Michael Caine is an iconic British actor who has appeared consistently across cinema of all types since the 1960s. Known for his distinctive Cockney accent, the 87-year-old is still going strong, and continues to be cast in roles that span a variety of genres. Thanks to the length of his career and some of the fantastic franchises he has made his mark on, he is known as the 20th highest-grossing actor at the box office, with films he has appeared in raking in over $7.8 billion.
These are his best movies, according to IMDb.
BEST: The Dark Knight Rises (8.4)
Returning to his role as Alfred in Christopher Nolan. The emotional bond between Arthur and Bruce Wayne becomes particularly important in this film, with Caine embodying Arthur’s strong view that Batman should not return perfectly.
WORST: Bullseye! (4.6)
It might be called Bullseye! but this 1990 action-comedy was anything but a hit. It combined the talents of both Michael Caine and Roger Moore in the lead roles, but was a disappointment both at the box office and amongst critics upon release. They cited its lack of interesting action and poor attempts at humor as the reason, but it has since managed to attract a rather large cult following.
BEST: The Prestige (8.5)
Alongside Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine had an interesting role in The Prestige, Nolan’s entry into the huge crowd of magician-centric films of 2006. His character is the emotional heart of the story and fits Caine’s style perfectly.
While he is Angier’s father-figure, it is his character’s warmth that allows a window into the story that doesn’t paint either character as the direct antagonist.
WORST: On Deadly Ground (4.6)
One of Steven Seagal’s attempts at direction and production came in his 1994 action film On Deadly Ground. Alongside Seagal himself, Michael Caine had an important role, playing the ruthless leader of Aegis Oil. While Caine has excellent villainous traits, his performance couldn’t save a film destined for a disastrous response.
BEST: Interstellar (8.6)
Another of Caine’s big-budget, high-concept collaborations with practical effects over digital animation; it won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 2014.
WORST: The Swarm (4.5)
Michael Caine doesn’t appear in a lot of horror films, but earlier on in his career, he hadn’t yet established a distinct style. As such, he played the lead role of Dr. Bradford Crane in The Swarm, a film created to capitalize on the public’s love of disaster movies. The fact that the disaster in question here was a deadly swarm of bees just about sums up why it didn’t work. It is frequently cited as one of the worst films ever made, which doesn’t exactly fit with much of Caine’s magnificent later career.
BEST: Inception (8.8)
Arguably Inception. Originally conceived as a horror film, Nolan turned the epic story revolving around lucid dreaming into one of the most far-reaching and interesting sci-fi films ever created. Caine has a smaller role in this film as he does in many other Nolan productions, but it is still hugely important: he plays the father-in-law of Dom Cobb, Professor Stephen Miles. His character was widely praised.
WORST: Shadow Run (4.3)
Another of Michael Caine’s starring roles came in the 1998 British crime film Shadow Run. Its negative critical response is partially impacted by the fact that so few people have actually seen the film.
It was never released in cinemas in the year it was finished, so the only official release the film was ever provided was a straight to video release in 2001. Still, it picked up no steam even then.
BEST: The Dark Knight (9.0)
Of course, Michael Caine’s highest-rated film role comes in Alfred Pennyworth. By title, he is a butler, but he plays one of the most important missing roles in Bruce Wayne’s life- a father figure.
WORST: Jaws: The Revenge (3.0)
Considering the fact that the first Jaws film is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, it is truly impressive just how bad the fourth entry into the franchise is. It was made in under nine months and brought Michael Caine in to play Hoagie Newcombe. The actor has stated that he had never seen the film, but “by all s it was terrible.” Yes, yes it was.
