Thanks to his titular, Oscar-winning role in Todd Phillips's 2019 dark comic book tale Joker, Joaquin Phoenix has been introduced to a new generation of filmgoers. Phoenix is a seasoned actor known for his intense, brooding style. He plays both villains and heroes, bringing a quirky rawness to every role.
Joaquin Phoenix's filmography spans decades and genres. While he's known for films like Walk The Line, Gladiator, The Village, and The Master, Phoenix's name is attached to dozens of features. This list showcases 10 Joaquin Phoenix films that have either fallen under the radar or been forgotten by time.
Inventing The Abbotts (1997)
This coming-of-age drama stars some of the most promising young actors in the 90s: Liv Tyler, Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly and - of course - Joaquin Phoenix. Set in a small Illinois town during the 50s, the film focuses on two interconnected families.
Crudup and Phoenix play brothers Jacey and Doug Holt. The Holt brothers develop an animosity toward the Abbotts after their father dies after losing a bet to patriarch Llyod Abbott. Tyler and Connelly play two of the Abbott daughters, Pamela and Eleanor.
Quills (2000)
Directed by Philip Kaufman - known for collaborating with Spike Jonze - Quills is a fictionalized retelling of the infamous Marquis de Sade's time at the French asylum Charenton. De Sade - played by Geoffrey Rush - was an 18th-century French writer known for his sexually explicit work. His status as a libertine often landed him in trouble with authorities.
Joaquin Phoenix plays the priest at Charenton, Abbé du Coulmier. Kate Winslet and Michael Caine co-star in this well-received, Oscar-nominated feature.
Two Lovers (2008)
Inspired by a short story from Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Two Lovers is a romantic drama about a confused man in love with two women. Joaquin Phoenix plays Leonard Kraditor, a man who moves back in with his parents after attempting to take his own life.
Gwenyth Paltrow plays his unstable, drug-addicted, yet alluring neighbor, and Vinessa Shaw plays the daughter of family friends. Leonard wavers between the two very different women while grabbling with own fragile mental state.
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot (2013)
An underrated biopic from Gus Van Sant, Don't Worry tells the story of cartoonist John Callahan. Phoenix plays Callahan, who becomes paralyzed after a terrible drunk driving car accident. Callahan's life is upended from there.
As the film progresses, Callahan finds a new identity and new meaning for himself. He falls in love with his physical therapist Annu - played by Phoenix's real-life love Rooney Mara - while adapting to life as a sober man. Eventually, Callahan reclaims his creative voice, too.
Clay Pigeons (1998)
A quirky 90s dark comedy, Clay Pigeons sees Phoenix acting alongside Vince Vaugh and Janeane Garofalo. Phoenix plays Clay, who is having an affair with his best friend Earl's wife. When Earl finds out about the affair, he kills himself in front of Clay.
In the wake of this disaster, Vaughn's character Lester Long arrives on the scene. Long is a serial killer whose next victim becomes the late Earl's wife Amanda. Garofalo plays an FBI agent investigating the serial killer.
8mm (1999)
Joel Schumacher's gritty procedural dives into the world of underground pornography. Nicolas Cage plays a private investigator and family man hired by a wealthy widow to figure out if a snuff movie she found in her late husband's office is real.
Unfortunately, it is, and Cage's character Tom Welles tries to figure out what happened to the young woman in the movie. Phoenix plays a porn store employee who helps Welles navigate the darkest corners of S&M and BDSM.
To Die For (1995)
Another film by Gus Van Sant, To Die For is a taut, sexy thriller about an aspiring news anchor who convinces three teenagers to assassinate her husband. Based on the true story of Pamela Smart, the movie is presented in a mockumentary format.
Nicole Kidman plays Suzanne Stone-Maretto, inspired by Smart, and Matt Dillon plays her husband Larry. Phoenix co-stars as Jimmy Emmett, the high schooler Suzanne seduces and engages in a sexual relationship with. It's Jimmy and two of his friends who ultimately kill Larry.
The Immigrant (2013)
James Gray, who also directed Two Lovers, is behind this sweeping drama set in 1920s New York City. Marion Cotillard plays a Polish immigrant named Ewa who becomes separated from her sister Magda on Ellis Island.
Forced to live on the streets of Manhattan, Ewa eventually meets Phoenix's character Bruno, a forceful criminal who forces Ewa into sex work. Jeremy Renner plays Bruno's cousin Orlando, a magician who offers Ewa a way out of her circumstances.
Return To Paradise (1998)
Vince Vaughn and Phoenix once again share the screen in this crime drama about three friends whose Asian vacation turns into a nightmare. Phoenix plays Lewis, whose friends Sheriff - played by Vaughn - and Tony leave him behind when the fun is over.
Lewis, an environmental activist, plans to stay and rescue orangutans in Borneo. Unfortunately, Malaysian police arrest Lewis and sentence him to death as a result of Sheriff's involvement with drugs. Sherriff must decide whether he will save his friend or turn a blind eye to Lewis's predicament.
U Turn (1997)
An indulgent Oliver Stone crime feature, U Turn stars Sean Penn who flees Las Vegas debt collectors and hides out in a small Arizona town. The town is occupied by caricatures: Nick Nolte as the businessman, Jennifer Lopez as the hot wife, Claire Danes as the simple-minded teen, and Phoenix as the abusive boyfriend.
It doesn't take long for Penn's character Bobby to get caught up in all the drama brewing below the surface. In classic Oliver Stone fashion, murder and mayhem ensue.