When I think “talented actor giving it his all in a crap film” the one name that stands (err sits) up for me is Kenneth Branagh as Dr. Arliss Loveless in Wild Wild West.
I feel like Englishman playing American confederate villain can either be done with a lot of talent or seem exceedingly forced, and I definitely think his turn here is the former.
I feel that even in what is ultimately a fundamentally flawed script and some infamously hideous producer decisions (Kevin Smith did about 20 minutes on why there’s a mechanical spider in the end of this movie), Branagh manages to be nearly perfect in having his character be JUST the right amount cartoonish/70s Bond Villain bad guy you love to hate.
The smirk and sardonic delivery of lines like “It’s me! Alive and kicking… well alive anyway.” are one of the few really enjoyable things in the movie and one of the things in the movie where the plane lands rather than crashing into the ground.