The Cocky Critic..... Other Than Just Watching... / A Strange Man Vs The Joker

Michael Shannon as John Givings in Revolutionary Road.

I sense there has been some doubts over Heath Ledger winning this year's Oscar for Best Supporting Actor and I'm not wrong. After talking with a friend and reading forum feedbacks, the likely conclusion (with all due respect to the late Ledger's excellent portrayal of The Joker in The Dark Knight) is that Hollywood just wants to honor its dead, whether it is for good reasons.

Yet, I feel we should not, as mainstream movie-goers, be so mesmerized by a character we are too familiar with and forget performances by actors less popular but more capable of adding substance to their roles. One of such people is Michael Shannon.

Shannon plays as a mentally impaired former mathematician, John Givings, (his Oscar 2009 nominated role, also for Best Supporting Actor) in the social drama, Revolutionary Road. His character is only seen in about three scenes, yet in those short span of screen time, Shannon is able to convey the role of an eccentric genius who can see through the intentions of people and express his opinions with brutal honestly. Those parts where he interrogates Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet's characters to no end are superbly executed not just with a strong screenplay but the talented actors and actresses as well.

In the conclusion, if anybody has his way, Michael Shannon steals the show.

And probably the Oscar as well.

Watch Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road [here].