It is no secret that the Oscars are going to be extremely competitive this year. What with the number of excellent movies that have been released over the last year, it's amazing how so few were shortlisted for the big event. Anyway, in this article, I am going to look at some of the actors oscar nominees 2014  for best supporting actor at the Oscars in 2014. Without a good supporting actor, the film's lead could find it very difficult to shoot quality scenes and that's why supporting actor's need to get a lot more credit than they actually receive. That being said, let's take a look at a few of the best ones:

 

1. Barkhad Abdi- As far as a supporting cast is concerned, most directors tend to look for someone who has been around for a while and has a few movies under his belt. But that isn't what Paul Greengrass did and this time, it worked. Going with an unknown actor is always a major risk for a director and when you choose a poor actor to play a supporting role, even someone with the acting talents of Tom Hanks will not be able to save your movie. Fortunately for Greengrass, Abdi portrayed an excellent pirate and was a huge change from the pirates we have gotten used to in movies like Pirates of the Caribbean. Some people may feel that the film was a little racist but if you haven't made out how Abdi and his comrades are struggling with each decision they make, then you clearly haven't been watching closely.

 

2. Bradley Cooper- Bradley Cooper proved with Silver Linings Playbook last year that he really can act and isn't dependent on crazy movies like the Hangover to keep him going. And this year, he is back once again with another amazing performance in American Hustle. The movie is about a couple of con men who help the police catch other crooks and has an all star cast including Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner. If you missed Bradley's acting in Silver Linings Playbook, catch him in this movie, you definitely won't regret it.

 

3. Michael Fassbender- We all probably know Michael Fassbender from his X-Men: First Class days where he portrayed Magneto, but while he wasn't used to the fullest in Prometheus, in 12 years a slave, he does an excellent job as far as making us hate him is concerned. You will not find him lovable after watching this movie and it does very little to flatter. But then again, that was the objective wasn't it? So what do you have to complain about?