CASEY AFFLECK The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
Affleck was the bright new star of 2007, thanks to his breakout performance as Robert Ford; the actor anchors the film, starting off as James' biggest fan, ending as his killer.

WHAT SCREEN SAID 'Ravishingly shot in an autumn-to-winter palette and featuring a mesmerising central performance from Casey Affleck, solidly supported by Brad Pitt, this is a mature, meticulous work. Pitt is good, Affleck revelatory.' Lee Marshall

JAVIER BARDEM No Country For Old Men
The chameleonic Spaniard transformed himself into a snappily dressed but demonic assassin in the Coen brothers' latest crime saga and stole the film, as well as virtually every supporting actor award going.

WHAT SCREEN SAID 'There is a positively chilling performance from Javier Bardem as an embodiment of human evil. His dominant performance ensures the devil has all the best moments in No Country and perhaps that is the point.' Allan Hunter

HAL HOLBROOK Into The Wild
Revered 82-year-old Holbrook will have in-built voting support for a career spanning back to the 1950s. Here he delivers one of the year's most touching support turns as solitary widower Ron Franz whose life is changed by his encounter with Chris McCandless.

WHAT SCREEN SAID 'Most memorable in the supporting cast is Holbrook, who could score awards buzz. The scene in which he asks McCandless if he can adopt him reminds us why Holbrook is such an enduring actor.' Mike Goodridge

PHILLIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN Charlie Wilson's War
Hoffman is the standout in the supporting cast of Mike Nichols' end-of-year epic, playing a CIA agent who teams with the congressman of the title to arm rebels fighting Soviets in Afghanistan.

WHAT SCREEN SAID 'Assisting Charlie Wilson is unconventional CIA agent Gust Avrakotos (a wonderfully gruff performance by Hoffman), a working class man of no social skills but extreme intelligence.' Mike Goodridge

TOM WILKINSON Michael Clayton
A former Oscar nominee for In The Bedroom, Wilkinson wins his second for playing a big-business lawyer involved in a class-action lawsuit who has an epiphany about the nature of the case and switches sides.

WHAT SCREEN SAID 'Wilkinson is entirely believable as a man having a mental breakdown, and his friendship with George Clooney's character feels nuanced and genuine.' Roger Clarke