While Michael Caine has not occupied the public spotlight for some time, the Academy Award-winning actor earned acclaim for his diverse range of unique roles. A talented performer capable of giving dimension to any character he’s assigned to play, Caine made a career out of playing a wide margin of memorable individuals, regardless of whether they were comedic, wise, beguiling, intelligent, terrifying, charismatic, or straight-laced in nature.
Having recently announced his retirement in October 2023, Caine leaves behind an unblemished career spanning just over seven decades. Through his appearances in over 160 films, Caine has achieved an iconic reputation in the film industry, his theatrical performances capturing viewers’ attention across multiple generations.
From his breakthrough performances in ‘60s crime capers to his later collaborations with Christopher Nolan, here are some of the greatest Michael Caine movies, ranked from best to worst.
The Italian Job
The Ocean’s Eleven of its era, The Italian Job continues to live on as one of the most defining entries in the heist genre. A timeless classic full of humor and jam-packed with action, Caine appears in the lead role in an ensemble cast that also includes Noël Coward and Benny Hill.
With his plucky attitude and impressive aptitude for intricate robberies, Caine’s Charlie Croker is a master criminal who isn’t afraid of putting life or limb on the line if it means a sizable payday. Using humor, charisma, and his immense strategic mind to his advantage, Caine is the overarching lynchpin holding the entire film together, propelling the movie from a decent heist movie into an unforgettable caper film.
The Man Who Would Be King
A role tailor-made for Caine’s sensibilities as an actor, The Man Who Would Be King sees Caine star alongside iconic actor Sean Connery. In a sweeping adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s short story, director John Huston details Caine and Connery’s opportunistic British officers as they insert themselves as divine kings of the isolated nation of Kafiristan. A loyal confidante to Connery’s Dravot, Caine’s Peachy assists Dravot in his plans, going along for the sake of fortune, adventure, and fame galore.
Get Carter
One of the most defining neo-noir films of ‘70s Great Britain, Get Carter features Caine at his most cunning and ruthless. A veteran gangster who makes Al Pacino’s Tony Montana look like an amateur convict, Caine’s Jack Carter is a stone-cold professional who handles his business with machine-like calculation. Searching for his brother’s killer, Carter navigates through London’s underbelly with the efficiency of the Terminator, stepping over everyone in his way.
The Dark Knight Trilogy
For as many Christopher Nolan films as Caine has appeared in, critics have a hard time naming a better collaboration between the two than the famed Dark Knight Trilogy. The loyal butler to Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), Caine’s Alfred also serves as the closest thing Bruce has to a father figure. Assisting him in his one-man crusade against crime in Gotham, Alfred also dispenses useful wisdom and advice to his ward, acting more as a mentor than a mere assistant. Compared to other Batman films, the father-son dynamic between Alfred and Bruce gets played up to the extremes, allowing for a more nuanced relationship between the two (all thanks to Caine and Bale’s impeccable acting).
Hannah and Her Sisters
Caine’s first Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor came with 1986’s romantic comedy film Hannah and Her Sisters, a brilliant ensemble piece interweaving the lives and romances of Hannah (Mia Farrow) and her two sisters (Barbara Hershey and Dianne Wiest). The unfaithful and resentful husband to Farrow’s Hannah, Caine portrays the discontented Elliot – a man who soon gains a prolonged infatuation with his sister-in-law, Lee (Hershey). A pathetic coward willing to justify his extramarital affair by pointing to Hannah’s rigid self-dependence, Caine nevertheless manages to garner some perverse semblance of sympathy as Elliot despite his unforgivable actions.
Youth
In what might very well prove the last great performance of Caine’s career, 2015’s Youth focuses on the idea of aging, exploring how a person’s outlook and temperament change as they grow older. In the central role, Caine’s retired composer, Fred Ballinger, confronts his various regrets in life, including his estranged relationship with his wife and middle-aged daughter (Rachel Weisz). A heart-warming comedy-drama, it’s another joyous addition to Caine’s expansive body of work.
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Upon first glance, it’s tempting to dismiss a title like The Muppet Christmas Carol as a minor footnote in Caine’s career. However, like all standout Muppet movies, this 1992 holiday musical features first-rate acting, cohesive humor, and a more emotional narrative that lives up to its source material (in this case, Charles Dickens’s immortal classic, A Christmas Carol). Appearing in the central role of the Christmas grouch Ebenezer Scrooge, Caine’s embittered attitude clashes wonderfully with the buffoonish hijinks of the Muppets cast. For all the movie’s hilarity, Caine still shows the realistic transformation of Scrooge from a cynical miser into a life-loving proponent of the holiday spirit.
Alfie
Following his more refined performances in Zulu, Caine next appeared in the 1966 comedy-drama Alfie (a role that earned Caine his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor). A self-centered, egotistical womanizer who regards monogamous relationships with heated contempt, Caine’s titular Alfie spends most of his time seducing single and married women alike, viewing them more as objects of enjoyment than as actual people. An almost sociopathic philanderer with a sharp wit and an even sharper sense of humor, Alfie’s coming to terms with his own shallow lifestyle outfits the film with a brilliant sense of poignancy.
Zulu
Caine’s breakthrough performance in the film industry came with 1964’s stunning war film, Zulu. Often cited as one of the best British films ever made, Zulu follows the members of a small British Army legion (consisting of around 150 men) tasked with holding off an army of 4,000 Zulu warriors at a missionary outpost in Natal. In the context of the film, Caine appears as the egocentric British officer, Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead. A pig-headed commander who dismisses the Zulus’ capabilities in battle at first, Caine shows Bromhead’s subtle growth into a more methodical leader, looking past his initial vanity and coming to terms with the opposing force before him.
Sleuth
It takes an actor of the highest quality to stand opposite silver screen legend Laurence Olivier. Yet in 1972, a young Caine did just that, appearing alongside Olivier in the comedic mystery thriller Sleuth. A palpable whodunit that pits Caine and Olivier’s romantic rivals in a heated contest of minds, Sleuth solidified Caine as one of the most remarkable actors of his era – a talent on par with the great Olivier himself. Matching Olivier in terms of pure charisma and dry comedic personality, it’s no wonder why Caine’s performance here led to his Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
The Quiet American
A wondrous adaptation of Graham Greene’s lauded novel of the same name, The Quiet American, unfolds as an allegorical representation of America’s involvement in Vietnam (involvement that eventually led to a full-scale war between the two countries). A passive observer in both the story and his narrative overview, the film features Caine as veteran British journalist Thomas Fowler. With his matter-of-fact outlook on the story and his fellow characters, Fowler’s downbeat but accurate observations of the growing rift between America and Vietnam allow the film to capture the spirit and tone of Greene’s original novel.
A Bridge Too Far
It speaks volumes about Caine’s acting chops that – even in an ensemble cast – he still manages to leave a lasting impression on audience members with his singular performance. In 1977’s epic war film, A Bridge Too Far, Caine portrays the historical figure J.O.E. Vandeleur, a lieutenant colonel in the British Army partaking in the disastrous Operation Market Garden. With his trimmed mustache and crooked beret, Caine is a portrait of elegance as Vandeleur – a cunning and careful strategist attempting to head an impossible military advance.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
While Caine has dabbled in comedy on occasion, his absolute greatest contribution to the comedic field came with Frank Oz’s splendid 1988 comedy crime film, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. Opposite Steve Martin, Caine and his co-lead portray rival conmen vying for an heiress’s fortune (Glenne Headly) on the French Riviera. An ideal comedic pairing, Martin plays a loud-mouthed American con artist while Caine appears as a reserved, seductive, charming professional criminal. A dashing romantic who uses humor and his obvious physical appeal to his advantage, Caine maintains some inspired chemistry with Martin throughout the film.
Children of Men
In the grand scheme of things, Caine has a minimal role in Alfonso Cuarón’s 2006 sci-fi dystopian film, Children of Men. Yet, like all of Caine’s supporting roles, Caine uses what little screentime he has to hold audiences’ attention. In Children of Men, Caine plays Jasper Palmer, a retired hippie cartoonist now living in isolation in the remote forests of Great Britain. With his frizzled shoulder-length hair, dated wardrobe, and penchant for certain illicit substances, Jasper appears almost an aged version of John Lennon or Jeff Bridges’ The Dude – a charismatic entity of profound wisdom, always ready to help out those in need.
Dressed to Kill
One of the most underrated films from horror maestro Brian De Palma, one can describe Dressed to Kill as an amalgamation of several Alfred Hitchcock films – especially Psycho. Suffering from a split personality, Caine’s Dr. Robert Elliott harbors dreams of one day giving into his female alter ego as “Bobbi.”
Unable to sign the necessary papers for the operation, Elliott becomes torn between his more conservative male self and his murderous dual personality as Bobbi. Inhabiting each side of their personality, Bobbi/Elliott provides Caine with one of his most unique transformations as an actor, one that lives up to Anthony Perkins’ infamous iteration of Psycho’s lead antagonist.
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