Toby Kebbell

In Dead Man's Shoes (2004), Anthony's vulnerability is what registers in Toby Kebbell's performance. Shane Meadows's revenge thriller is driven by Paddy Considine's watchful fury, but Kebbell makes Anthony someone we worry about. We were unsettled by Anthony because he seems so poorly equipped for the brutality around him. It matters in a film whose abrupt violence can become too easy a way of keeping us alert. The thin writing still shows through.

British supporting parts followed in Control (2007) and Guy Ritchie's RocknRolla (2008), where he played Johnny Quid. The latter offered a more eccentric character and a conspicuous physical transformation. It is easy to make those changes the whole subject when discussing an actor like Kebbell. We want the character to hold our interest once we have noticed the change, which is why Anthony remains a useful starting point.

His Liam Foxwell in Black Mirror (2011), in the episode The Entire History of You, is another reason to pay attention. The leading part puts his aptitude for intense psychological drama at the centre. We recommend the series for performances that make its distress matter, and Kebbell fits that account of what it does well. The qualification matters too: Black Mirror can keep applying pressure after its point is clear. An actor who makes distress convincing still needs the writing to know when to stop.

With Matt Reeves, he played the rival ape Koba through motion capture in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014). The important quality is that Koba has a distinct personality; the method alone would not be much reason to watch. Further franchise work included Warcraft (2016) and Kong: Skull Island (2017), though a substantial credit list is not a recommendation. The poor reception of Fantastic Four (2015) is reason enough to choose carefully, without assuming every failure belongs to him. Start with Anthony or Liam; the franchise credits can wait.