Top 10 Performances: Emily Blunt

10. The Young Victoria 

Though the overly vague and distant approach to the material by Jean-Marc Vallée limits her a bit, Blunt is certainly very well cast as Queen Victoria, bringing out the right sort of royal grace and assertiveness even when the writing tries to make her more meek than she should be. I really wouldn't recommend the film too much since it's a fairly bland affair but it's an early good leading role of hers. 

9. My Summer of Love 

The same goes for this intimate drama by Paweł Pawlikowski which again, nothing amazing (beautifully shot though) and is a decent watch, and Blunt is pretty good here as wealthy girl Tamsin who takes interest in working class Mona (Natalie Press). This is one of those films which doesn't distinguish itself much from the other sorts but is a notable early strong turn from Blunt in playing up the shallow vivaciousness of her character, and a sign of her talent prior to more high profile roles. 

8. A Quiet Place 

A very simple reactionary performance that's all about helping to amplify her husband John Krasinki's atmospheric direction and concept, and out of the cast she nails it (no pun intended) the best. It's all about delivering in the 'in the moment' tension and she does a great job at selling every tense sequence and reflecting the emotional exhaustion from dealing with fear in silence.

7. Into the Woods 

Blunt is particularly suited to musicals not just because she has a strong voice but also because she's very good at bringing a certain naturalism to musical numbers, where she really does do a good job of  'acting' through the music. I have to give her all the credit in the world also for making the weirdly written character of the Baker's Wife make sense and in the process making the ending of the film quite moving in its own way.

6. The Devil Wears Prada 

Her breakthrough turn for which she got acclaim and awards notices for (though unfortunately fell just short of an Oscar nom), Blunt is a true scene-stealer in the best way here as the highly stressed and constantly on the move assistant to Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly. She's consistently the funniest and most engaging part of the film and makes every one-liner flourish regardless of the quality, and is just very endearing and in a way is the star of the film even though it's not really about her character.

5. Looper

Looking over Rian Johnson's filmography, one cannot deny that he is an ambitious chap who seeks to do things his way, and I respect him wholeheartedly for that. Blunt's part of that in his decision to halfway through Looper change the pacing and focus to the farm where Blunt's Sara and her son live. I actually really like the film's slowed down approach in this regard and Blunt is particularly good in giving such a lived in portrayal of her character's position in life, and making sense of her gradual revelations of something more beneath the surface.

4. The Adjustment Bureau

A great example of how charm and star power can make so much out of a fairly simple role. At the end of the day there's not much to Blunt and her co-star Matt Damon's roles as luminous ballet dancer and ambitious congressman, but the sheer chemistry and enthusiasm they bring to their roles makes this such a fun film to watch. They make the film's simplification of a more complex concept not as frustrating as it could be because of how much you root for them to make their romance work, and is an example of why Blunt should be even more of a star than she is.

3. Mary Poppins Returns 

There is no other Julie Andrews and the role of Mary Poppins is undoubtedly hers, but what Blunt does in this better than expected sequel (I for one was very cynical about it) is take on her own approach, which is a bit less overly warm and a bit more incisive which works very well for the very different story this film takes on. Blunt as before thrives within the musical elements of the film and to her credit does find a nice alternate take on Poppins' warmth that is a highlight in her career, and I respect her very much for delivering in a role which could've easily gone all wrong.

2. Sicario 

The film itself actually underwrites her character a bit, as there's not much meat to her Kate Mercer so to speak beyond being an FBI agent thrown out of her element into a shady task force in Mexico. That's no real obstacle to Blunt who acts as a brilliant anchor to the film's hellish atmosphere and she's utterly convincing every step of the way in reflecting the increasing tension of the horrible things she sees, the bureaucratic frustrations of dealing with the cartel, and even manages to make some of the lesser elements work. Her final scene with Benicio del Toro in particular is one of the best acted scenes of the past decade, and her presence was sorely missed in the very underwhelming sequel.

1. Edge of Tomorrow 

A performance that like the film has only grown with time. The whole idea behind her character of essentially a video game NPC who is aware of the constant loop she's being put in, is a great concept and Blunt and her co-star Tom Cruise as the video game avatar create a fascinating dynamic out of this. As she's essentially giving a live, die and repeat performance over and over again while showing the different ways her character reacts to scenarios and how Cruise's character changes, her character changes too 'refreshes' after every square one. It's the type of performance that doesn't get enough credit in general beyond just the fact that she's a terrific and surprisingly convincing action hero. Incidentally the film itself is quite underrated in its own way.