who is not opposed to the temper tantrum.

One of the films weakness is although it delves into Welles's less savory quality it gives them very little depth often having people talk about them rather than showing it and for the most part reducing them to a few outbursts. McKay delivers them well by sort of dropping the act yet still keeping it at the same time when Welles loses his reserve. It's bizarre combination of a man losing his composure yet purposefully ACTED at the same time, but McKay does pull it off quite admirable as his outbursts seem like a perfect fit for his Orson Welles's persona that he created from that point. McKay has another quieter outburst later, McKay does that less flamboyantly which fits since there is not a crowd, and although short he uses it well to show a little more about Welles.

The problem with McKay's work has nothing to do with his performance. The problem comes from the fact that the film takes such a narrow view of Welles as either a charming egotistical man or a despicable one. When there might have been a scene for more of him the film chooses to let someone else tell you about it instead of actually allowing McKay to show it. The restrictions on him really do limit McKay's work here considerably and it does end up feeling like the portrait of this Welles is far from complete. McKay still does a very admirably job here and is easily the best thing about the film. Honestly I would really like to see Christian McKay revisit Welles again but in a better film that would delve further into the man than the fairly thin depiction we are given here.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Peter Capaldi in In The Loop

Peter Capaldi did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Malcolm Tucker in In The Loop.

In The Loop is an entertaining political satire about the games played by various political operators who either are trying to push through or hinder the requirements for a war.

Peter Capaldi actually is reprising his role from the tv series The Thick of It, but since I have not seen the series I came completely fresh into his portrayal of Malcolm Tucker. Tucker is the director of communications for the Prime Minister, but really he is there to make sure everything runs smoothly for the demands of the Prime Minister. Capaldi portrays Malcolm Tucker's method as basically belittling everyone and everything to get done whatever has been tasked of him. In this case making sure the war gets through with all the paper work in line and everyone under his pseudo command also completely behind it. Capaldi comes in and out of the film fairly randomly but he makes his presence always known the instant he steps onto the scene.

Capaldi is incredibly enjoyable in every moment of his performance letting every vulgarity filled insult fly with the utmost precision thanks to his brilliant delivery. Capaldi delivers every line with an absurd intensity conveyed through his anger that seems to the point that Malcolm Tucker is prepared to brutally beat down anyone who basically has not done what he has told them to do. Peter Capaldi almost seems carefully used basically to energize the film a bit as he is called upon so suddenly in his appearances. Capaldi certainly does this and his performance is a perfect match of meeting the point of the character. He definitely brings the imitation and it is all to wholly believable that Malcolm Tucker is the fixer of the story, but also he's just really funny with his delivery of the verbal attacks.

There technically is a bit more of a dramatic moment later on when Tucker is trying to close the deal basically where he faces being called basically just an errand boy for his American counterpart as well as basically being treated as an errand boy by his very pompous American counterpart. After being spoken to in a particularly disrespectful way Tucker is left with his thoughts. The moment is very short and incredibly to the point but Capaldi is extremely effective as he portrays Tucker is almost moved to tears to see himself finally defeated. He allows the moment to last just long enough and really brings a emotional weight to the scene which is rather surprising. It only last a minute, but Capaldi bounces from that down moment equally as he conveys the slow build in conviction through Tucker's eyes as he decides to make things "right".

Peter Capaldi is in the film less than one might think, but after watching the film you might think he was in every scene anyway as he is easily one of if not the most memorable aspect of the film. Capaldi just seems to control the film with his presence as he perfectly reflects the Malcolm Tucker tries to control every one around him. What I like most about this performance is that this is just great performance simply to watch. Capaldi just makes every line fly for all their worth, and never loses a second with tremendous pace of this performance. Technically here Malcolm Tucker's role is somewhat limited in the film, but it does not matter because Capaldi makes it a limited type of character in the best way. He does one thing and you love watching him do it. When there is a little more required him Capaldi handles it with ease, this is just some strong and quite slick work from Peter Capaldi.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Watchmen

Jeffrey Dean Morgan did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Edward "Eddie" Blake a.k.a The Comedian in Watchmen.

It is not a spoiler to say that Jeffrey Dean Morgan's character The Comedian dies in the film as his death is depicted in the opening scene of the film. The Comedian death acts as the catalyst for the plot basically as Rorschach tries to investigate why the man was killed. As in some mysteries that starts with the death of someone we learn more about them through a series of flashbacks. This is certainly the case for The Comedian who spent his time influencing more than a few events as well as people, and we slowly learn more about him through the memories of the various people in the film all of whom were also former heroes or in one case a former villain. Although The Comedian was known as one of the super heroes the Comedian is far from being someone that anyone would likely call a hero.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan has quite a challenge in the deceased Comedian as he surely is an extremely unlikable character, and it would be easy enough to make him repulsive to the point of being unwatchable. In the earliest scene with him chronologically we see the Comedian meeting with the early superhero group known as the Minutemen. After having their photo taken together the Comedian soon after proceeds to try and rape Sally Jupiter also known as the Silk Spectre. Despite the nature of the character Morgan carries himself with this extremely sly charm and he turns the Comedian into a particularly charismatic figure in almost all of his flashbacks no matter what deplorable act he may be committing. This includes his starting act which Morgan is brutally effective in.

The odd charm he does bring to the comedian does not waver even in his attempted rape sequence in fact Morgan portrays The Comedian actions are part of a certain ego and the philosophy that Morgan helps to creates in the man. Morgan creates a fierce presence and personality with the Comedian which affirms The Comedian's behavior as a man who very much feels he is wiser than others, but problematic when intertwined with his cynical nature. The Comedian despite being one of the heroes holds absolutely no views that the world is anything but a bad place with worthless people in them. Morgan plays the cynicism perfectly into any scene as almost that since everyone is bad The Comedian might as well have a good time well he is here, and Morgan portrays the joy with his unpleasant behavior as an effortless combination.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan makes a strong impact in every one of the flashback scenes in which he appears. Morgan tears through every scene he is in the realization of that nihilistic philosophy, and every one his responses to the more optimistic thoughts of the others truly carry the right sting. Morgan though goes even further with his performance though and one of the best elements of his performance is realizing that slight morality in The Comedian that is perhaps one of the few reasons he ever claimed to be on the side of the law. One of his best scenes is when he and the powerful Dr. Manhattan confront each after the Vietnam war. The scene has Comedian commit yet another atrocity as he murders a local woman he impregnated. Morgan's fantastic because again he is unflinching in showing The Comedian's action come from his mindset, but what is most striking is just the briefest moment of regret when he bluntly questions why Dr. Manhattan did not simply stop him.

Morgan is terrific by bringing a great power to these mild moments of a heart beneath all of The Comedian's hatred. Morgan gives this moments an actual poignancy by earning them so completely, and making Comedian far more than just an evil man. Morgan in turn also explains the seemingly unexplainable scenes as he reported by an old nemesis. The scene has The Comedian weeping filled with regret as he seems unable to deal with something which he sees worse than all that he does in his time, which eventually is revealed to be his knowledge of Ozymandias's plan which involves mass murder. All of Morgan's other scenes makes the breakdown of The Comedian genuine to the man he creates through the rest of his performance. Although his screen time is sparse Morgan makes a profound impact on the film, and honestly creates the supposed influence of the Comedian on the other characters. He meets the complexity of the character head on and gives a profound depiction of all the memories the man crafted with his life.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Jackie Earle Haley in Watchmen

Jackie Earle Haley did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Rorschach in Watchmen.

Watchmen I may call an admirable failure or at least an intriguing misfire. It has some pretty dreadful elements in it. One thing that hurts more scenes than I would like to count is the horrendous sound effects Zach Snyder decided to use in the fight scenes, which makes all of them sound at least slightly silly. Another is the nature of the performances many which are terrible such as many of the several supporting roles like the Nixon impersonator for example, but also unfortunately two of the major roles are underwhelming. The awfully wooden Malin Akerman makes nothing out of her role and even worse, for the film anyway, is Matthew Goode as Adrian Veidt known as Ozymandias. Goode is a black hole in terms of charisma and makes a potentially fascinating character into just a woefully inadequate and obvious villain, shame they did not get Michael Fassbender as he would have been perfect for the role.

The film though is not all bad though and its sheer ambitious does come through in a positive fashion as there are definitely some great scenes within it especially the opening credits sequence. There are also good performances to be seen including the almost lead, but not quite, Jackie Earle Haley who plays Rorschach. Rorschach for much of the film is are point of view character as he narrates, via his diary, his investigation into the death of the former superhero known as the Comedian. For much of the film Haley is in a full costume including the white mask with ever changing Rorschach tests that cover his face. This does not seem to limit Haley in the slightest though, going right down to his physical portrayal of Rorschach. There is a certain introverted, and peculiar style of movement that Haley employs which really makes him stand out. In his ever so slightly erratic movement Haley suggests the state of mind of the man as well as the violent capabilities of the man.

Haley in the role uses a voice that is rather similar to the one used by Christian Bale when he was in costume as Batman. Although the voice technically is extremely close with the extra gruff and grit Hale's is far superior in this case for two reasons. One being that Haley frankly articulates better to begin with making it actually bring some menace rather than letting the voice be overly distracting all by itself. The other reason being that it alludes well to the truth we learn about Rorschach later on. Haley never allows Rorschach to be simply an image as he easily could have been. Haley makes himself engaging every moment he is onscreen and makes Rorschach a compelling character to follow through the investigation, and his performance actually roped me along even through some of the rougher patches in the film, and by rougher patches I do not mean violent scenes.

Eventually through the investigation Rorschach falls into a trap and right into police custody where his mask is taken and the real Rorschach is revealed. Jackie Earle Haley actually appears out of the costume in a few other scenes before it is shown that he is Rorschach. He appears in the background many times as a man holding an "The End is Near" sign, but it is a complete revelation that this seemingly meek man is in fact imposing vigilante. This change in Rorschach is technically quite extreme and Haley is rather masterful in portraying this rather extreme transition for the character as we meet Walter Kovacs the man behind the mask. The mask is in question though as Rorschach refers to the mask as a face as the police rip it off and we see that Rorschach is not the most mentally stable of men. The particular twist involves what Rorschach exactly is in regards to Kovacs.

Haley as Kovacs brings a blank almost timid face as if without his "face" he might as well be naked in the world. Haley presents Kovacs as a man who seems almost lost in this state, and portrays the fact that really Kovacs and Rorschach are two different entities. In his Kovacs Haley gives a quieter more realistic voice, and presents Kovacs as particularly meek in his physical manner as well. In this Haley shows that Rorschach was something that was created at one time by Kovacs therefore explaining the put on nature of Rorschach, yet was created for so long that what he created become its own entity that dominates over whatever Kovacs may have been before hand. Haley very effectively shows that whenever Kovacs is threatened the Rorschach voice and manner returns as almost a safety mechanism that emerges whenever the Rorschach personality is needed.

Jackie Earle Haley's performance is excellent as he really let's us into the deranged mind of Rorschach and his execution of the revelation of Rorschach is almost flawless through the way he had set up the character in all of the scenes proceeding that moment. Haley's best scene though I think comes at the end of the film when the watchmen learn why the comedian was killed and are forced to keep silent about a mass murder in order to avoid nuclear annihilation. Rorschach's own philosophy refuses to leave a crime unpunished and he is forced basically to die due to this belief. Haley is surprisingly heartbreaking in this scene as he so powerfully combines the two sides of the man together for his end. He begins with the Rorschach character as he states his beliefs with conviction, then so delicately reveals the man understanding that he must die for this, which is most pronounced in the way Haley makes the growl waver and we seem to finally see Rorschach and Kovacs meet. This is a fantastic performance by Jackie Earle Haley, one that I found only grew stronger on re-watch, and honestly I could not imagine anyone in the role but Haley.  

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Nicholas Tse in Bodyguards and Assassins

Nicholas Tse did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Deng "Si" Sidi in Bodyguards and Assassins.

Bodyguards and Assassins tells the story of democratic revolutionary Sun Yat-Sen and his followers attempt to stave off assassination. The film is many things in that it is telling a real story yet has the purposefully stylistic action scenes. It is shaped into two halves one that basically introduces all of the bodyguards of Sun and their back stories, then the second half is a long haul as assassins attack the bodyguards who are defending Sun. In turn it is a bit of a mixed bag as the first half is a bit crowded, but the second half quite entertaining and effective.

Nicholas Tse plays one of the followers of Sun who drives a rickshaw and seems to be friends with pretty much everyone. Si is a relatively simple part in the first half as Si is just a lighter part there for a little comic relief and pleasantness among all the fighting and death. Well Tse certainly fulfills this duty as he is incredibly endearing in every scene he is in. He just has this warmth and energy in these scenes that he makes Si quite likable. Tse very skillfully plays the part making sure that Si never becomes precocious, but rather just earns Si's whole bright demeanor. His screen time is relatively scattered but he does a good job of making himself known whenever he is on screen with his enjoyable presence that does well to make the proceedings seem a bit less bleak.

The second half of the film basically is when every bodyguard takes their turn protecting the decoy Sun  used to distract the assassins. In turn each of the bodyguards get their own very dramatic death scene as they sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Si is not exactly a bodyguard really rather he is just driving the rickshaw that the fake Sun is hiding in. For most of the journey though Tse is very moving in his portrayal of Si's reactions to the deaths of his compatriots as well as seeing one of his friends taking up the dangerous job as the fake Sun. Tse role is still relatively simple but he makes the most of basically every quick reaction shot he is allowed, bringing a great deal poignancy to each moment of the gauntlet.

Eventually the numbers are thinned to such an extent that Si himself must attempt to stop the head assassin even though he is obviously not a fighter, and certainly is no match for the man. All Si really can do is grab the man's leg in his futile attempt to stop him and Tse makes the scene very affecting because of how much passion he puts in the moment, and Si's sacrifice is truly felt. It only makes it more heartbreaking because of how much he made you care about Si before this point. This is a fairly simple performance and because of the large ensemble nature of the film his screen time is brief. Tse more than fulfills the needs of the part though and even with those limitations  he manages to give a good performance that manages to be one of the most memorable aspects of the film.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009: Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank and Michael Fassbender and August Diehl in Inglourious Basterds

Michael Fassbender did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Connor in Fish Tank.

Fish Tank is a somewhat interesting companion piece to An Education as it is a very similar story about teenage girl's, in this film named Mia(Katie Jarvis), relationship with an older man but modern set and considerably grittier.

All of the performances by Michael Fassbender that I have reviewed have been directed by Steve McQueen and have resulted in particularly intense and emotional performances. This film is not directed by Steve McQueen and in turn results in far more casual performance from Fassbender as he portrays a seemingly average guy who is the new boyfriend of Mia's mother Joanne(Kierston Wareing). Although he is the mother's boyfriend he attempts to befriend Mia her daughter as well as her younger daughter at the same time. Early on it is certainly interesting to Fassbender in a rather different situation as Connor appears to want to bond with the family.

Fassbender is very good in frankly downplaying his usual intensity and giving a natural portrayal of a different sort of role. What Fassbender does best is just how particularly charming he is in these scenes. Fassbender makes Connor's reactions with the family feel genuine and most of all he has the right charisma in the part. It is not overpowering in nature but Fassbender is very good in showing exactly why everyone would be so taken with Connor early on. He's supremely likable here but what is key is that he has the charm of a rapscallion. Fassbender naturally suggests that Connor probably is far from perfect to begin with, but he basically is able to show why the family basically could ignore the red flags about him.

Connor develops a seemingly strong relationship with Mia. Fassbender again plays these scenes very well by just ever so slightly side stepping what Connor's intentions are exactly. On one hand Fassbender brings some warmth which Fassbender cleverly even show is genuine, Connor even goes so far as to seemingly support Mia's dream of dancing. On the other there is a constant flirtatious manner in their interjections yet again Fassbender does not overplay his hand. To a certain extent Fassbender suggests that Connor could merely be just the way he is and it could be just his harmless way of interacting with people. That ends up not really being the case one night after Connor and Mia's mother had been drinking, and later Connor and Mia are left alone together.

Connor proceeds to have sex with Mia although Fassbender again plays the scene well by not turning Connor into a monster, but rather portraying him as a man who has do something wrong in the heat of the moment. Connor instantly regrets the decision and Fassbender again does well by showing Connor's guilt to genuine particularly since he changes Connor's attitude for the rest of his performance. All the cheer and charm really as Connor interacts completely differently and Fassbender makes it obvious that what he has done has changed Connor. Once again though he does a great balancing act though letting it be seen two ways one being that Connor honestly regrets what he has done, and the other being he is merely sorry for what could happen to him because of it.

Fassbender gives a very good performance here because he does frankly mix it up a bit. This is a far less intense of a work than so many of his performances but Fassbender proves here that he deinfetely can dial it back when he needs to. His Connor is never just a single element with his character and all the revelation feel believable through his performance in almost every sense. He properly alludes to what will come as he should by really letting the revelations in plain sight, but just being just so charming that he kinda makes you ignore the warning. In doing that he also makes the whole set up of the family buying into believable because of his how well he realizes this particularly cad.

Michael Fassbender also did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Lieutenant Archie Hicox in Inglorious Basterds nor did August Diehl for portraying Major Dieter Hellstrom.

It is a bit of shame that despite its large ensemble which contains several performances worthy of mention they were all completely overshadowed by Christoph Waltz's performance as Hans Landa. Waltz is indeed worthy of the praise he received, but the other strong performances in the film should not have been ignored either. One of these performances belongs to Michael Fassbender who plays the role of the main representation of the British in the film who is sent into Germany to infiltrate and sabotage the screening of a German propaganda film which will be attended by most of the German high command. Another belongs to Diehl who plays a bit of a hitch in that plan.

Fassbender appears in only three scenes total the first being when he is given the details about the mission and quizzed on his knowledge of German cinema by the British high command, that is distinctly British to be sure just like Fassbender's performance. Fassbender purposefully puts on a somewhat extreme accent to be sure, and although he has not proven it to be his forte yet, as evidenced by The Counselor, here he handles it quite well. It is George Sanders esque on purpose and Fassbender even gives it a slightly comic tinge to it which is pretty well done. It technically sightly broad on purpose yet Fassbender never goes too far with  it rather just using it quite well to establish his character well, and it fits the style Quentin Tarantino establishes.

Fassbender, in the briefing scene,and the scene where he meets  the basterds, goes for the classic style of the very proper British soldier and he does it quite well. Again like his accent his mannerisms and method are at least slightly humorous in style which make both of the scene quite entertaining yet he never goes overboard that it would compromise his character for his major scene that comes after the first two. August Diehl on the other hand has only two scenes one being just a very quick introduction where Diehl is allowed to do very little other than to be there. He is simply introduced and one could easily forget him not that it is his fault rather that's simply all major Dieter Hellstrom gets before he appears once again in his scene with Fassbender.

The two meet when Lieutenant Hicox and two of the basterds go to meet their double agent German actress Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) in a tavern. Things seem to be going okay until the hidden Gestapo agent Hellstrom notices's something is wrong with Hicox's accent. Fassbender once again handles the accent particularly well by giving a purposefully off delivery of the accent that does not sound quite right. Fassbender's accent he uses is perfect really as it is off, but in such a completely natural fashion. Diehl makes his impact quickly bringing a substantial menace from the instance we see him and he has that same sort of incisiveness in his performance that Christoph Waltz has in his.

Fassbender and Diehl are excellent together as they both play the game Hicox's and Hellstrom are playing so well. Both are pretending to be calm and casual yet both know there is nothing to be calm about in this situation. Fassbender and Diehl both are terrific in putting on the fake smiles of both men yet subtly suggest what lies underneath. Fassbender's uses eyes brilliantly as Hicox is always carefully watching Hellstrom's every move, and in turn Diehl comes back in that after every playful remark he gives there is this chilling glance he gives suggesting the moment in which Hellstrom is looking for a weakness in their story. Both actors slowly build the intensity of the scene until Hicox's final slip up.

The slightly slip up of Hicox is an amazing moment for Diehl as his reaction is perfect as we see the inquisitor fully reveal himself. Fassbender not to be outdone matches well with Hicox also cutting so quickly through the false pretense of the situation also revealing that Hicox is not to be outsmarted either. Both find themselves as basically the first targets in a fire fight and both actors are incredible in the depiction of their final moments. Fassbender is great and just plain cool in bringing out the British in Hicox once more as he keeps that proper manner right before ordering Hellstrom, and in turn his own death. Diehl is equally excellent as he keeps his almost demonic demeanor but with the slight fear in his own eyes knowing that he will be dying soon.

Both actors give very strong performances that honestly made me wish we had gotten to see more of both Hicox and Hellstrom since Fassbender and Diehl excel so well in their roles. In fact I would say if for some reason Christoph Waltz had not existed Diehl probably would have been a great choice in the larger role of Hans Landa as well. Nevertheless the two just get to be two one scene wonders within the film, and the both make the most of what they have. The two of them individually give memorable work and realize the characters wonderfully even with their short amount of screen time. Together they go even further creating such a fantastic dynamic that builds the suspense of the scene incredibly well, and aid in turning their scene into one of the strongest moments of the film.

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Alternate Best Supporting Actor 2009

And the Nominees Were Not:

Michael Fassbender in Fish Tank

Michael Fassbender in Inglorious Basterds

August Diehl in Inglorious Basterds

Peter Capaldi in In The Loop

Christian McKay in Me and Orson Welles

Nicholas Tse in Bodyguards and Assassins

Jackie Earle Haley in Watchmen

Jeffrey Dean Morgan in Watchmen

For the Prediction Contest:

Fassbender in Fish Tank

Capaldi

McKay

Tse

Morgan

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