A fizzing coke-addled lawyer with an electric shock hairdo, Penn’s turn in Brian De Palma’s gangster thriller steals the movie from nominal star Al Pacino at not-so-much gunpoint as machine gun-point, blasting out an unstoppable jittery turn.

Not bad for a role that Penn took on for the cash – he needed a big payday to Finance his next pic as a director, The Crossing Guard – and where the inspiration came from the mullet rather than the Method.

“I found a picture in Life of a law student from around the right time period,” Penn drawled. “I tucked it into my script and went from there.”

Greatest moment: Going mental with a boathook.

Also see: Terry Noonan (State Of Grace), Matthew Poncelet (Dead Man Walking), Jimmy Markum (Mystic River).