Sir Michael Caineis a beloved British actor and icon known for his distinct accent and natural charm who initially gained audiences' attention with hit movies such asGet Carter,Gambit, andThe Italian Job. Born in London, Caine started his career in show business on the stage, working as a theater assistant, and taking on bit roles. By the 1960s, Caine had made headway in British films, appearing in various espionage thrillers and eventually proving himself to be a promising leading man on the silver screen.
Throughout his impressive career, Caine earned sixAcademy Award nominations, winning two Oscars for Best Supporting Actor for his performances inHannah and Her SistersandThe Cider House Rules. With a career spanning over eight decades, Caine has appeared in over one hundred films, but there are a select few, includingAlfie,Batman Begins, andSleuth, that many deem to be among his most rewatchable films.
10’Flawless' (2007)
Directed by Michael Radford
Set in the 1960s,Flawlessis a British heist film starringDemi Mooreas a successful executive, Laura Quinn, who has sacrificed her entire life for her career at London Diamond Corporations. Despite her success and dedication,Quinn’s gender ultimately leads to her being passed over dozens of times for any promotions. When she learns that the company is planning on letting her go, she and the company’s janitor, Hobbs (Caine), devise a plan to steal all the company’s diamonds.
Caine gives a spectacular performance inFlawless, which is one of his most overrated movies and deserves more recognition than it typically receives. The movie goes above and beyond the traditional heist formula, conveying a more cryptic and unique plot and exploring the authentic discrimination many women, like Moore’s character and Caine’s, experienced at one time in the workforce.Flawlessis a brilliant cross between a compelling theme of morality and a tedious plot of revenge, deeming it to be by far one of Caine’s more rewatchable films.
9’Batman Begins' (2005)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Caine takes on the role of Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler and surrogate parent, Alfred Pennyworth, inChristopher Nolan’sBatman Begins, starringChristian Baleas the Caped Crusader. The film follows Wayne’s journey as he becomes Gotham City’s hero,Batman, and must fight to save the city from the League of Shadows, led by Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) and a corrupt psychologist, Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), also known as the Scarecrow.
Even though Caine isn’t the star ofBatman Begins, which is a must-seeDC Comics movie, he plays a crucial role which he executes with wit and precision. Other actors, such asAlan NapierandMichael Gough, have taken on the role of Alfred, but instead of trying to imitate or recreate their portrayals of the character,Caine puts his own spin on the character with his cheeky humor and sophisticated charm that lightens up the overall dark toneand atmosphere of the movie.
Batman Begins
After witnessing his parents' deaths, Bruce learns the art of fighting to confront injustice. When he returns to Gotham as Batman, he must stop a secret society that intends to destroy the city.
8’The Cider House Rules' (1999)
Directed by Lasse Hallström
The Cider House Rulesis a torrid drama which follows a young orphan, Homer Wells (Tobey Maguire), who grows up with the other kids at an orphanage run by a kind doctor, Wilbur Larch (Caine). When Larch teaches Wells medicine and how to perform abortions, Wells refuses to perform them and leaves to work on a cider farm. While there, Wells falls in love, but when one of the female workers on the farm becomes pregnant by her father, he starts to reevaluate his principles.
The Cider House Rulesis a compelling movie based on the 1985 novel of the same name written byJohn Irving, who also wrote the screenplay for the film.Caine’s performance is widely considered to be one of his all-time best, which earned the actor his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Despite some mixed reviews,The Cider House Rulescontains an array of lovely performances by the entire cast and a thought-provoking premise that deems it to be a unique ’90s drama as well as a solid, rewatchable Caine film.
The Cider House Rules
The Cider House Rules follows a young man raised in an orphanage who is trained as a doctor by his mentor, the orphanage’s director. As he embarks on a journey to find his place in the world outside, he encounters complex moral dilemmas and discovers the intricacies of human connection and compassion.
7’Interstellar' (2014)
While Earth is slowly dying from a second Dust Bowl, a NASA physicist, John Brand (Caine), believes thathumankind can be saved by being transported through a wormhole and to a new home. Before anything can happen, a former NASA pilot (Matthew McConaughey) and a team of researchers must travel through the wormhole and, out of three potential planets, choose one that is suitable and inhabitable for the human race.
Caine stars in Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning movie,Interstellar, alongside an all-star cast which also includesMatt Damon,Anne Hathaway, andJessica Chastain. While he’s among a supporting cast of notable names,Caine effectively holds his own, giving a heartfelt and emotionally driven performance that stands to be one of his finest in recent years.Interstellarreceived several Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Score and Best Production Design, and went on to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
Interstellar
When Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.
6’The Prestige' (2006)
Caine reunites with Nolan in the director’s sci-fi psychological thriller,The Prestige, starringHugh Jackmanand Christian Bale as two young magicians, Robert Angier and Alfred Borden. The film centers around Angier and Borden, who were initially partners, butafter an accident on stage kills Angier’s wife, the men part ways. As they each develop their own new shows, they become bitter rivals and when Borden debuts his new trick known as the Transported Man, Angier becomes obsessed with trying to learn his former partner’s secret.
Caine takes on the role of an intelligent stage engineer, John Cutter, who is hired by Jackman’s character and eventually becomes a mentor to the young magician. Despite only being a supporting character,Caine is a marvel in every single one of his scenes, taking full advantage of every minute of screen time to ultimately convey a fascinating character who adds to the film’s overall magic and allure. Between Caine’s mesmerizing performance and the film featuringone of thegreatest twists in a sci-fi movie,The Prestigeis without question one of Caine’s most rewatchable flicks.
The Prestige
After a tragic accident, two stage magicians in 1890s London engage in a battle to create the ultimate illusion while sacrificing everything they have to outwit each other.
5’Alfie' (1966)
Directed by Lewis Gilbert
Caine stars as a womanizing, self-indulgent chauffeur, Alfie Elkins, who ends up getting his girlfriend, Gilda (Julia Foster), pregnant but refuses to marry her. While Alfie eventually grows attached to his son, Gilda gets married to a man who is willing to accept Alfie’s son as his own, forcing Gilda to cut Alfie off from his child.As Alfie suffers the loss of his son, he spirals into a mental breakdown, forcing him to reexamine his life and focus on the bigger picture than just himself.
Caine is affectionately amusing in the British dramedy,Alfie, which earned several Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress and Best Actor, marking Caine’s first Oscar nomination. The movie is essentially a humorous love letter to the swinging 1960s, highlighting the decade’s notion of peace and love while also incorporating a wholesome journey of self-discovery and maturity that resonates with almost every viewer.Alfieranks as one of Caine’s signature filmsand even though it has some bleak moments, Caine’s performance alone is one that, even today, audiences have yet to grow tired of watching time and time again.
4’The Italian Job' (1969)
Directed by Peter Collinson
Caine stars in the British caper comedy,The Italian Job, as a lifelong crook, Charlie Croker, who has recently been released from prison and is planning on meeting with his former associate and friend to pull upa masterpiece of a heist. When Croker learns that his friend has been murdered, his friend’s widow convinces him to carry out their original plan,forcing Croker to recruit a group of skilled criminals to help him pull off the grand heist.
Caine’s performance in the iconic British crime film,The Italian Job, is easilyone of the actor’s most memorable and signature roles that heightened his career as a major box office draw. The film received overall positive reviews, with many praising Caine’s performance and the film’s director,Peter Collinson, and his excellent direction.The Italian Jobis credited as a major contribution to British cinema, representing a certain flare while also proving to be a well-balanced comedy and thriller which Caine carries with incredible ease and poise.
The Italian Job
A comic caper movie about a plan to steal a gold shipment from the streets of Turin by creating a traffic jam.
3’Gambit' (1966)
Directed by Ronald Neame
Gambitis an essential ’60s comedy thriller starring Caine as a career cat burglar, Harry Dean, who, with the help of a showgirl, Nicole Chang (Shirley MacLaine), plans an elaborate heist to steal a priceless piece of art from a multi-millionaire. As Dean executes his seemingly flawless plan,the burglar’s vision fails in almost every way as reality throws him for a loopand his master scheme begins to slowly unravel.
Caine gives a first-rate performance in the comical heist movie,Gambit, which also features a delightful performance by MacLaine. While Caine is an individual spectacle,he and MacLaine have a naturally humorous chemistry full of witty banter and flirtatious tensionthat make them the main highlight of the film. Overall,Gambitreceived positive reviews and earned three Academy Award nominations, including Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound.
2’Sleuth' (1972)
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Laurence Olivierstars as a crime novelist and game enthusiast, Andrew Wyke, who, after discovering that his wife is having an affair, decides to invite her lover, Milo Tindle (Caine), over to offer him a proposition.While Wyke explains he has no interest in saving his marriage, he suggests that Tindle steal some expensive jewelryfrom the house as a means to support his wife’s expensive lifestyle, explaining the jewels are insured and will cover his losses. Tindle agrees to the suggestion, but what starts out as a foolish game soon turns into a tedious battle of wit and tact.
Two of the greatest British actors share the screen inone of the best bottle movies,Sleuth, which is a brilliant adaptation ofAndrew Shaffer’s 1970 Tony Award-winning play of the same name.Caine and Olivier are a force of nature, both delivering powerhouse performances, which earned both actors an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and two additional nominations for Best Director and Best Original Dramatic Score. The majority of audiences and critics commendedSleuthfor its profound performances and labyrinth of a plot which effortlessly hooks audiences into a thrilling game of cat and mouse.
In Sleuth, a wealthy crime novelist invites his wife’s lover to his mansion for a high-stakes game of wits. The ensuing psychological duel unfolds within the confines of the opulent estate, where deception and cunning intertwine as both men vie for the upper hand in their complex rivalry.
1’Get Carter' (1971)
Directed by Mike Hodges
Caine takes on an against-type role in the British gangster film,Get Carter, asa ruthless mobster, Jack Carter, who travels to Newcastle to make arrangements for his brother’s funeral. Once he arrives, Carter learns more about the circumstances surrounding his brother’s death and soon begins to suspect that he was murdered. As Carter questions an array of seedy characters with ties to the criminal underworld, he leaves a bloody trail in his path in an effort to find his brother’s killer.
Known for his dramatic and comedy roles, Caine’s merciless and gritty performance as a gangster in the revenge thriller,Get Carter,is what ultimately makes it the actor’s most rewatchable film. The movie is based on the 1970 novel,Jack’s Return Home, byTed Lewis, and is also a cinematic treat for audiences, essentially demonstrating Caine’s impeccable range and versatility that many typically take for granted. Aside from some criticism regarding Caine’s character’s lack of remorse,Get Carterstill stands to be one of Caine’s greatest performances and, through the years, it has aged like a classic fine wine.
Get Carter
NEXT:Every Christopher Nolan Movie, Ranked by How Much Michael Caine There Is
