For the longest time, Gary Oldman was considered one of the all-time finest actors to never win an Oscar. In fact, he wasn't nominated until 2012 for his role in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Of course, Oldman put the topic to rest by earning his second nomination and first Academy Award win for his role as Winston Churchill in the 2017 film Darkest Hour.
Yet despite the lack of nominations, Oldman has appeared in some of the most memorable and well-received movies over his illustrious three-decade career. For a better picture, here are Gary Oldman's 10 best movies, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
Darkest Hour (2017) - 85%
It may have been the Darkest Hour for Great Britain, but when the dust settled, it was the finest hour of Oldman's career after he won an Oscar for the Best Actor.
The true story focuses on a very specific time period, May 1940, as Winston Churchill mulls his options in dealing with Hitler in the months before WWII breaks out. Oldman is completely unrecognizable as one of the finest world leaders of all, giving a riveting turn in the process.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - 87%
Gary Oldman has rarely played a more grounded, decent, and dependable human being than that of Jim Gordon, the Gotham City Police Commissioner in Chris Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
The Dark Knight Rises pits the Caped Crusader (Christian Bale) against Bane (Tom Hardy), a mumble-mouthed maniac with a terrifying mask strapped to his face. Bane's mission is to conduct a bombing campaign to raze Gotham City once and for all. As for Gordon, he's put in a tough spot when allowing Batman to take the blame for Harvey Dent's death spree.
Sid And Nancy (1986) - 88%
Gary Oldman has rarely been better than as the boozy, drug-addled, self-destructive wild-child punk-rocker Sid Vicious in the superb 1986 film Sid and Nancy.
The Alex Cox movie follows the volatile relationship between Sid, frontman for the famed Sex Pistols punk band, and his equally troubled girlfriend, Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). The film is a searing character study that allows both lead actors to really sink their teeth in, immerse themselves in the roles, and do some of the best work of their careers.
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005) - 88%
As just a tiny cog in a piece of grand movie-making machinery, Gary Oldman does what he can to stand out as Sirius Black in the world-shattering Harry Potter franchise. How do you think he did?
In Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, he unwittingly participates in the dangerous Triwizard Tournament. Meanwhile, the Death Eaters are rising up again. Both events come to a head with devastating results.
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (2004) - 90%
Few actors can play an antagonist as well as Gary Oldman. Just think about his work in True Romance, Leon, The Fifth Element, and many others. This was not lost on director Alfonso Cuarón, who wisely cast Oldman as Sirius Black in The Prisoner of Azkaban.
After Harry reunites with Hermione and Ron, he learns that Sirius Black, a criminal supporter of Voldemort, has escaped Azkaban and is out to kill him. But everything is not as it seems. Oldman nails this "villain" perfectly.
Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes (2014) - 91%
Oldman rounded out another mega-franchise in 2014 in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Directed by Matt Reeves, Caesar and his violent simian uprising are bolstered by an army of genetically engineered apes. Following a tentative peace treaty, an all-out-war for dominance among species, humans, and apes, ensues on a grand scale of size and scope. Oldman plays Dreyfus, de facto ruler of the remaining human survivors.
True Romance (1993) - 92%
"We've got everything here from diddly-eyed Joe to a damned if I know!" No True Romance fan can every forget how believably scary Oldman is as Drexl, Alabama's vicious dread-locked pimp in this Tony Scott classic.
When Clarence (Christian Slater) boldly walks into Drexl's brothel to retrieve Alabama's personal items, he's met with a veneer of hospitality. But Drexl's sly smile turns into a ferocious frown when Clarence defiantly insults the pimp before pulling a gun on him. An intense fight ensues, ending with Drexl catching a faceful of lead.
Prick Up Your Ears (1987) - 94%
Chances are, the one movie on this list you've not heard of, much less seen, is Stephen Frears' 1987 biographical drama, Prick Up Your Ears.
The story charts the rise and fall of famed British playwright Joe Orton (Oldman), a gay man who strikes a bond with older gent Kenneth Halliwell. While both men aspire to be writers, it's Orton who finds success with the plays he authors. When the two grow apart, a tragic ending is conducted at the hand of Halliwell.
The Dark Knight (2008) - 94%
There's little doubt about the reason why The Dark Knight is unanimously praised as the best Nolan Batman flick of all. In two words: Heath Ledger.
That said, let's not discount the calming presence of Oldman as Jim Gordon, a lawman who radiates genuine goodness. In many ways, Oldman has the more difficult and thankless role, playing an everyman.
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011) 97%
By the time The Deathly Hallows Part 2 hit the masses in 2011, Sirius Black had evolved from being an alleged malevolent threat at the beginning of the franchise to Harry's loving godfather who met a tragic end.
While Oldman has far less of a role this time out, being dead and all, the plot wraps up the entire franchise by pitting Harry, Ron, and Hermione against Lord Voldemort's surviving Horcruxes in a battle for the fate of Hogwarts. If they fail to destroy the magical items, Voldemort will remain immortal. This culminates in an epic battle for the ages.