Legendary screenwriter and director, John Huston, was a trailblazer of American cinema who produced some of Hollywood's greatest films including The Treasure of Sierra Madre, The African Queen and Key Largo. Born in Missouri, Huston was the only child of actor, Walter Huston, who originally studied as an artist in Paris before moving to Los Angeles. After co-writing several successful scripts, Huston made his directorial debut in 1941 with the iconic film noir, The Maltese Falcon.

Throughout his 46-year career, Huston earned a total of 15 Academy Award nominations and also appeared in minor film roles, most notably as Noah Cross in the neo-noir, Chinatown. Out of his extensive filmography as a director including The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean and The Asphalt Jungle, these are 10 of Huston's best movies ranked, according to Rotten Tomatoes.

10 'Prizzi's Honor' (1985)

Jack Nicholson talking to Kathleen Turner in Prizzi's Honor
Image via 20th Century Studios

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 85%

Charley Partanna (Jack Nicholson) has been a longtime hitman for the Prizzi family and is given a job on the West Coast. Partanna arrives in California and when he locates his target, he discovers the man is the ex-husband of his recently new love interest, Irene (Kathleen Turner) who unbeknownst to him, is also a gun for hire.

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Prizzi's Honor is a daring dark comedy that hilariously showcases the bizarre lengths people are willing to go to under unusual circumstances. The movie earned several Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. Huston's daughter, Anjelica Huston, who had been praised by critics for her performance, went on to win the film's only Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

9 'The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean' (1972)

Paul Newman sitting at a bar alone in The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
Image via National General Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 89%

A former outlaw, Roy Bean (Paul Newman) appoints himself as the judge of a small Texas town who robs and executes anyone who rides through the area. As Bean continues to enforce his idea of law and order, his haven is jeopardized when his only friend dies and the townspeople start to turn on him.

The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean is a comedy Western that also stars Ava Gardner, Anthony Perkins, Tab Hunter and Roddy McDowell. At times, the movie struggles to find a balance between humor and historical accuracy but through the years, The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean is now considered one of Huston's best films as well as one of Newman's greatest performances.

8 'The African Queen' (1951)

Humphrey Bogart sitting next to Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen
Image via United Artists

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 96%

British missionaries, Samuel Sayer (Robert Morley) and his sister, Rose (Katharine Hepburn) travel to German-occupied territory in Africa. When war is declared between Germany and Britain, Samuel is killed by German troops. Steamship captain, Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) offers her safe passage home but is persuaded by Rose to destroy a German gunboat instead.

The African Queen was the fifth collaboration between Bogart and Huston and earned Bogart his one and only Oscar win for Best Actor. Huston and Bogart made seven films together (if you count High Sierra) and were good friends until Bogart's death in 1957. In 2012, the boat used in The African Queen was restored and is now on display in Key Largo, Florida for the public.

7 'Key Largo' (1948)

Humphrey Bogart looking at Lauren Bacall in Key Largo
Image via Warner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%

WWII veteran, Frank McCloud (Bogart) travels to Key Largo, Florida to pay his respects to the family of a former war buddy who was killed in combat. He arrives at a motel run by his friend's father (Lionel Barrymore) and his widow, Nora (Lauren Bacall) but is unaware that the establishment's been overrun by a group of thugs led by a notorious gangster, Johnny Rocco (Edward G. Robinson).

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Key Largo is full of outstanding performances but most notably, Claire Trevor who won the Oscar for her role as former nightclub singer, Gaye Dawn. According to Trevor, she assumed she would have time to rehearse the scene where she's required to sing, but Huston surprised her with no time to practice. While she doesn't have the voice of Doris Day, Huston desired her off-key performance as it correlates perfectly with the character's past and unfortunate downfall.

6 'The Asphalt Jungle' (1950)

Marilyn Monroe in The Asphalt Jungle
Image via MGM 

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%

Dix Handley (Sterling Hayden) has recently been released from prison and already planning to steal one million dollars of jewels. With the help of a few friends including an expert safe cracker and attorney, Handley manages to successfully pull off the heist, but his excitement is quickly dashed when one of the men winds up dead from a stray bullet.

The Asphalt Jungle is a classic film noir based on the 1949 book by W.R. Burnett who also wrote the famous crime novel, Little Caesar. The film also stars Jean Hagen and features Marilyn Monroe in one of her first credited film roles. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio head, Louis B. Mayer, was originally opposed to green lighting the film, but much to Mayer's dismay, Huston was backed up and given the go-ahead by MGM's chief of production, Dore Schary.

5 'The Misfits' (1961)

Montgomery Clift, Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable standing shoulder to shoulder in the back of a truck bed in The Misfits
Image via United Artists

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%

In Reno, Nevada, Roslyn Taber (Monroe) is filing for divorce when she meets a charming cowboy (Clark Gable) and a veteran WWII pilot (Eli Wallach) who are immediately drawn to her. The trio take a chance and decide to all move into Guido's home and when they're joined by a former rodeo rider (Montgomery Clift), they start a business catching wild horses together.

Production for The Misfits was troublesome for several reasons including Nevada's triple-digit temperatures and Monroe's deteriorating marriage to the film's screenwriter, Arthur Miller who also delayed filming with numerous script revisions. Unfortunately, the film was a financial flop, but despite the low numbers, critics still praised Gable, Monroe and Wallach for their superb performances. Today, The Misfits is considered to be one of the greatest films of the 1960s.

4 'The Man Who Would Be King' (1975)

Michael Caine standing behind Sean Connery sitting in a chair in The Man Who Would Be King
Image via Columbia Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 97%

English officers, Peachy Carnehan (Michael Caine) and Danny Dravot (Sean Connery) are stationed in India and have grown tired of their lives as soldiers. They travel to an isolated kingdom where they are welcomed and viewed as rulers, but after a series of miscommunications, the townspeople are led to believe that Dravot is a god.

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The Man Who Would Be King is based on the short story by Rudyard Kipling and according to Huston's autobiography, 'An Open Book', had a sentimental value to the director who had been working on the project for decades after first reading the story as a kid. The film earned positive reviews from critics including Roger Ebert, who gave it four stars commending Connery and Caine as well as Huston's masterful direction.

3 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941)

Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Mary Astor and Sydney Greenstreet in The Maltese Falcon
Warner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 99%

Private eye, Sam Spade (Bogart) is hired by an elusive woman (Mary Astor) but as soon as he takes the job, his partner winds up dead. As Spade tries to get to the bottom of the crime, he finds himself tangled up with a group of suspicious characters who are searching for a priceless statue known as The Maltese Falcon.

The Maltese Falcon is ranked as one of the greatest classic film noirs of all time and according to Huston's autobiography, he prepared for the film by planning out every minor detail including notes to himself in the script as well as sketches of each scene. Actor, George Raft, was originally offered the lead and while he would've been excellent, Bogart brings a certain charm and slight deadpan humor to the character that only Bogie himself could successfully pull off with audiences.

2 'Fat City' (1972)

Jeff Bridges and Stacy Keach looking at a small piece of paper in Fat City
Image via Columbia Pictures

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%

Former champion boxer, Billy Tully (Stacy Keach) becomes inspired to restart his career while training a young boxer named Ernie (Jeff Bridges). As Tully tries to sort out his troubled past and reclaim his glory days, Ernie's star begins to rise but outside the ring, he struggles with being in an unhappy marriage and a sudden transition into fatherhood.

After a series of box office flops, Fat City was a commercial success and a vindication for Huston's career. Huston was originally drawn to Leonard Gardner's novel because of his own experience as a young boxer. When Huston was 15 years old, he was a top-ranking lightweight boxing champion in California, but a broken nose, unfortunately, ended his career.

1 'The Treasure of Sierra Madre' (1948)

Humphrey Bogart as Dobbs and Tim Holt as Curtin in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Image via Warner Bros.

Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 100%

Fred Dobbs (Bogart) and Bob Curtain (Tim Holt) are drifters who meet up with a former prospector, Howard (Walter Huston) in Mexico and search for gold in the mountains of Sierra Madre. The men discover a fortune but as they fight to overcome the wilderness and bandits, their own lack of trust and insatiable greed becomes a greater threat to their survival.

The Treasure of Sierra Madre is a bleak but humorous Western tale that's also widely regarded as Huston's masterpiece. The movie won three Academy Awards earning Huston his only two wins for Best Director and Best Screenplay and his father won for Best Supporting Actor. Today, many consider The Treasure of Sierra Madre to be one of the best films of all time as well as Bogart's finest performance.

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