In a year with so many Best Actor contenders, sometimes the finest performances get lost in the overcrowded season. One of the finest performances of the year comes from the late Philip Seymour Hoffman for his portrayal in "A Most Wanted Man."

After having premiered at the Sundance Film festival, the movie opened to rave reviews in August and became one of the Indie breakouts of the year. The film grossed $17 million and became one of the highest grossing films from Lionsgate's Roadside Attractions.

Hoffman was long admired as one of the most diverse actors of his generation turning in one memorable performances after another. When he died, he had four films left to open and "A Most Wanted Man" was his last lead performance. In the film he plays a German CIA agent and his portrayal is a masterclass in acting. Latin Post called his performance "A Tremendous Triumph" and "unforgettable."

Other critics said, "Hoffman scales his performance to Olympian heights, yet he elevates all his collaborators, too."

Some critics went on to call it the best performance of his career and even regarded it as the best performance of the year.

It's a shame there is no buzz about work in the current Oscar landscape, even though Roadside Attractions is campaigning the movie for every single category.

Hoffman was recognized by the Academy on numerous occasions as he won for his performance as Truman Capote in Benett Miller's "Capote." He was also nominated for his work in Mike Nichol's "Charlie Wilson's War" and for his work in Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master." Hoffman also scored a nomination for his work in John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt."

However, posthumous Oscars are hard to obtain unless there is strong marketing behind it. Fox Searchlight tried to get a posthumous award for James Gandolfini last year for his work in "Enough Said." Even though the company has a lot of Oscar experience with the Academy (it won the Oscar with "12 years a Slave"), the Academy did not go for the work.

"A Most Wanted Man" is not being campaigned by a company of that same level. Roadside Attractions is not the most experienced in the Oscar game and it was evident because last year Robert Redford failed to get a nomination even though he was a favorite for his work in "All is Lost." Similarly the company failed to get a nomination for Matthew McConaughey for his work in "Mud."

The advantage this time is that Hoffman has four previous nominations and he was beloved by many actors. Additionally, he is currently starring in "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1," so his work is still present in many voters' memories.

Since "A Most Wanted Man" is currently on DVD, the film can accessed easily by the Academy members.

Another reason why Hoffman could score a nomination is because the Academy has embraced the past two films that were adapted from a John le Carre novel. "The Constant Gardner" scored four Oscar nominations and went on to win one for Best Supporting Actress. Meanwhile, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" was nominated for three Oscars including Best Actor.

It is very difficult to predict if Hoffman can indeed surpass heavy weights like Steve Carell, Michael Keaton, Eddie Redmayne, David Oyelowo and Benedict Cumberbatch. However, it is hard to imagine that the Academy only nominates first time nominees in the Best Actor category. This has not been seen in the past 10 years and it is doubtful it will be seen this year.

"A Most Wanted Man" can also make a run for Best Adapted Screenplay as it is a category that has not been sorted out and which has a limited amount of contenders.

With critics approval and if it makes a huge splash during critics season, perhaps Hoffman will garner his fifth and final nomination.

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