John Malkovich is one of the most uniquely talented actors to ever grace the stage and screen. The two-time Oscar nominee, three-time Golden Globe nominee and one-time Emmy-winner made his screen debut in the 1978 film A Wedding and has never looked back since. In the intervening decades, Malkovich has given memorable performances in some of the best-reviewed movies to hit the mainstream and indie circuit alike.
Currently, Malkovich is absolutely crushing it in HBO's The New Pope, starring opposite Jude Law as rivaling clergymen. To remind us of the level of quality Malkovich constantly rises to, let's check out John Malkovich's 10 Best Movies according to Rotten Tomatoes!
Ripley's Game (2002) - 92%
Three years after Matt Damon put his personal stamp on Tom Ripley, the dashing con-artist and cunning social climber, Malkovich lent his own interpretation in Ripley's Game!
Co-written and directed by Liliana Cavani, the film tracks an older Ripley as he lives a life of luxury in a quaint Italian villa. When Ripley's longtime pal rings him up with the request to kill a business rival, the brilliant criminal mastermind finds a cancer-stricken fall-guy named Jonathan (Dougray Scott) to perform the task instead.
Places In The Heart (1984) - 93%
Malkovich earned his much-deserved first Academy Award nod for his work in Places in the Heart, a movie that did win Best Oscars for Original Screenplay (Robert Benton) and Leading Actress (Sally Field).
The old-fashioned drama follows Edna (Field), a widow and single mother of two in central Texas during the 1930s, where she struggles to maintain a profitable 40-acre farming ranch. Edna desperately turns to a black man named Moses for help on the farm, as well as a blind ranchhand name Mr. Will (Malkovich).
Dangerous Liaisons (1988) - 93%
Malkovich has rarely been as sexy, sleazy and salacious than in his portrayal of the rakish Vicomte de Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons.
Costarring Glenn Close, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Uma Thurman, the tale of devious and perverted sex-games was remade as the 1999 film Cruel Intentions. The original is infinitely better, largely due to Malkovich's libertine aura and commanding physical turn. For trivia buffs, actress Swoosie Kurtz appears in both movie versions.
The Killing Fields (1984) - 93%
Few films in the history of cinema remain as important as The Killing Fields, Roland Joffe's docu-style drama about the real-life ethnic cleansing campaign in 1979 Cambodia.
With gritty authenticity, the film follows an American journalist trapped in Cambodia during Pol Pot's 1979 "Year Zero" program, in which two million unwanted civilians were ordered to be slaughtered. Sam Waterston earned an Oscar-nod for his turn as journalist Syd Schanberg, while Malkovich played his close-knit photographer.
Being John Malkovich (1999) - 93%
In a rare opportunity for Johnny-boy to flash his comedic chops, Malkovich destroyed in the wildly original, highly quirky and head-spinning Spike Jonze film Being John Malkovich!
When sad and lonely puppeteer Craig (John Cusack) suddenly finds a portal into the mind of John Malkovich, his entire world opens up. Desperate to prove he isn't crazy, Craig begins offering friends and acquaintances a chance to experience what it's like living in Malkovich's headspace. Absolutely bonkers!
I'm Going Home (2001) - 96%
In the running for one of Malkovich's most esoteric titles is I'm Going Home, a French-Portuguese production from Euro director Manoel de Oliveira. And yet, it ranks among the actor's top five films, according to RT. Go figure!
The heartrending drama follows 76-year-old French actor Gil Valence (Michel Piccoli) whose world is abruptly upended when he learns his wife and son-in-law have died in a car crash. Malkovich plays film director John Crawford, an artist with a longstanding relationship with Gil.
In The Line Of Fire (1993) - 96%
Malkovich has rarely been scarier than as Mitch Leary in Wolfgang Peterson's In the Line of Fire. As a result, he earned his second Oscar nomination for his frightening performance.
The film revolves around Secret Service vet Frank Hogan (Clint Eastwood) and his dogged determination to quell a presidential assassin. Said hitman (Malkovich) goes by several aliases, assumes many disguises, builds his own gun out of plastic (to avoid metal detection), and continues to torment Frank at every turn. With the unrelenting focus of the Terminator, Leary refuses to be stopped before completing his task.
Of Mice And Men (1992) - 97%
With material as rich and layered as John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, it only makes sense the film version of the story would foster near-unanimous adoration.
Malkovich has never been better than as Lenny Small, the slow-minded but big-hearted best friend of a fellow drifter, George Milton (Gary Sinise, who also directed the film). The two go on a journey of a lifetime that changes the core of who they are forever, cementing the bond of profound friendship along the way.
Eleni (1985) - 100%
In one of his first starring roles, Malkovich lent a brilliant performance as a tormented writer intent on finding the truth about his mother's death in Peter Yates's Eleni.
When NY scribe Nick (Malkovich) gets relocated to a post in Greece, he's elated at the thought of uncovering the truth about his mother's death during the country's civil war years prior. As Nick searches for answers in the present, the film flashes back to his childhood in the wartorn Greek hills, culminating in the collision of both narratives in the end.
Death Of A Salesman (1985) - 100%
Malkovich won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor for his work as Biff Loman in Death of Salesman in 1985.
The classic Arthur Miller play was adapted by German director Volker Schlondorff, retelling the tragic tale of Willy Loman (Dustin Hoffman) and his profound mid-life meltdown. Willy is about to be unemployed, cannot pay his bills, and has no idea how to change his plot in life. Willy's two sons, Biff and Happy, have no pride in their father and struggle to make their own way in the world as well. A great piece of drama played by two of the finest actors of all-time!