What makes a great performance to you?

[Arito]

Good acting is when I do not get the feeling I'm watching actors. I want to experience a story, not see some people read lines. Also, I think my emotional commitment to a scene or character is also directly related to their acting. So if I tear up during a scene, the acting was good.

I also value actors much more if I've seen them perform various (very different) roles well. This is the reason I think Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio are great actors, especially the former. I've seen Robert de Niro do the same character for dozens of movies. I think he is great as that character, but I don't necessarily think he is an exceptionally good actor.