9. "Oscar and Lucinda" (1997): For many of us, this was our first exposure to the Australian actress and the role that suggested she might indeed have a long, prosperous movie career. Peter Carey's compulsively readable novel concerns two compulsive gamblers who aren't soul mates so much as twin moths drawn to the same flame. Although Gillian Armstrong's adaptation favors Ralph Fiennes' pious, neurotic Oscar over his female counterpart, Blanchett's independent redhead takes over every scene she's in. Ashamed of her vice, Lucinda furtively tries to hide her joy every time she flashily deals a deck of cards. Then, during an impromptu confession, she suddenly deduces that this man of cloth is also a hopeless addict -- and bam! -- her discovery of a partner in crime becomes her liberation. It's worth sitting through the numerous dead patches just to see Blanchett race Fiennes to see who can clean a house's floors faster or the ecstatic look she gives during the film's coda. (Fox Searchlight Pictures. All rights reserved. Courtesy: Everett Collection)