At this point, I think everyone on planet Earth has seen Oscar Isaac’s portrayal of affable fighter pilot Poe Dameron, resistance hero, in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. He’s an instantly likable character, but not (yet, anyway) one who immediately makes you think he’s being played by an extraordinary actor.

But appearances can be deceiving. When I volunteered to write this article, SW:TFA was the only movie I’d ever seen him in. I imagine the same is true for many of you. Little did I know what an astounding talent I was about to discover. If there are any moves on this list you haven’t seen, do yourself a favor and watch them ASAP.

(He also does a great job in this past weekend’s new release, X-Men: Apocalypse, as the titular immortal antagonist. Don’t let the reviews fool you. The film may have some problems, but Isaac’s performance is definitely not one of them.)

5. Mojave (2015)

In this disturbing tale centered around coincidence and consequence, two desperate men cross paths in the barren California desert. When their thoroughly surreal encounter quickly goes south, it leads to a tense chase through the dunes and caves that sparsely populate the endless sand. Their cat-and-mouse game turns deadly, and the two men’s lives are instantly changed, and forever linked.

After their nightmarish ordeal in the desert, both of them try to return to their own unique view of normal. But one of them is an incredibly dangerous sociopath, and the other lives in constant fear of his ever-present nemesis.

What struck me as unique about this film was the fact that, more than halfway through, you still don’t know which is which. Neither of the characters is particularly sympathetic, and their palpable sense of moral ambiguity adds an unexpected realism to the story. You can’t really say that either of them is “the good guy.” While it may seem counterproductive to make a film without a protagonist – (if you don’t have a hero to pull for, why do you care what happens?) – it actually manages to make things that much more interesting. I ended up invested in both characters, and when their inevitable final confrontation took place, I honestly didn’t know how I wanted it to end.

This is a bizarre and unsettling film, and won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. However, if you want to see unique direction, beautifully stark scenery, and an incredible performance from Mr. Isaac, you won’t want to miss this one.

4. The Two Faces of January (2013)

In 1962, affluent couple Chester and Colette McFarland are on a vacation across Europe. While seeing the sights in Greece, the middle-aged businessman and his beautiful young wife catch the eye of a tour guide named Rydal. Maybe he smells money. Maybe he’s enamored with Colette. But, for reasons only he knows, he begins to follow them. Insinuating his way into their conversation, he puts on an unassuming face, and offers to help them find their way around town. Why not? He speaks the language, he’s familiar with the locals, and he knows the exchange rate of American money. They don’t. Trusting him is the first in their long line of mistakes, but it is nowhere near the worst.

Chester soon makes a much bigger mistake (still not the worst), and when he realizes Rydal is a witness, the trio becomes bound together by secrets and lies. Chester, as it turns out, is not who he seems. Colette may not be as innocent as she appears. And Rydal might not be such a bad guy after all.

There are no special effects, very little action, and not as many steamy scenes as you might expect to find in a movie oozing with so much sexual tension. But the ambiguity of their motives, histories, and personalities, together with beautifully nuanced performances, slow-burn suspense, and breathtaking cinematography, all come together to make this a worthy throwback to the Hitchcockian mysteries of Old Hollywood.

If you’re a fan of classic suspense, whodunnit tales, or just flat-out-great acting, definitely give this one a watch.

3. 10 Years (2011)

This sweet dramedy centers around old friends, new beginnings, and second chances. Following a scattered group reuniting for – what else? – their 10 year high school reunion, the large ensemble cast features many different character types. There’s the married couple, who secretly feel bored and stifled by domesticity; the couple who broke up for silly teenage reasons, but still carry a torch for each other; the loudmouth bigshot whose life isn’t as impressive as he would have everyone believe; and the glamorous beauty queen with a big secret at home.

But my favorite characters were quite possibly the two most mundane – a shy wallflower practically no one remembers, and a sensitive singer-songrwriter who just made it big with a sweet tune that has a surprising inspiration. Isaac portrays the singer, who just made the jump from playing 100-person clubs to being on the radio. Asked by his classmates to sing his hit song, he reluctantly agrees. As the emotional lyrics pour out of him (Isaac, by the way, is a Juilliard graduate and a damn good singer, who wrote the song himself), one person in the room suddenly realizes something she never imagined.

While none of the plot points or character tropes are super original, it’s the acting and dialogue that make this movie special. Hell, it even manages to get a solid performance out of Channing Tatum. For his part, our subject manages to imbue his character with a great deal of emotion with only his facial expressions. Without it ever being mentioned, you see that there is a hole in his life, despite his success. It’s a really good performance, and by far the most lighthearted on this list.

2. A Most Violent Year (2014)

Abel Morales is a successful businessman who prides himself on running a completely aboveboard, law-abiding operation – easier said than done on the New York waterfront of 1981. But he makes it work, which, ironically, still makes him enemies left and right. His quest to expand his territory now has his foes coming out of the shadows to make very real threats. They start with his employees, then move on to his family. Will he be able to stick to his principles? Or will he be forced to violate his own code in order to protect those around him?

Isaac has drawn comparisons to a young Pacino, and films like this make it easy to see why. While Morales doesn’t use Scarface or Godfather-style tactics to get his way, he’s nevertheless a driven, powerful man who carries an air of silent intimidation through every scene. But his biggest asset is his wife, Anna, a stone-cold woman who is more ruthless than her husband could ever dream of being. But her ambition may also be a liability.

Overall, it’s a somewhat slow film, driven more by characters than plot. But, once again, if it’s a knockout performance you’re after, check this one out.

1. Ex Machina (2015)

Oh. My. God. I was not mentally prepared for this one. It’s a masterpiece.

Centering around a young tech worker who wins the opportunity to spend a week learning from his brilliant, reclusive CEO, this film dives headlong into the deep end of an incredibly disturbing pool, and never comes up for air. Caleb, the awkward, lonely employee, is initially grateful that his strange but friendly boss genuinely wants to be friends. At the mogul’s sprawling, isolated estate, it looks like they’re in for a week of drinking, hanging out, and getting to know each other.

But Nathan, the enigmatic billionaire, soon reveals he has an ulterior motive for bringing Caleb to his home. He’s developing some new tech, something truly groundbreaking, and needs a pair of fresh eyes to help him test it. Caleb is thrilled to have been selected for something so important, and he quickly signs the NDA so they can get right to it.

But the project is no iPhone or Bluetooth. It’s an AI, an extraordinarily unique and sentient one. Nathan has named her Ava. She has a beautiful face, soft hands, and dainty little feet. However, the rest of her is all gears and wires and ports. Caleb doesn’t care about her imperfections – he just wants to understand her, interact with her, see what she is capable of. Does she feel human emotions? Is she capable of complex thought? Can she make plans and carry them out? Can she lie?

The answer to all of his questions is yes. What happens over the next seven days is a beautifully disturbing, gloriously twisted piece of genius. The effects are brain-twistingly real, the music is unnervingly woven through the fabric of the film, and the acting is a gift from the most benevolent cinema gods. Domhnall Gleeson and Alicia Vikander give fantastic performances.

But Oscar Isaac is in a class all his own. His portrayal of a reclusive prodigy starts out unsettling, and quickly shoots straight to terrifying and beyond. This man’s madness has so many unexplored depths, such dark and depraved corners, that you can’t imagine spending five minutes in his presence, let alone an entire week. And yet you can’t take your eyes off of him. Nathan is a riveting character, and the fact that Isaac didn’t receive an Oscar nomination is an absolute travesty.

What will he do with his beautiful new creation? How will he use the information gleaned from his unwitting pawn? And how will he react when everything spins out of control? If you’re a fan of great science fiction, characters who desperately need the intervention of mental health professionals, and all-around stellar filmmaking, do yourself a favor. Watch this movie. No, buy this movie. Because I guarantee you will see it more than once.

What do you think of the films on this list? Are there other performances you feel should have been included? Let us know in the comments!