So I am flipping the channels the other day and come across "Network" right as Peter Finch is just arriving to do his "mad as hell" soliloquy and it struck me watching that scene that his acting in that scene is some of the best and most powerful I have ever seen.

We talk all the time about best acting across an entire movie, I was just curious on people's thoughts on acting in just one scene and what really stands out like this one does.

Billy Bob Thornton as Carl telling his origin story at the start of Sling Blade. He's fine in the rest of the movie, but that moment alone let's you know this is a fine actor.

Samuel L. Jackson at the end of Pulp Fiction-he owns that whole diner scene

Any cameo made by Christopher Walken.

Walken/Hopper scene in True Romance.

Cristolph Waltz at the Dreyfuss home in Inglourious Basterds.

Two scenes from De Niro really show what he is capable of when he has the material (its not comedy) and he can be bothered. and they both really don't involve him saying anything. The first is from Goodfellas when he is stood at the bar smoking and you can see that he is thinking of whacking Maury. Just the way he is moving his head, smoking and the look in his eyes says everything.

The second is from Heat and when he is getting away in the car with his girlfriend. He says "Home Free" but then as he is driving he starts thinking of the loose end that is Waingro. You can see in his expression that he can taste freedom and getting away with the money and his girl.....but thats not enough. He can't leave that loose end breathing air and veers off at the last second. Masterclass in both scenes in how to act showing everything without having to say a word.

What the hell happened to that De Niro?

Alec Baldwin - Glengarry Glen Ross

I was going to say this, but I'll go with DeNiro in Untouchables with the baseball bat.

That's what I was going to say, as well.

There's a easter egg on the dvd of film students attempting that scene with hilarious results. Now, maybe they were trying to be bad, but I'd love to see "real" actors do that scene...either exactly like Baldwin or do their own take on it.

I'm not a huge Baldwin fan--I think we actually had a thread or a discussion about this sometime in the past, but he absolutely owns that scene. Absolutely perfect in my opinion and it seems like he was the only one that could have done the scene that well, but like I said, it would be cool to actually see accomplished actors perform that scene and find out if just any old good actor could have done that scene well or if Baldwin was just that picture perfect.

Al Pacino/Russell Crowe's scenes in The Insider

Brando's monologue to his wife in Last Tango in Paris.

Hal Holbrook/Emile Hirsch - the scene where he says goodbye to the old man in Into The Wild

Brando talking to his brother in the car in "On The Waterfront".

I'm going to pretend "scene" means "movie" so I can say Paul Giamatti in Sideways.

Beat me to the punch.
This is what I was going to post.

Henry Fonda speaking "I'll be there" speech to his ma in Grapes Of Wrath.

Tony Curtis in the final scene of The Boston Strangler

"You are lying! I never hit you! You are tearing me apart, Lisa"

Mine is easy...The Rolo Tomasi (sp?) scene in L.A. Confidential. This is when the captain tells Guy Pearce about the new suspect after he "spoke" with Kevin Spacey. The look on his face is perfect. His realization is amazing. He should of gotten an Oscar just for that one scene. A rare, perfect movie.

Naomi Watts in 21 Grams.

It is memorable.

"I came here tonight, and I didn't know what to expect. I seen a lot of people hatin' me and I didn't know what to feel about that, so I guess I didn't like you much none either. During this fight, I've seen a lot of changing, the way you's felt about me, and the way I felt about you. In here were two guys killing each other, but I guess that's better than 20 million. So, what I'm trying to say is, that if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!" -- Rocky IV

Glenn Close and John Malkovich in the "war" scene from Dangerous Liaisons. Talk about a master class in acting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99WGdX6V2J8

Mel Gibson treating a black man with dignity and respect in the Lethal Weapon movies.