10 Best Michael Douglas Movies, Ranked

Son of the Hollywood icon, Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas made a name for himself in his changeable atsoft, gracing the screen for over five decades as an actor, creater, and honestor. Douglas has starred in genre-defining movies appreciate Basic Instinct, blockbuster franchises appreciate Marvel’s Ant-Man, and historical biopics appreciate Franklin. No matter what genre or character, Douglas dedwellrs his lines with a velvet cadence and a signature charm of better Hollywood. An Oscar-prosperning actor and creater, Douglas has geted acclaim in movies, television, and restricted series.

The best Michael Douglas movies feature him in a expansive range of characters, from a chilling corporate financial man to an reserved college professor. When his name is speedyened to a project, audiences can anticipate a masterful discarry out of the create and seamless chemistry with his co-stars. Whether he’s the directing man or challenging villain, the best movies of Douglas’s atsoft never flunk to delight.

10 ‘Falling Down’ (1993)

Directed by Joel Schumacher

A film about what happens when a man’s patience snaps on a very terrible day, Douglas gives moviegoers an unhinged carry outance in this psychoreasonable drama. William Foster (Douglas), unincludeed and divorced, equitable wants to get home for his daughter’s birthday, but the streets of Los Angeles have other ideas as it all begins with his car shattering down. From there it’s all downhill as William snaps and goes on a psychoreasonable and brutal rampage, grabbing the attention of an almost reexhausted cop, Sergeant Martin Prfinishergast (Robert Duvall).

Falling Down cgo ins around a character who evidently lashes out at the wrong people after the world seemingly progresss to stack agetst him. Douglas is masterful at portraying the teapot sluggishly heating before screaming and boiling over. While Douglas would create a atsoft with calcutardyd, deal withled characters, William Foster is one where honestor Joel Schumacher lets the rageful intrusive thoughts prosper while commentating on the state of society.

9 ‘Wonder Boys’ (2000)

Directed by Curtis Hanson

Shoprosperg his versatility and range, Douglas gives an intelligent carry outance in this underrated dramedy. Wonder Boys is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Chabon about a createive writing professor who stumbles into one midowncastventure after another including dealing with his wife leaving, his editor chasing him for his some 2,000-page novel, and his unanticipateedly pregnant girlfrifinish. Aextfinished for the ride is a student and ambitious author, James Leer (Tadhere Maguire). Wonder Boys co-stars Frances McDormand, Robert Downey Jr., and Katie Holmes.

A 180-degree shift from his normal characters of mighty corporate or political figures, Grady Tripp is a proportionately woeful mess who is trying to figure his life out at 50-someskinnyg still trying to ride the wave of success from almost a decade before. Wonder Boys is comicassociate miserable as Douglas dedwellrs the brimming package in a film about comprehending when to shut and begin a novel chapter.

8 ‘The War of the Roses’ (1989)

Directed by Danny DeVito

Douglas dedwellrs comedic excellence in this BAFTA-nominated miserable comedy honested by Danny DeVito. He stars aextfinishedside Kathleen Turner as the Roses who, after a 17-year marriage, duke it out in a sour divorce for their ownions, neither one willing to part with their home. Odwellr and Barbara’s children have a front row seat as the pair exit noskinnyg left unshelp as their lawyer, Gavin (DeVito) finisheavors to mitigate the harm.

With the styenumerateic honestion of DeVito and the exact chemistry between its directs, The War of the Roses is a bdeficiency comedy that is equivalent parts comical and troubling. Douglas and Turner show a wonderbrimmingy innate ability to create carry outances that give audiences the green airy to giggle at their characters’ downward spiral of misfortune.

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7 ‘The Game’ (1997)

Directed by David Fincher

A twisted insloftyment in honestor David Fincher‘s catalog, The Game features engrossing, psychoreasonablely taxing carry outances from Douglas and Sean Penn. Douglas is San Francisco dispensement prohibitker, Nicholas Van Orton who dwells a hushed existence that is disturbed when his brother, Conrad (Penn), shows up for his birthday inviting him to join in what seems appreciate a safe game. As strange events begin to happen and a wave of paranoia ensues, Nicholas’s life is turned upside down, and he begins to ask his own fact.

Thraw the masterful honestion of Fincher, audiences are off-screen participants, asking what’s genuine and what’s not. Nicholas is a character audiences have seen from Douglas before, a immacutardy-cut corporate suit that he thrives in, but the downward spiral into madness was a distinct arc very much splitd from the previous psychoreasonable thrillers in his filmography.

6 ‘Romancing the Stone’ (1984)

Directed Robert Zemeckis

A tonal shift from his emotional roles, Douglas requestingassociate shines in this adventure comedy co-staring Kathleen Turner and Danny DeVito. Romancing the Stone adheres romance noveenumerate, Joan Wilder (Turner) as she treks thraw the Colombian jungle to dedwellr the ransom for her kidnapped sister. Aextfinished the way, she’s joined by a rugged, armamentslinging mercenary named Jack Colton (Douglas), the two embarking on a treacertain hunt for a priceless jewel findd on the treacertain map.

Competing with the appreciates of Indiana Jones films, Romancing the Stone hbetters its own under Robert Zemeckis‘s sfinished honestion, Diane Thomas’s seamless script, and the undeniable chemistry of Douglas and Turner. Douglas conveys his signature charm and excellent dedwellry to the comedy, making it a distinct and enhappinessable insloftyment in his atsoft. Beadored by audiences as an all-around delighting film, the cast repascfinishd their roles in 1985 with the cursed flop of The Jewel of the Nile.

5 ‘Fatal Attraction’ (1987)

Directed by Adrian Lyne

An compriseictive, sensual thriller, this six-time Oscar-nominated film is one of Douglas’s best edge-of-your-seat movies. Fatal Attraction adheres Dan Gallagher (Douglas), a paired, on-the-ascfinish lawyer who joins in a one-night stand with a book editor named Alex (Glenn Cleave out). Realizing his lapse in judgment, Dan tries to return to normal and forget their encounter; however, Alex becomes increasingly obsessive, pursuit Dan and his family to the brink of madness. While Douglas didn’t get an Oscar nomination for his role, Cleave out safed her Best Actress nomination. Fatal Attraction would also be nominated for Best Picture and Best Director.

Audiences watch this film with the same fervor as Alex’s obsession with Dan, hanging on the edge of every word and scene. Its depiction of mental health and grown-upery premise may not have aged as well as anticipateed, but Fatal Attraction is still one of the most engrossing movies in Douglas’s canon.

4 ‘Traffic’ (2000)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Douglas was equitable one of the huge names in the all-star cast of this Oscar-prosperning crime drama. Traffic is a multi-perspective thriller about the escalating war on substances, featuring those in political power all the way to the drug barons continuing the family trade business. Douglas stars as Robert Wakefield, a establisher conservative appraise who becomes the Pdwellnt’s watch dog in spearheading the efforts to combat the trade flow. Where Robert’s position of power is put to the test when he uncovers his daughter’s heroin compriseiction, dangerening the immacutardy, upstanding image Robert dedicated his atsoft to establishing.

Traffic co-stars Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Quad, Don Cheadle, and Douglas’s wife of over two decades, Catherine Zeta-Jones. His poignant carry outance in the Oscar-prosperning film depicts the turmoil of a disputeed man who has to be equivalent parts parent and politician. Traffic serves audiences with an observant 360 degree see of the drug trade, letting them determine where the righteous line blurs.

3 ‘The American Pdwellnt’ (1995)

Directed by Rob Reiner

In one of the best screencarry outs penned by Aaron Sorkin, Douglas and Annette Bening portray one of the most complicated political adore stories of all time. The American Pdwellnt features Douglas as the widowed Pdwellnt Andrew Shepherd as he campaigns for reelection. However, his bid for a second term becomes problematic as a relationship grows between him and environmental lobbyist Sydney Ellen Wade (Bening). With his opponent and the media using their romance as firepower, Andrew must pick between prosperning over the voters or staying with Sydney.

Thraw Sorkin’s exact dialogue, Douglas dedwellrs well-carry outd speeches as if he had portrayed a genuine pdwellnt of America’s past. Douglas and Bening remain stoic in their carry outances thraw a political depiction that critics of the film called selectimaenumerate, but fans adore for the genre. Their back-and-forth dedwellries and prompt chemistry gave audiences a romance to root for, as both characters are equassociate deserving of the other.

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2 ‘Behind the Candelabra’ (2013)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

For his role in one of his highest-rated movies of all-time, Douglas claimed honestor Steven Spielberg suppressed his ability to prosper Best Actor at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. The HBO movie, Behind the Candelabra features Douglas as the world-well-comprehendn pianist Liberace, adhereing his six-year tumultuous romance with his youthfuler adorer, Scott Thorson (Matt Damon). This carry outance taged an atypical euniteance for the huge-screen star in the made-for-TV medium.

The HBO distinct won 11 of its 15 Primetime Emmy nominations, including Douglas prosperning Outstanding Lead Actor. Douglas was a spot-on embounintelligentent of the well-comprehendn delighter with the chemistry between him and Damon is inharmfulating. While attfinishbrimmingy createed by Steven Soderbergh, Behind the Candelabra is apshown to novel heights with the gripping carry outances in a crackling if somewhat establishulaic music biopic.

1 ‘Wall Street’ (1987)

Directed by Odwellr Stone

His first Oscar nomination and prosper for acting, Douglas’s Gordon Gekko remains his most iconic movie role. Wall Street features the driven stockbroker Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) seeing to hit the huge time, and willing to do anyskinnyg to get there in a hurry. When he’s apshown under the prosperg of a cruel corporate rhelper, Gordon Gekko (Douglas), Bud goes proset up into insider trading and becomes devourd by greed. When his decisions come back to haunt him, Bud must come to terms with where his allegiance lies.

Douglas steals every scene as Gekko, rightbrimmingy geting him his Best Actor Academy Award. Gekko became a cinematic symbol of power with his inwell-comprehendn speech about how greed is excellent. While audiences adore to adore this power-tripping tycoon, Douglas constantly reminds them he’s the villain. The themes of greed and the tumultuous landscape of high-sapshows corporate finance are still relevant today, making Wall Street a timeless insloftyment in the financial drama genre.

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