Top 10 Best Movie Disguises

If the Face/Off machine actually existed in real life, identity theft would be even more common than it already is. It’d also make it much easier for the FBI to go undercover, and that’s just what John Travolta’s Sean Archer does when he dons the face of Nicolas Cage’s Castor Troy. This backfires on Archer, however, as Troy seizes his face and an action-packed case of mistaken identity ensues. Both actors do a highly entertaining job impersonating each other as they go head to head in cinema’s most manic case of overacting.

This transformative potion is one of the niftiest concoctions in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. Throughout the series, it helps Harry, his friends and his enemies access numerous heavily secured locations and slip past foes undetected – for example, one especially ambitious Death Eater used it for practically an entire school year to impersonate Mad Eye Moody. However, Polyjuice Potion is most effectively utilized in the first “Deathly Hallows” chapter as six of Harry’s closest allies assume his appearance to act as decoys and evade the Death Eaters. It’s an out-of-body experience for everyone, although Fred and George already know what it feels like to look identical.

“A Series of Unfortunate Events” deservingly took home a Best Makeup Academy Award for transforming Jim Carrey into the eccentrically devious Count Olaf. What’s just as impressive, however, are all thedisguises Count Olaf dons to get closer to the Baudelaire children’s fortune. His most entertaining character is Stephano, a big-nosed Italian who at times seems to be channeling Jeff Goldblum. His disguise naturally deceives all the clueless adults, but those quick-witted Baudelaires see right through the façade. If only somebody else would listen to them.

If you’re an alien who lands on earth and decide to start abducting random men off the streets, Scarlett Johansson is the ideal woman to model your disguise after. With her face and figure, any guy will gladly get into your van with no questions asked. “Under the Skin” is all about showing rather than telling. Thus, Johansson’s almost entirely physical performance carries a majority of the film. She’s transcendent as a being searching for a personal identity, sexual identity, and identity in general as she explores her new body.

Being the greatest detective who ever lived, Sherlock Holmes is also a master of disguise. He can be sitting right in front of you and still be invisible to the naked eye. Always thinking on his feet, he doesn’t need to plan ahead; he can devise a first-rate costume on the spot. His camouflage and improvisation skills are best demonstrated in this 2009 interpretation as he throws together several random accessories to pursue Irene Adler. He makes blending in to his environment look elementary, to say the least.

No matter how many times that mask trick fakes us out in the “Mission: Impossible” movies, it always takes us by surprise. The cleverest utilization of the mask stunt is arguably in the first “Mission: Impossible” sequel, as Ethan Hunt gives his enemies the slip by disguising a very unfortunate guard with his face. By the time the villains realize this, the real Ethan is already making his escape. Between this and “Face/Off,” Director John Woo certainly has a thing for identity swapping – not to mention epic choirs.

In “Tropic Thunder,” Robert Downey Jr. plays Kirk Lazarus, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Australian actor playing an African American sergeant who later impersonates a Vietnamese farmer to infiltrate a base. So basically, he’s a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude. As a gifted method actor, Lazarus is able to ad-lib a character to distract the enemy soldiers. The more he rambles on, however, the more mixed up he becomes with the small details. Eventually, they catch on to his ruse and the award-winning actor finds himself starring in a critical bomb for once.

Although Hannibal Lector is incarcerated throughout much of “The Silence of the Lambs,” you know that he’s just waiting to fly, fly, fly away. After several earlier scenes of tense build up, Dr. Lecter is given a window of opportunity and demonstrates just how cunningly sadistic he is. Executing his escape plan, he fools the authorities in the most horrifying and disgusting way imaginable: by stripping off a cop’s face and wearing it as his own. By the time the police realize the swap, the theatrical serial killer is already free.

It isn’t easy for a man to pass himself off as a woman, especially if it’s his ex-wife and three children he’s trying to fool. If anybody can pull off such a deception, though, it’s Robin Williams. Being a master of voices, Williams can pull off a female English accent with ease – sorta. However, it’s the whole Mrs. Doubtfire ensemble that completes the illusion. Elevated by Oscar-winning makeup effects, we completely forget that it’s Williams under this disguise, well…except when he occasionally breaks character.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
- Cop
“The Dark Knight” (2008)
- Orcs
“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)
- Edgar
“Men in Black” (1997)
- Fat Lady
“Total Recall” (1990)
- Janitors
“Zoolander” (2001)
- Twinsies
“The Prestige” (2006)

While Robin Williams was completely uncanny as a woman, Dustin Hoffman may’ve been even better as “Tootsie.” As an actor who can’t find work because of his hard-to-work-with reputation, Michael Dorsey is forced to reinvent himself as Dorothy Michaels. This premise has been done to death since, but one of the reasons “Tootsie” remains a comedy classic is because Hoffman is so utterly convincing as both these characters. Hoffman could approach any random person in this getup and they’d be thrown for a loop. It’s a great performance complemented by a most perfect disguise.

Do you agree with our list? What’s your favorite movie disguise? For more entertaining Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.