Brad Pitt.
 

*zips up flameproof jacket*

Say what you will, I maintain Pitt is a fantastic actor, almost hindered by his good looks. A lot of people can't get past that to see that he's a genuinely worthwhile actor, and I'm pleased to be seeing him in Inglourious Basterds next year ^_^

I think Pitt can be watchable, but he has a tendancy to ham things up when he's trying to 'act' (see Twelve Monkeys), and he can also be atrocious (see The Devil's Own and Troy). I haven't seen him in Burn After Reading yet, so can't comment on his performance in that, but I do think that if Pitt didn't look the way he does, he wouldn't get so much Hollywood attention. But ultimately, you could say that about a lot of stars, particularly the women.

Definitely agree with OP - brilliant actor, but his presence in women's magazines doesn't do him any good. Nevertheless, he might finally get that Oscar after Benjamin Button is released...

Pitt can act, usually fairly competently. Try the following..
Legends Of The Fall
Meet Joe Black
Interview With A Vampire
Kalifornia
Fight Club
Seven
Some are average but some are excellent.Hes certainly not just a pretty boy pin up.

But Legends of the Fall was terrible, Ancient! Pitt was completely out of his depth in that film. As for Fight Club, the character of Tyler Durden was so damn irritating, I just wanted to punch him ('scuse the pun), and to be honest, I think that as an audience we were supposed to have a least some admiraton/empathy/liking for the character. Meet Joe Black was just tedium from start to finish and in Interview with a Vampire, he was again out of his depth, and mumbled his way through the performance. Out of all those you listed, he was probably best in Kalifornia.
And in Thelma and Louise he was fairly charismatic and stole the short scene he was in.

I'm a fan of Brad Pitt but not so much that i think he's a great actor as much as i like the film roles he takes on. I love Fight Club and Seven but more for those films stories, twists and styles rather than Pitts acting. I do think he acts well in Twelve Monkeys, Assassination of Jesse James and Snatch though.

I thought Pitt was alright in Meet Joe Black, playing an unusal part with an amount of subtlety. However it is a very slow film so unless you get involved with the characters it is a slog. Kalifornia is a very good film for him and I like to see him play against type. Another good performance of Pitt's is Babel. It's the type of part that, in his earlier years, he would have overplayed. For once he didn't and this was refreshing. He's an actor who is capable of good performances but needs pushing so he doesn't just coast through them..Troy being a prime example of what happens when he does.

See thats just the point. Pitt tends to play parts that ARE understated and/or character driven. Its a fair point that in Fight Club and Interview he was just one of many in the film. In Joe Black however I thought he gave an excellent performance. Agreed it was a film that asked much of the viewer but it was good. Legends was I agree pretty bad but even so Pitt was competent which goes to show he can be good in the face of adversity.

It really depends on the role. When he must be the cool guy (Mr and Mrs Smith, Oceans...) then he is great, full of charisma. When he must be the crazy guy (Twelve monkeys, Fight club) he is even better. But sometimes when he has to be intense... he just... mess it up a bit... Se7en is an example. He acts just fine until the end... where he... just ****s up... Troy is pretty bad too. Haven´t seen Benjamin Button yet, so I can´t coment on that one. But all in all I really like his acting and he seems like a good guy...

I disagree with the suggestion that Pitt has a tendency to be overwhelmed in difficult roles. I actually think that he is one of the better actors around and is indeed hindered by his tabloid following. It taints his image and an actor but rather as a talentless "star". It is a similar effect as to what hinders David Beckham as a credible footballer, for example.

Of course Pitt has had one or two sub-par performances, as previously stated Troy is a good example of this. However, many of the films he has been in tend to be bettered as a result of his presence.