Chasing Ghosts (2005)

There are some actors so good at their craft that they seamlessly enter a character, and then there are those that appear not to act at all, but are just being themselves. Michael Madsen certainly falls into that latter category. He's such a badass that the only way to enjoy his powerful persona is onscreen; it'd be too disturbing to run into him in person. In Chasing Ghosts (2005) he continues that mercurial streak playing a hard-boiled cop on the trail of a vigilante killer. Though this may seem a familiar set-up, the movie is original and constantly throwing curveballs, such as its casting of Meat Loaf. But far curvier is Shannyn Sossamon, who shows off those curves in a tight, white T-shirt. Her scene in briefs is sadly too brief, but it’s a sweet detour in an otherwise relentlessly tough mystery.