The name Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr. isn’t one that automatically leaps out as possessing any kind of public or cultural significance. When boarding flights or going through rigorous airport security, Maurice would regularly receive befuddled looks as he passed over his passport to perplexed check-in staff, many occupied by the same thought processes — a fraudster perhaps, a case of stolen identity, or he just really looks like that actor.
It was for that exact reason that Maurice Joseph Micklewhite Jr. legally changed his name to that of his famous alias, Michael Caine. This change actually came recently, in 2016, after the Great British actor had been facing the same inquisition from airport security for 55 years. Translating this into movie terms, that’s 160 films, six Oscar nominations with two wins, and an $80 million net worth… Suffice it to say, Caine’s career in the film industry has had quite the innings.
Updated November 25th, 2022: If you love Michael Caine, you’ll be happy to know we’ve updated this article with additional content and entries.
Viewed as a national treasure in the UK and widely accepted as an industry icon, Caine is one of the finest actors to have graced the silver screen. The Zulu star’s career has spanned over seven decades, making him one of the longest-working actors in the profession. He is one of an elite group of actors to have been nominated for an Oscar in five different decades: Jack Nicholson, Paul Newman, and Laurence Olivier being his esteemed company. Late last year, Caine seemingly announced his retirement from acting after his role in Lina Roessler’s Best Sellers, but followed it up with the self-referential statement, “I haven’t retired, and not a lot of people know that.” With Caine soon to be 89 years old, let’s rank the legendary actor’s best films…
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11 Batman Begins (2005)
Warner Bros. Pictures
Over Caine’s formative years, he’s had the propensity to take on less demanding roles, with several appearances of varying prominence in films such as Dunkirk, Interstellar, and Inception (albeit, not a bad selection of films to have a part in). This can also be said for The Dark Knight trilogy. As in all three of those other films, Caine thrives under Christopher Nolan’s directorship in Batman Begins as well, playing Alfred, Bruce Wayne’s highly-regarded butler who had taken care of the orphaned Batman when his parents were killed.
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In this first installment ofThe Dark Knight trilogy, Alfred assists Wayne with undertaking his missions through both invaluable intel and state-of-the-art gadgets, as well as being Batman’s closest confidant. While Batman Begins is a great film, Caine’s back-seat supporting role hardly warrants it being considered his greatest role.
10 Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)
Orion Pictures
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels follows the hilarious story of two con-men, Lawrence Jamieson (Caine) and Freddy Benson (Steve Martin). Due to the pair operating in the same vicinity on the French Riviera, the fraudsters elect to settle their areal dispute via a wager. Caine plays the smooth-talking, masterly, professional British crook to expert effect. The combination of Caine’s suave and upper-class persona and Steve Martin’s jovial, comical genius works a treat. This movie is a barrel of fun.
9 The Italian Job (1969)
Paramount Pictures
“You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off” is arguably one of Caine’s most famous lines in cinema, coming in the form of British heist movie The Italian Job, not to be mistaken for the lightweight 2003 remake starring Mark Wahlberg and Jason Statham. Caine stars as a Cockney cheeky-chappy ex-convict and gangster, Charlie Croker, who orchestrates a gold-bullion heist in Turin. The late, great Sir Noel Coward also makes an appearance as a crime boss, Mr. Bridger.
This film is emblazoned with patriotic British quirks, from the Cockney rhyming slang used in Quincy Jones’ “Self-Preservation Society,” to the getaway cars of choice, mini-coopers, sporting the colors of the Union Jack, of course. While The Italian Job may not possess the right foundations for substantial character development and plot depth, it thoroughly embraces its power as a form of entertainment, escapism, and amusement.
8 Zulu (1964)
Here’s another throwback cinematic classic. Zulu takes place in 1879, when the nation hands colonial British forces a resounding defeat in battle. A nearby regiment of the British Army takes over a station run by a missionary (Jack Hawkins) and his daughter (Ulla Jacobsson), as a supply depot and hospital under the command of Lieutenant John Chard (Stanley Baker) and his subordinate (Caine).
Unable to abandon their wounded soldiers even in dire circumstances, the regiment defend their station against the Zulu warriors. The film is a visual treat and was praised for his historical accuracy. Caine is dynamite in this heroic persona, which he continued to perfect in the years since.
7 Alfie (1966)
Lewis Gilbert’s Alfie was the film that made Caine’s career and cemented his status as an international star. It is more than the story of Alfie Elkins (Caine), a charming and self-centered womanizer who leads a selfish lifestyle. Speaking directly to the camera and breaking the fourth wall, Caine’s Alfie poses questions and challenges the audience to think about the inner sadness of his character. For the role of this aimless Don Juan, the actor received the first of his six Oscar nominations.
6 Youth (2015)
StudioCanal
Written and directed by Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, Youth contains one of Caine’s most recent best roles. In this melancholy comedy-drama, the actor plays Fred Ballinger, an elderly composer spending time at a Swiss luxury spa/resort with his old best friend (Harvey Keitel). As Fred reflects on his life and thinks about aging, he receives an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to perform one last concert. It is an Oscar-worthy performance. Caine is at once unbearably sad, tender, and funny.
5 Get Carter (1971)
MGM-EMI Distributors
Get Carter follows the story of lethal London gangster, Jack Carter (Michael Caine) on a mission to avenge the murder of his brother. At the time (1971), Caine had become a break-out international star, so his homecoming to partake in this (what was considered to be) low-budget project was a major coup for British director Mike Hodges. Caine plays a smooth, efficient, and unforgiving mobster who stops at nothing to exact his revenge.
The London-born actor is all too accustomed to playing the cold-blooded gangster, albeit to varying degrees; as seen in The Italian Job, Harry Brown, The Marseille Contract and King of Thieves. As Roger Ebert put it, “Get Carter shows him as sure, fine and vicious — a good hero for an action movie.”
4 Educating Rita (1983)
Rank Film Distributors
During the late-70s and early-80s, Caine had hit a crossroads as far as his acting career was concerned. He had succumbed to films that were simply not worthy of his name, nor acting ability (and that’s putting it mildly.) Yet, Educating Rita provided the actor with a much-needed revitalization. Caine stars as the seemingly defeated university professor Dr. Frank Bryant, who is introduced to an unlikely savior in the form of his student, Rita (Julie Walters). This charming, light-spirited story extends beyond the pair’s mutually beneficial teacher-student relationship, offering both parties another chance at realizing their respective passions, aspirations, and dreams.
3 The Cider House Rules (1999)
Miramax Films
Director Lasse Hallström’s adaptation of The Cider House Rules, the famous novel by John Irving, was the film that brought Caine his second Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor. Set against the backdrop of WWII, it follows the story of orphan Homer Wells (played by Tobey Maguire) who has never stepped foot out of the orphanage until a chance encounter with visitors Wally (a youthful Paul Rudd, who nonetheless looks exactly the same) and Candy (Charlize Theron).
Caine stars as Dr. Wilbur Larch, a physician at the dilapidated orphanage who also happens to specialize in ‘backstreet’ abortions. Aside from his rather questionable American accent, Caine’s performance encapsulates the caring, warm, and complex on-screen presence of Dr. Larch whose father-son-like relationship with protagonist Homer Wells is put to the test when Homer leaves for pastures new.
2 The Man Who Would Be King (1975)
Columbia Pictures
Plausibly Caine’s career-best performance is in the adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s novella, The Man Who Would Be King. It follows the adventures of two ex-British soldiers, Daniel Dravot (Sean Connery) and Peachy Carnehan (Caine), as they battle against the elements, bandits, and anything else that stands in the way of them and their destination, Kafiristan.
The Man Who Would Be King provides a stark reminder of what can happen when one attempts to play God. As Empire states, “It could be argued, that they give the best performances of their career, a fact obscured by the film’s unassuming devotion to story.” It may not be the best Michael Caine movie, but it is arguably his best performance.
1 Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Woody Allen’s mid-career masterpiece, Hannah and Her Sisters, follows the comedic story (as the title suggests) of the lives of Hannah and her two sisters, Lee and Holly, over a two-year period. At one stage, this was the Manhattan director’s highest-grossing film; consequently, it won three Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor for Caine as Eliot, Hannah’s want-away husband, who embarks on a year-long affair with her sister, Lee.
Caine is incredible in his performance as the love rat, Eliot, managing to be simultaneously contemptible and yet relatable, putting the ‘pathetic’ in ‘sympathetic.’ Hannah and Her Sisters explore the themes of convoluted relationships between couples, siblings, and in-laws, as well as the constant battle for control over one’s emotions, thoughts, and fears amidst mortality and the anxieties of life. The fact that this film remains one of Allen’s very best, coupled with Caine’s standout performance even amongst a glittering ensemble cast, and Hannah and Her Sisters is arguably the best Michael Caine movie, even with such an incredible filmography.
