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- Joaquin Phoenix stars as Beau Wassermann in Beau is Afraid, which premieres on April 21. As fans eagerly wait to see his new film, it's the perfect time to delve into some of the award-winning actor's best works so far.
Joaquin Phoenix's a former child star turned Oscar winner who has dazzled audiences with dark and eccentric characters in films like Gladiator and The Master. With a career dating back to the 1980s, Phoenix has earned several Oscar nominations including Best Actor for Walk the Line, and most recently won Best Actor for his performance in Joker.
With his upcoming films, Beau is Afraid (set to premiere on April 21) and Ridley Scott's Napoleon (November 22), the method actor continues taking on challenging and unconventional characters. Out of the actor's impressive and extensive collection of characters, some of his highest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes deserve some recognition, with Joaquin Phoenix's best movies worth watching at least once.
Updated on April 18, 2023, by Hannah Saab:
Joaquin Phoenix stars as Beau Wassermann in Beau is Afraid, which premieres on April 21. As fans eagerly wait to see his new film, it's the perfect time to delve into some of the award-winning actor's best works so far.
12 'Gladiator' (2000)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
Directed by Ridley Scott, Gladiator is a renowned epic historical drama that follows the story of General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe). Maximus is blindsided by the villainous Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who murders his own father to be able to take control of the throne. Maximus is sent to become a slave, and soon fights his way through the arena's ranks as a gladiator to seek justice.
As the antagonistic Commodus, Phoenix does a remarkable job of being incredibly annoying. He's a fantastic villain who conveys the selfishness and arrogance of the emperor's traitorous son, who will stop at nothing to take power for himself.
11 'Walk the Line' (2005)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
In 1968, legendary country star, Johnny Cash is about to perform at Folsom State Prison and reflects on his life and career. From a farmer's son to becoming the rebel of country music, Cash recounts the pivotal moments that defined his journey including the loss of his brother, his fight with addiction, and meeting the love of his life, June Carter.
Walk the Line's a phenomenal biopic about the trials and triumphs of country music icon, Johnny Cash. Phoenix was praised for his uncanny portrayal of the Man in Black which earned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role only several years after receiving his first-ever nomination for his role in Ridley Scott's Gladiator.
10 'Two Lovers' (2008)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%
An underrated rom-com from the 2000s, Two Lovers is centered on a love triangle that forms between the recently heartbroken Leonard Kraditor (Joaquin Phoenix), the sensible Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), and the manipulative Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow). It's based on Fyodor Dostoyevsky's 1848 short story "White Nights" and depicts the messiness and humor that comes with the three main characters' predicaments.
Phoenix is unforgettably charming as Leonard, who is torn between tradition, family, and predictability – all of which Sandra represents – and a life of excitement, danger, and uncertainty – which Michelle offers. It's a tale that has been told more than once in film, but Phoenix breathes new life into the tortured protagonist's story.
9 'The Master' (2012)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%
Freddie, a World War II veteran, struggles with trauma from the war and integrating back into society. He meets Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) a charismatic leader of a religious movement and is welcomed into the organization. While Freddie tries to adhere to the rules and teachings, he develops a bond with Dodd that's viewed as a threat by his followers.
The Master is a slow-burning psychological thriller directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, who's known for There Will Be Blood and Boogie Nights. According to Newsweek, Anderson based Hoffman's character partially on the lives of author, John Steinbeck and Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard. Phoenix along with Hoffman and co-star, Amy Adams, all received Oscar nominations for their performances in this complex drama.
8 'The Immigrant' (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
After World War I, Ewa (Marion Cotillard) and her sister, Magda, travel from their post-war home in Poland to Ellis Island in New York City. The sisters are, unfortunately, separated when Magda's forced to quarantine leaving Ewa alone until she meets a generous man named Bruno who offers to help her find her way.
The Immigrant reunites Phoenix with James Gray who directed the actor in We Own the Night. The movie is inspired by the stories of Gray's grandparents who came to the United States in 1923 and, according to IndieWire, was written specifically for Phoenix and Cotillard. The director claimed that if Phoenix and Cotillard had not signed on, he's not sure if the movie would have ever been made.
7 'The Sisters Brothers' (2018)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%
Brothers, Charlie and Eli (John C. Reilly) are gunslingers who are hired to track down and kill a chemist who has found a new way to pan for gold. As the brothers travel to California, they must overcome uncertain dangers and shady characters that test them and their brotherly bond.
The Sisters Brothers is a neo-Western that was a box office bomb but applauded by critics for the overall performances and fresh story. Phoenix and Reilly are an unlikely pair of co-stars who are both humorous and endearing. In an interview with the National Post, Reilly said the stars prepared for the movie by spending all of their time together before and during production.
6 'To Die For' (1995)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 88%
Suzanne (Nicole Kidman) is a local weather reporter who has always dreamed of becoming a big-time news anchor. When her husband asks her to spend more time at his restaurant and start a family, Suzanne starts to plot how to get rid of him. She eventually sets her sights on a high schooler who she enlists to murder her husband.
Directed by Gus Van Sant, To Die For is a dark comedy based on the novel of the same title. Both the novel and movie were inspired by the case of Pamela Smart, a teacher's aide who was sent to prison for seducing and convincing one of her students to murder her husband in 1990. The movie was a milestone for Phoenix, marking his first leading role in a major movie since appearing in Parenthood.
5 'You Were Never Really Here' (2017)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%
Joe's a gun-for-hire who specializes in rescuing girls and brutally punishes their captors. After a senator's daughter is kidnaped by a major human trafficking network, Joe's hired to find and rescue her but along the way, he uncovers a larger force at play involving corruption and abuse of power that he can't turn his back on.
You Were Never Really Here is an intense neo-noir thriller directed by Lynne Ramsay. Phoenix's performance is exceptionally haunting and delivers a character who is a slight homage to Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle. Like Travis, Phoenix is traumatized by his past military service and to feel useful again, he takes on a noble but dangerous cause that could cost him his life in the end.
4 'Hotel Rwanda' (2004)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 91%
Paul (Don Cheadle) and his wife run a hotel together in Rwanda where they happily live with their children. Their bliss is shattered when Hutu forces initiate an ethnic cleansing against the Tutsi. Paul and his family open their home to thousands of refugees but when the United Nations forces start to leave, Paul must find a way to protect his family and the refugees from Hutu troops.
Hotel Rwanda tells the true story of Paul and Tatiana Rusesabagina who provided shelter for refugees during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Phoenix plays an American journalist named Jack who has been assigned to document the horrific events and ends up using alcohol as a method to cope with the trauma.
3 'Parenthood' (1989)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%
A perfectionist father is struggling to accept his kids' shortcomings and dealing with his siblings who have family problems of their own including divorce and surprise pregnancies. Through patience, support, and more patience, each family manages to come together to resolve their issues and remember the importance of loving your family no matter who they are.
Directed by Ron Howard, Parenthood was Phoenix's first major movie role and the opportunity for the young actor to work with stars such as Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, and Rick Moranis. Phoenix plays Wiest's withdrawn son and went on to earn a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actor starring in a Motion Picture.
2 'Her' (2013)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Theodore's a sensitive romantic who makes a living writing personal letters for other people. After being heartbroken by the end of his marriage, he finds company in Samantha, the A.I. host of a new operating system. As Theodore starts spending the majority of his time talking to SAM, he finds himself falling in love with the virtual assistant.
Directed by Spike Jonze, Her was also written by Jonze who early on had Phoenix in mind for the role of Theodore (according to Variety). Phoenix co-stars with Scarlett Johansson who voices Samantha, Chris Pratt, and Phoenix's future partner, Rooney Mara. Other stars such as Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, and Brian Cox also lend their voices to characters in this modern-age romance.
1 'C'mon C'mon' (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
Johnny's an emotionally broken radio journalist who travels around the country to interview children and ask them about their future hopes and dreams. When he's left to care for his nephew, Jesse, the two go from state to state as Jesse provides a new perspective for Johnny that sparks an unknown emotion in him for the first time.
C'mon C'mon is a heartwarming independent A24 film written and directed by Mike Mills and was Phoenix's first film coming off the success of his performance in Joker. The movie premiered at the 48th Telluride Film Festival in Colorado and received universal praise from audiences and critics who considered it to be one of the actor's greatest performances of all time.