Michael Caine is the two-time Oscar winner who shows no signs of slowing down, amassing dozens of credits in the span of over 50 years. But how many of those titles are classics? Let’s take a look back at 20 of Caine’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.
The English-born thespian first came to the attention of movie audiences with a prominent role in the historical epic “Zulu” (1964). He earned his first Oscar nomination as Best Actor just two years later for “Alfie” (1966), playing a devil-may-care ladies man who starts to face the consequences of his actions. The role made Caine an international star, providing him with leading roles both in the UK and the US.
He won his first Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for playing a man desperately in love with his wife’s sister in “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986), although he famously wasn’t on-hand to accept since he was shooting “Jaws: The Revenge” (1987). He got a chance to deliver an speech 13 years later when he triumphed in that category again for “The Cider House Rules” (1999), playing a kindly abortionist who also runs an orphanage.
Caine earned three more Oscar nominations as Best Actor: “Sleuth” (1972), “Educating Rita” (1983), and “The Quiet American” (2002). He won the BAFTA and Globe prizes for “Educating Rita,” plus additional Globes for “Jack the Ripper” (Best TV Movie/Mini Actor in 1989) and “Little Voice” (Best Comedy/Musical Actor in 1998). He received a SAG for “The Cider House Rules” and the BAFTA Fellowship prize in 2000.
Tour our photo gallery of Caine’s 20 greatest films, including the ones mentioned above plus his Christopher Nolan collaborations (“The Dark Knight,” “Inception,” “The Prestige”), “California Suite,” “The Man Who Would Be King,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and more.
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20. YOUTH (2015)
Image Credit: Gianni Fiorito/Indigo/Pathe/Canal+/Fox Searchlight/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Starring Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, Jane Fonda.
This late-career entry casts Caine as a retired orchestra conductor vacationing in the Alps with his daughter (Rachel Weisz) and his best friend (Harvey Keitel), a fading film director. While enjoying the luxury resort, he receives an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to perform one of his famous symphonies for Prince Philip’s birthday, but he refuses for personal reasons. Italian maestro Paolo Sorrentino fills the screen with operatic imagery that, along with the performances by Caine, Keitel, and Jane Fonda as a bombastic actress, helps prop up the lightweight screenplay.
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19. EDUCATING RITA (1983)
Image Credit: ITV/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Lewis Gilbert. Screenplay by Willy Russell, based on his play. Starring Julie Walters, Michael Williams, Maureen Lipman.
Caine reunited with “Alfie” director Lewis Gilbert for this charming adaptation of Willy Russell’s stage play (with a script by the playwright himself). A sort of modern-day “My Fair Lady,” “Educating Rita” centers on a working class hairdresser who decides to better herself by taking night courses from a drunken university professor (an hilariously boozy Caine). Both Caine and Walters won BAFTAs and Golden Globes for their performances, losing at the Oscars to Robert Duvall (“Tender Mercies”) and Shirley MacLaine (“Terms of Endearment”), respectively.
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18. THE ITALIAN JOB (1969)
Image Credit: Paramount/Oakhurst Productions/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Peter Collinson. Written by Troy Kennedy Martin. Starring Noel Coward, Benny Hill, Raf Vallone, Tony Beckley, Rossano Brazzi, Maggie Blye.
Caine spent a great deal of his early acting career as an action star with brains, wit, and a way with the ladies. “The Italian Job” casts him as Charlie Croker, a British ex-con who teams up with a ragtag group of thieves to steal $4 million in gold from the streets of Turin. Their plan: create a traffic jam with some fancy cars. The film is light on substance but high on style, and the car chase scenes are second-to-none. A 2003 remake with Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron followed.
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17. ZULU (1964)
Image Credit: Diamond Films/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Cy Endfield. Screenplay by John Prebble and Cy Endfield, based on an article by Prebble. Starring Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth.
Caine’s first major film role came in this historical epic about the 1879 siege of Rorke’s Drift during the Anglo-Zulu War, in which 150 sick or wounded British soldiers successfully held off 4,000 Zulu warriors. He plays Lieutenant Gonville Bromhead, an infantryman who wants to retreat and butts heads with a fellow officer (Stanley Baker) who wants to stay and fight. While it’s not exactly historically accurate, it is highly entertaining. A box office smash in its home country, “Zulu” helped turn Caine from a bit player to a leading man.
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16. THE PRESTIGE (2006)
Image Credit: Francois Duhamel/Touchstone/Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, based on the novel by Christopher Priest. Starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Andy Serkis, David Bowie, Piper Perabo.
Director Christopher Nolan has helped introduce Caine to a new generation of fans, casting him in seven movies this century (including a voice cameo in “Dunkirk”). “The Prestige” centers on rival 19th century magicians (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) who try to one-up each other in a quest to create the perfect illusion. Caine costars as Jackman’s loyal assistant, who gives us a helpful explanation about the three steps to every magic trick (Step One: The Pledge; Step Two: The Turn; and Step Three: The Prestige). A film that will keep you guessing with each twist and turn while dazzling you with its stunning visuals.
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15. GAMBIT (1966)
Image Credit: Universal/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Ronald Neame. Screenplay by Jack Davies and Alvin Sargent, story by Sidney Carroll. Starring Shirley MacLaine, Herbert Lom, Roger C. Carmel, Arnold Moss.
Ronald Neame’s “Gambit” is the kind of lightweight comedic thriller that’s nearly impossible to make today (as evidenced by the disastrous 2012 remake). Caine stars as an English cat burglar who enlists the help of a beautiful Eurasian dancer (Shirley MacLaine) to pull off the perfect heist. 1966 was a banner year for Caine: not only did he score a Golden Globe nomination as Best Comedy/Musical Actor for this film, but he also earned his first Oscar bid as Best Actor for “Alfie.”
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14. CALIFORNIA SUITE (1978)
Image Credit: Columbia/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Herbert Ross. Screenplay by Neil Simon, based on his play. Starring Alan Alda, Bill Cosby, Jane Fonda, Walter Matthau, Elaine May, Dana Plato, Richard Pryor, Maggie Smith.
The works of Neil Simon have provided great sandboxes for actors to play in, including Caine. “California Suite” consists of four skits set at a luxurious Beverly Hills hotel, with guests arriving from around the globe. In the second segment, “Visitors from London,” Maggie Smith plays an Oscar-nominated diva on her way to the ceremony with her husband (Caine). She’s so focused on reviving her career that she doesn’t notice her spouse is secretly in the closet. Incidentally, Smith won the Supporting Actress prize for the role.
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13. MONA LISA (1986)
Image Credit: Handmade/Palace/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Neil Jordan. Written by Neil Jordan and David Leland. Starring Bob Hoskins, Cathy Tyson, Robbie Coltrane.
“Mona Lisa” casts Caine in a rare villainous role, and he’s absolutely chilling playing bad. Directed by Neil Jordan, the film centers on an ex-convict (Best Actor nominee Bob Hoskins) who gets a job from a former employer (Caine) driving a beautiful call-girl (Cathy Tyson) from client to client. The actor relishes the opportunity to play a sleaze-bag who terrorizes his enemies and treats women like cattle. That same year, he won the Oscar as Best Supporting Actor in Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” (although he’d undoubtedly have been nominated for this role had the other never existed).
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12. DRESSED TO KILL (1980)
Image Credit: Filmways/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Brian De Palma. Starring Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen, Keith Gordon.
“Dressed to Kill” caused a stir when it was released in 1980, sparking outrage for its violence against women and portrayal of a transexual killer. Angie Dickinson stars as a housewife seeing a psychiatrist (Caine) to get at the root of her sexual frustration. While visiting a museum she encounters a handsome stranger and follows him back to his apartment for some extramarital fun. She decides to leave, only to be brutally sliced to death by a vicious blonde wielding a razor. It’s up to her resourceful son (Keith Gordon) and a friendly prostitute (Nancy Allen) to track down the killer. Shockingly scary, surprisingly funny, and sexy as hell, the film proves Brian De Palma isn’t just a great Hitchcock admirer, but a master in his own right.
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11. GET CARTER (1971)
Image Credit: Mgm/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Mike Hodges, based on the novel ‘Jack’s Return Home’ by Ted Lewis. Starring Ian Hendry, John Osborne, Britt Ekland.
Like “Dirty Harry” that same year, “Get Carter” presented extreme violence and bloodshed in a way that had rarely been seen before thanks to relaxed censorship codes. It centers on Jack Carter (Caine), a British gangster who’s out for vengeance when his brother dies under mysterious circumstances. Caine is almost superhuman in his bloodlust, traveling from one vicious killing to the next. Director Mike Hodges (in his feature debut) has a real feel for London’s seedy underbelly. Avoid the 2000 Sylvester Stallone remake (in which Caine has a cameo) like the plague.
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10. THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (1999)
Image Credit: Moviestore Collection/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Lasse Hallstrom. Screenplay by John Irving, based on his novel. Starring Tobey Maguire, Charlize Theron, Paul Rudd, Delroy Lindo, Jane Alexander, Kathy Baker, Kieran Culkin, Heavy D, Kate Nelligan, Erykah Badu.
Caine won his second Oscar as Best Supporting Actor for Lasse Hallstrom’s syrupy period drama. Adapted by John Irving from his own novel, “The Cider House Rules” casts Caine as a doctor who owns a Maine orphanage during WWII. He raises his protege (Tobey Maguire) to take over, but the boy objects to his surrogate father’s practice of offering women safe abortions and runs away to pick apples for a while before fulfilling his destiny. The film never quite takes a firm stance on its controversial issue, overpowering us instead with sentimentality. Yet Caine provides the dramatic center as a kind, conflicted man who cares for his “princes of Maine” while sniffing ether and sleeping with the nurses.
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9. THE QUIET AMERICAN (2002)
Image Credit: Phil Bray/Miramax/Dimension/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Phillip Noyce. Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Robert Schenkkan, based on the novel by Graham Greene. Starring Brendan Fraser, Thi Hai Yen Do, Rade Serbedzija.
Caine gives one of his best late-career performances in this electrifying adaptation of Grahame Greene’s novel. He plays Thomas Fowler, an aging British reporter in Vietnam who falls in love with a beautiful local woman (Thi Hai Yen Do) half his age. Into his life comes Alden Pyle (Brendan Fraser), a young American doctor who becomes infatuated with the older man’s lover. Though it’s set in the past, director Phillip Noyce draws unmistakable parallels with our current political climate, zeroing in on the book’s timely themes. The film brought Caine an Oscar nomination as Best Actor, which he lost to Adrien Brody (“The Pianist”).
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8. THE IPCRESS FILE (1965)
Image Credit: ITV/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Sidney J. Furie. Screenplay by Bill Canaway and James Doran, based on the novel by Len Deighton. Starring Nigel Green, Guy Doleman, Sue Lloyd.
Of the many James Bond knockoffs that were released in the 1960s to capitalize on 007 fever, this adaptation of Len Deighton’s bestseller is one of the best. Caine stars as Harry Palmer, a British counter espionage agent investigating the kidnapping and brainwashing of several prominent scientists. In time, Palmer begins to suspect the reasons why he was chosen are deadly. John Barry’s eerie score is a standout. Caine reprised the character in two theatrical sequels (“Funeral in Berlin” in 1966 and “Billion Dollar Brain” in 1967) and two made-for-TV followups (“Bullet to Beijing” in 1995 and “Murder in Saint Petersburg” in 1996).
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7. CHILDREN OF MEN (2006)
Image Credit: Jaap Buitendijk/Universal/Uip/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Alfonso Cuaron. Screenplay by Alfonso Cuaron, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, based on the novel by P. D. James. Starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Pam Ferris, Charlie Hunnam.
With “Children of Men,” Alfonso Cuaron paints a bleak picture of our future that feels more prescient with each passing year. In 2027, women have become infertile and the world is in chaos. A cynical former activist (Clive Owen) is contacted by his ex-wife (Julianne Moore) to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to safety. Caine costars as Owen’s friend, Jaspar, an aging hippie with a wicked sense of humor who brings us to tears with his final selfless act. Like “Metropolis” and “Blade Runner” before it, this is a haunting vision of dystopia, yet this one is ultimately rather hopeful about humanity’s chances for survival.
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6. THE DARK KNIGHT trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012)
Image Credit: Warner Bros/D C Comics/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Christopher Nolan. Screenplays by Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, Jonathan Nolan, based on characters appearing in DC Comics. Starring Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Caine kicked off his long collaboration with Christopher Nolan with “Batman Begins” (2005), stepping into the polished shoes of millionaire vigilante Bruce Wayne’s (Christian Bale) loyal butler, Alfred. The actor returned for the film’s two sequels, the game-changing “The Dark Knight” (2008) and the unfairly-maligned “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012). In each entry, Caine brings a level of gravitas and emotional resonance to the role of the orphaned hero’s father figure, whose desire to protect the young man is at odds with Wayne’s decision to act as Gotham City’s savior. It’s that struggle that helps make Nolan’s superhero saga a step above the rest.
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5. DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (1988)
Image Credit: Orion/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Frank Oz. Written by Dale Launer, Stanley Shapiro, and Paul Henning. Starring Steve Martin, Glenne Headly, Anton Rodgers, Barbara Harris.
Caine shows off his playful side and tickles our funny bone in this wickedly funny charmer from Frank Oz. “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” casts him as Lawrence Jamieson, a suave, debonair confidence artist bilking wealthy women out of their millions while vacationing in the Riviera. He encounters a shabby American (Steve Martin) pulling a similar con, and the two vie for the affections (and money) of a rich heiress (Glenne Headly). The intricacies of the plot are basically an excuse for hilarious set pieces in which its two leads try to one-up each other in increasingly odd ways. Caine earned a Golden Globe nomination as Best Comedy/Musical Actor, though the Academy remained unamused.
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4. SLEUTH (1972)
Image Credit: 20th Century Fox/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz. Screenplay by Anthony Shaffer, based on his play. Starring Laurence Olivier, Alec Cawthorne.
The plot of “Sleuth” unfolds in such a delightfully surprising way that it would be downright criminal to reveal anything. Based on Anthony Shaffer’s long-running play, the film centers on a British mystery writer (Laurence Olivier) who invites his wife’s lover (Caine) to his vast mansion for a series of games that could turn deadly. Rather than opening the drama up, director Joseph L. Mankiewicz uses the intimate nature of the piece to great effect. Mankiewicz, Olivier and Caine earned Oscar nominations, with the two stars splitting the vote in Best Actor (the prize went to Marlon Brando in “The Godfather”). Caine later took on the Olivier role in Kenneth Branagh’s 2007 remake costarring Jude Law.
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3. THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975)
Image Credit: Allied Artists/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by John Huston. Screenplay by John Huston and Gladys Hill, based on the novella by Rudyard Kipling. Starring Sean Connery, Christopher Plummer, Saeed Jaffrey, Shakira Caine.
Caine and Sean Connery make a winning combination in John Huston’s splendidly entertaining adventure yarn. This adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s novella centers on two British former soldiers — Dravot (Connery) and Carnehan (Caine) — who set out for adventure in 19th century India. When they find themselves in the faraway land of Kafiristan, Dravot is mistaken for a deity by the natives and treated like royalty. “The Man Who Would Be King” is old-fashioned movie-making in the great tradition of classic Hollywood, with fantastic performances by the two leads and lean, nimble direction from Huston.
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2. HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986)
Image Credit: Brian Hamill/Orion/Rollins-Joffe/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Written and directed by Woody Allen. Starring Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Carrie Fisher, Barbara Hershey, Lloyd Nolan, Maureen O’Sullivan, Daniel Stern, Max von Sydow, Dianne Wiest.
Neatly divided into chapter breaks, “Hannah and Her Sisters” looks at the uncontrollable messiness of life. Woody Allen’s Oscar-winning script about three sisters (Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, Dianne Wiest) and their family is pretty close to perfection in creating sharp, three-dimensional characters struggling with their own destinies. Caine won Best Supporting Actor for playing a man desperately in love with his wife’s (Farrow) sister (Hershey), while Wiest won Best Supporting Actress as the perennial black sheep. Allen, who also appears as a man afraid of dying, contended for directing this crowdpleaser, which was also nominated for Best Picture. (Caine famously skipped the ceremony because he was shooting “Jaws: The Revenge.”)
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1. ALFIE (1966)
Image Credit: Paramount/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Directed by Lewis Gilbert. Screenplay by Bill Naughton, based on his novel. Starring Millicent Martin, Julia Foster, Jane Asher, Shirley Anne Field, Vivien Merchant, Eleanor Bron, Denholm Elliott, Shelley Winters.
“Alfie” helped turn Caine into a star, capitalizing on the world-weariness lurking beneath his easy charm and crackling wit. As an unrepentant Don Juan, Alfie soon learns that his devil-may-care way of life will lead to dire consequences for his future. Caine manages to find the right tone in every scene — including the moments when he speaks directly to the camera — creating an empty, carefree ladies man for whom real happiness will never come easy. The film caused a stir in Britain and abroad with its frank handling of timely sexual issues (including an abortion the lead character pays for), snagging five Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Actor (which Caine lost to Paul Scofield in “A Man for All Seasons”).
