As good as gold

When it comes to this year's Oscars, it's an all-out war. Just look at the top nominees: Gladiators slicing and dicing, martial artists attacking, a law clerk combating a power company, and a government official waging a war on drugs. Oh yeah, then there's the nastiest skirmish of all: an entire French village versus yummy chocolate treats. At EW, we know that the most pressing fight involves your office Oscar pool, so our annual Academy recon mission examines the battle plans for every combatant — and predicts the winners. We also gain access into the war rooms of three Oscar voters; profile three veteran commanders of editing, composing, and cinematography; expose the tactics of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon's high-flying conflicts; and disclose the secrets of must-have red-carpet war paint. So duck, cover, and read on — when it comes to scoring that office kitty, we'll help you be all that you can be.

BEST ACTOR

JAVIER BARDEM
FOR HIM The superstar Spaniard spans decades and emotions as gay poet Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls; Roberto Benigni proved it's possible for an actor in a non-English-speaking role to win this award.
AGAINST HIM Thing is, Benigni's Life Is Beautiful had six other nominations; Before Night Falls has none.
10-1 ODDS

RUSSELL CROWE
FOR HIM Many voters feel he should have won last year for his strong turn in The Insider; since then he's delivered another film-anchoring performance in Gladiator — and become a genuine movie star.
AGAINST HIM It seems like he's received as much attention for his extracurricular affairs as he has for his movies; his bad-boy reputation can't help.
7-2 ODDS

TOM HANKS
FOR HIM Sure, he's already taken home this award twice, but there's no denying the power of the one-man show that is Cast Away; watch the movie's gripping middle hour again and just try not to relate to him.
AGAINST HIM The deja-vote factor: Will members of the Academy hate themselves for being so predictable?
3-1 ODDS

ED HARRIS
FOR HIM He's a surprise nominee, yet still a serious contender; the Pollock director-star spilled his guts (and paint) to embody the tortured modern artist.
AGAINST HIM Many people are passionate about the performance but not about the film; the labor-of-love factor didn't help Robert Duvall's chances for 1997's The Apostle.
4-1 ODDS

GEOFFREY RUSH
FOR HIM Already loved by the Academy (with three nominations in five years), he took on a very tough and provocative subject — the Marquis de Sade — for the dark yet artist-friendly Quills, and he's totally naked, for God's sake!
AGAINST HIM He's won in this category before, for a much less divisive film (1996's Shine).
15-1 ODDS

THE LOWDOWN Though there's a chance Crowe or Harris could upset, look for Hanks to three-peat.