The Five Best Joseph Gordon-Levitt Performances

1. Manic

Manic marked a huge step for Gordon-Levitt in breaking away from lighter-youthful roles and proving himself as a serious actor capable of taking on much darker characters. Without Manic, odds are he wouldn’t have snagged many of the other roles on this list. The success of Gordon-Levitt branches out from the groundwork laid here, making Manic undoubtably his greatest performance to date.

As Lyle, a teen admitted to a mental institution for beating another boy’s head in with a baseball bat, Gordon-Levitt perfectly conveys the proper amount of regret beneath his hardened exterior. That regret is essential to gaining the audience’s empathy, which Gordon-Levitt does and more. Add to that his intense stares and the moments when he lets emotion break through and it forms a deep, complete character.

Most Impressive Scene: The scene where Lyle finally lets his emotions loose and flips out on Zooey Deschanel’s character is brilliant. Not only does he perfectly show his regret at taking his frustrations out on the wrong person, but his freak out shows the demons he is holding inside, and how they’ve built past the point he can control. Absolutely incredible job by Gordon-Levitt.

Well that’s my ranking, if you think I’ve missed one that’s better share your picks in the comments section below. Be sure to check out Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Looper, now in theaters.