Dark horses riding Oscars race

Requiem for a Dream: Harrowing

By BBC News's Neil Smith

Every Oscar race throws up a few dark horses, and this year's ceremony is sure to generate its fair share of shock results.

Gladiator may be a certainty for best picture, but in other categories the winner is much harder to call.

Even Julia Roberts, who appears unassailable in the best actress department for Erin Brockovich, might face unexpected competition from Ellen Burstyn.

Respected actress Burstyn is widely agreed to be outstanding as a lonely, drug-addled spinster in Requiem for a Dream.

Before Night Falls could bring success for Javier Bardem (right)

The best actor Oscar seems to be a straight fight between Tom Hanks and Russell Crowe.

But there are those who believe Spanish actor Javier Bardem has an outside chance. Little known actor Bardem could land the prize for playing Cuban author Reinaldo Arenas in Before Night Falls.

Ed Harris can't be ignored either. His best actor nomination for playing the title role in Pollock is as much a tribute to his performance as his Herculean effort in getting his biopic made.

The fact that he has been Oscar-nominated twice before could also work in his favour.

Benicio Del Toro seems certain to repeat his Golden Globe and BAFTA successes in the best supporting actor category.

Willem Dafoe is impressive in Shadow of the Vampire

But Willem Dafoe could cause an upset for his astonishing turn as Nosferatu star Max Schreck in Shadow of the Vampire - though it is more likely the Academy will honour the make-up instead of the actor wearing it.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is thought to be set to pick up the award best foreign language film.

But do not overlook Amores Perros, a striking Mexican drama that has picked up a raft of awards in film festivals around the globe.

Its visceral scenes of (simulated) dogfighting are extremely difficult to sit through, but it is still an accomplished, multi-layered ensemble piece in the Pulp Fiction mould.

Another of Crouching Tiger's 10 nominations is for best original score, but in this category you could do a lot worse than back Ennio Morricone for his Malena music.

Amores Perros could spring a surprise in the foreign film category

That said, recent years have seen female composers feature strongly - which means Rachel Portman, who won the Oscar for Emma in 1996, could be in with a shot for her Chocolat score.

Kenneth Lonergan picked up a Writers Guild award for his You Can Count on Me screenplay, so do not be too surprised if it pips frontrunner Gladiator to the original screenplay Oscar.

But it would be a brave soul who would bet against Stephen Gaghan in the adapted screenplay category after Traffic took home both the Writers Guild and BAFTA awards.