Top 50 Performances of the Decade (Male)

They aren't ranked. Deal with it. I must thank these 47 actors again (three performers have two entries) one last time for delivering such indelible characterizations these past ten years. Bid them adieu before moving on to a fresh decade, the Teens. You may notice that this list includes no 2009 performances. It's too early! I don't wanna give away my upcoming nominees and I still need time to let the year settle. My dozen favorites are selected rather impulsively in red. And with "best/favorites" it's always subject to change with the passing of time... or moods.

• Adrien Brody, The Pianist (2002)
• Andy Serkis, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) *
  
• Ben Kingsley, Sexy Beast (2001)
• Bill Murray, Lost in Translation (2003)

"make it Suntory times"


• Billy Bob Thornton, The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) *
  
• Campbell Scott, Rodger Dodger (2002) *
  
• Chris Cooper, Adaptation (2002)
• Christian Bale, American Psycho (2000) *
  
• Clive Owen, Closer (2004)
• Daniel Craig, Casino Royale (2006) *
  
• David Strathairn, Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005)
• Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood (2007)
• Dennis Quaid, Far From Heaven (2002) *
  
• Denzel Washington, Training Day (2001)
• Ed Harris, Pollock (2000)
• Ewan McGregor, Moulin Rouge! (2001) *
  
• Forrest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland (2006)
• Gael Garcia Bernal, Bad Education (2004) *
  



• Haley Joel Osment, A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) *
  
• Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain (2005)
• Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight (2008)
• Hugh Jackman, The Fountain (2006) *
  
• Ian McKellen, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
• Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt (2002)
• Jake Gyllenhaal, Brokeback Mountain (2005)
• Javier Bardem, Before Night Falls (2000)
  
• Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men (2007)
• Jeff Bridges, The Door in the Floor (2004) *
  

"my penis is funny"


• Jeff Daniels, The Squid and the Whale (2005) *
  
• Jim Broadbent, Moulin Rouge! (2001) *
  
• Jim Carrey, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) *
  
• John Cameron Mitchell, Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) *
  
• Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
• Jude Law, I ♥ Huckabees (2004) *
  
• Mark Ruffalo, You Can Count On Me (2000) *
  
• Mark Wahlberg, I ♥ Huckabees (2004) *
  
• Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler (2008)
• Paul Bettany, Dogville (2004) *
  
• Paul Giamatti, Sideways (2004) *
  
• Peter Sarsgaard, Shattered Glass (2003) *
  


"he handed us fiction after fiction..."


• Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder (2008)
• Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson (2006)
• Sean Penn, Milk (2008)
• Terrence Howard, Hustle & Flow (2005)
• Thomas Hayden Church, Sideways (2004)
• Tom Wilkinson, In the Bedroom (2001)
• Tony Leung Chiu-Wai, In the Mood For Love (2001) *
  
• Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises (2007)
• Viggo Mortensen, A History of Violence (2005) *
  
• Willem Dafoe, Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
  

Narrowing it down further woulda killed me, I tell you. The things I do for lists...

Update Summer 2010: These 2009 performances, now that they've settled in as "cinema of the past," would have to be included in the list above. Who to drop to make room for them?

• Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds (2009)
• Colin Firth, A Single Man (2009)

See also: 50 Female Performances and Top 100 Films

an * indicates a performance that was not recognized by Oscar. 46% of the list as it turns out (I did not look at Oscar nomination charts while composing this but at my own past years of "best" lists).
*