Every John Hurt Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Whether you know him as Garrick Ollivander, The War Doctor, or the first victim of the Xenomorph, John Hurt was no doubt one of the most widely respected English actors. Though he passed away in 2017, his legend lives on in a number of critically acclaimed films, some of which have become pop culture classics. Starring in comedies, dramas, science fiction sagas, and psychological thrillers, Hurt never gave anything less than a top flight performance. No matter how good or bad a movie was, if John Hurt starred, you knew he'd always give his very best.

Known for his gravelly voice and kind soul, John Hurt was at his best playing men of gentle pathos, who made it easy for the audience to root for them. But he could also play a sinister villain, with a brooding darkness belied by his heavy eyes and steely gaze. During his early career in the 1960s, he appeared in a handful of light-hearted romps, and towards the end of his career in the 2010s he was known for playing wise mentors and aging father figures. From "Harry Potter" to "Hellboy," from "1984" to "V for Vendetta," we've ranked John Hurt's catalog worst to best.

In 1985, Hurt starred in "After Darkness," a so-called thriller in which he played Peter Huninger, a man who becomes obsessed with finding salvation for his mentally unstable brother Laurence. Freeing his brother from the care of doctors who seem helpless to save him, Peter struggles to get Laurence out of his desperate state, and is haunted by a dark secret they both hold: the death of their sibling, Laurence's twin, in a drowning accident. But as Peter works to bring his brother back to sanity, a nosy young colleague (Victoria Abril) follows Peter home and becomes romantically involved with his troubled brother, throwing their lives into chaos.

Co-starring one-time star Julian Sands ("Warlock") as Hurt's brother Laurence, the film is an incoherent disaster that is neither suspenseful nor intriguing. Full of mystifying dialogue and visuals that seem intent on opening up a wider mystery, the film throws itself in the trash with meaningless plot points that only serve to confuse. Billed as an atmospheric thriller, "After Darkness" is messy and boring, and ultimately a major misfire.

The same year that Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano would star in the legendary sci-fi mind-bender "The Matrix," they'd also appear together with John Hurt and Shawn Wayans in a different movie that nobody would remember. Written and directed by "Pumpkinhead 4" helmer Michael Hurst, "New Blood" saw Hurt in the role of a wealthy tycoon who sits at the heart of an overly-complicated plot.

Nick Moran ("Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels") stars as Danny, a young gangster who comes to his estranged father Alan (Hurt) with a dark deal to save the life of his dying sister, who is in desperate need of a heart transplant. All his father has to do is help Danny by serving himself up as a patsy to a mob boss he's indebted to, which will likely end in his death. In exchange, Danny agrees to sacrifice his own life and donate his heart to his sister.

A run-of-the-mill wannabe crime thriller that's not nearly as clever or interesting as it thinks it is, "New Blood" packs a punch with plenty of the requisite violence, but not much else.

Though it's definitely not John Hurt's only horror film, the 1975 flick "The Ghoul" is definitely his worst. But coming just a few years before his key role in Ridley Scott's "Alien" and starring alongside Hammer Horror legend Peter Cushing, it's also something of a surprise. Because while the film's low budget may be par for the course with this kind of movie, the reality is that it simply lacks the requisite blood, gore, and shocking thrills it needs to entertain.

The movie stars vampire icon Cushing as Dr. Lawrence, a world-weary man of god. But the former clergyman hides something shocking from the world, something that easily explains his loss of faith: his sadistic, cannibal son who he keeps locked away in the attic of his remote estate. But when he has his assistant (Hurt) abduct a pair of young women to feed the boy's hunger, it threatens to expose their dark secret.

We don't mind spoiling the surprise reveal of the titular ghoul because the film is an absolute bore, made only vaguely entertaining by the one-time pairing of Hurt and Cushing.

With a career that spanned six decades, John Hurt appeared in films in just about every genre imaginable, and in 2001 he added an erotic thriller to his repertoire. The film "Tabloid" sees Hurt playing Vince, a conniving man who plays advisor to a slimy muckraking talk show host named Darren Daniels, played by Matthew Rhys ("Perry Mason").  

A host with no moral compunctions, Daniels gets big ratings by revealing the darkest secrets of the world's hottest celebrities. But when he meets the twisted Vince, he's led down a path of debauchery that puts him in a sticky situation and threatens to reveal his own hidden truths to the world.

Trying to be a sexy and stylish thriller, "Tabloid" suffers from a paper thin story meant merely to titillate. In the end, the film is as sleazy as the characters in it, and has little to offer beyond some sensationalist fodder.

In the 1990s and early 2000s there was a rather curious trend sweeping the horror genre that saw established icons mixed with science fiction, with "Hellraiser," "Leprechaun," and "Friday the 13th" all getting in on the action. But it was a literary gothic classic that was arguably the first to get in on this fad, with the 1990 film "Frankenstein Unbound." Starring John Hurt, Raul Julia, Bridget Fonda, and Jason Patric, the film was helmed by schlock icon Roger Corman, and remains the last film he directed to this day.

Based on a book by author Brian Aldiss (whose novel "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" eventually became the 2001 Spielberg hit "A.I."), "Frankenstein Unbound" begins in the year 2031, where genius scientist John Buchanan (Hurt) is inadvertently sent back in time to 1817. There he encounters fellow inventor Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Julia), whose brother has been killed, with his nanny going on trial for the murder. But as Buchanan watches the events play out, he meets a young woman who is chronicling the trial named Mary Shelley (Fonda). When the nanny is sentenced to death, Buchanan takes it upon himself to prove that Frankenstein's monster is the real killer.

A colossal flop that couldn't even crack a half million dollars at the box office, author Aldiss once wrote on his website about attending a screening with just six other people in the theater. 

Despite being an Oscar-nominated big screen star, John Hurt also appeared in his share of TV movies. In 1988, he starred in "Deadline," a sweeping romance set against the backdrop of conflict in the Persian Gulf. Starring opposite Imogen Stubbs, Hurt brought the heavyweight talent to the production, which serves as something of a throwback to epics like "Laurence of Arabia." 

In the film, Hurt stars as London reporter Granville Jones, a disillusioned journalist who is stationed in the Persian Gulf after losing the love of his life (Stubbs). But while there, the Emir — the son of the king — betrays his father and attempts a coup that leads to all-out war, and Jones is caught up in the mayhem as a close friend of the royal family. In flashbacks we see Jones in happier days as he romances the Lady Romy Burton and befriends the Emir as a younger man.

Though there's an admirable attempt to explore the political upheaval in the Middle East, "Deadline" is simply bland and trite, though Hurt gives his usual strong performance.

The late '90s were awash in quirky black comedy crime caper films all trying to ape the success of Quentin Tarantino's watershed classic "Pulp Fiction." Most of them failed miserably, unable to recapture Tarantino's snappy dialogue and intriguing stories, with most filmmakers failing to grasp just what made the 1994 film so groundbreaking. In 1999, John Hurt starred in one such failure, the simply titled "You're Dead," whose uniquely British flavor may also bring to mind the much better "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels."

A dark comedy heist film, Hurt stars as Michael Maitland, an aging bank robber. A young Rhys Ifans co-stars as Eddie, one of a pair of bank robbers recruited by the criminal veteran to stage a daring robbery. Though each of them has their own motives — with the two younger brash men inspired by dreams of fame and fortune — they're all together in a carefully planned scheme that goes terribly wrong.

Throughout his long career, John Hurt performed in a handful of biopics and true stories, but the 1986 drama "Rocinante" is something a bit in between. The film is set during the 1984-1985 British miner's strike that saw widespread protests by workers who feared mass closures of mines as the industry faced a steep decline. But the film isn't really about the strike itself, nor does Hurt star as a real life figure involved in the event. 

Rather than dramatize the miner's strike, which was still just a year in the rear view mirror, the film follows a local drifter named Bill (Hurt) who calls an abandoned movie theater home. There he lives a listless existence until the day the building is scheduled for demolition and he sets out on the road. While going nowhere Bill encounters Jess, an intriguing young woman and social activist who has been impacted by the strike, and is intent on an act of industrial sabotage.

A movie that's more of work of visual art than anything narrative, the story is as aimless as Bill himself. Like many films at the bottom of this list, its only appeal is Hurt, who delivers another strong performance.

John Hurt worked with some of the best directors of their day, from Ridley Scott in 1979 to Guillermo del Toro in the early 2000s. But early in his career, all the way back in 1969, the British actor starred in a film from John Huston, one of old Hollywood's finest directors who was in the latter stage of his long and illustrious career. The director of the greatest mystery movie ever made, Huston teamed with "How the West Was Won" scribe James Webb and a cast featuring John Hurt, Pamela Franklin, Nigel Davenport, and a young Anjelica Huston, the director's daughter.

The film tells the story of Davey Haggart (Hurt), a British army deserter and infamous scoundrel in the 1820s who's determined to out-do his father's life of crime. Pined for by the beautiful Annie (Franklin), and doggedly pursued by the persistent Constable Richardson (Davenport), the roguish Davey stays one step ahead of the authorities ... for a while. When he's sentenced to hang, it's up to his old pickpocket partner MacNab (Ronald Fraser) to save him.

A lighthearted romp, "Sinful Davey" gives us a look at a much younger John Hurt than we're used to, in a very different kind of role than audiences might remember him for today.

By the 21st century, John Hurt had become a beloved British icon in his own right, every bit as respected and revered as David Niven had been in his day. Late in Hurt's career, though, the actor rarely played the lead role in a major Hollywood film, more often playing key supporting roles in movies with impeccable casts, even if they aren't the most celebrated or memorable projects. With "44 Inch Chest," for example, Hurt would star alongside Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, and Tom Wilkinson in a gritty crime thriller from the writers of "Sexy Beast."

A stylish crime caper and black comedy, it sees a used car salesman named Colin Diamond (Winstone) discover that his wife has been having an affair. At the urging of his bitter, disreputable friends Meredith (McShane), Peanut (Hurt), and Archie (Wilkinson), Colin exacts revenge with a plot to kidnap and torture his wife's new lover. 

Though the plot is fairly barebones, "44 Inch Chest" is a simple tale and it seems to exist only to allow its first-rate cast to chew the scenery and show off their towering acting talents. And with such wonderful stars, it's hard to complain.

You might not think that a stalwart British actor like John Hurt would have ever starred in an American Western as a rough-riding cowboy, a tough-as-nails lawman, or a renegade outlaw. But in 1995, the veteran English star did get his chance when he played the role of Charley Prince in the Western biopic "Wild Bill." In this retelling of the exploits of Wild West legend Bill Hickok (Jeff Bridges), Hurt's Charley Prince is Hickok's old friend, attending the legendary gunslinger's funeral when the film begins.

Told largely in flashback, the rest of the film follows Hickok's days adventuring across the frontier, his stint as a U.S. Marshal in Deadwood, and his romance with the sharp-shooting Calamity Jane (Ellen Barkin). Through his travels, Hickok makes enemies too, and among them are Will Plummer (Bruce Dern) and Jack McCall (David Arquette), who pick up their six-shooters and come gunning for him.

Though its Western action isn't quite up to snuff, the fine cast of "Wild Bill," including Bridges, Hurt, and Dern, make it a movie worth watching.

John Hurt never did get to play the lead in a classic Western, but he did get to star in a film from "The Wild Bunch" director Sam Peckinpah. In the 1983 thriller "The Osterman Weekend," Hurt teamed with Rutger Hauer ("Blade Runner"), Burt Lancaster ("Seven Days in May"), and Dennis Hopper ("Easy Rider") for a riveting story based on a novel by Robert Ludlum, the author best known today for his "Jason Bourne" series.

Burt Lancaster stars as CIA director Maxwell Danforth, a man overwhelmed with rage after his wife is killed by Russian assassins. As he and his colleague Agent Laurence Fassett (Hurt) investigate the killing, they discover a secret Russian intelligence agency known only as "Omega." Learning that the organization has operatives all around them — including a surgeon (Hopper), a Wall Street stock trader (Chris Sarandon), and a TV producer (Craig T. Nelson), they decide to recruit reporter John Tanner (Hauer), an acquaintance of all three men, to join their operation as an undercover informant.

A gritty, complex thriller, its twists and turns may have you scratching your head at times, but it's a fast-paced, tension-riddled story, even if it won't ever be considered a classic.

Not to be confused with the 2015 James Bond sequel of the same name, the 1977 movie "Spectre" was originally intended as a pilot for a future prime time drama. Never picked up by the network, what we're left with was just this lone made-for-TV film. Produced and written by "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, the film starred Robert Culp, John Hurt, and Gig Young, with a small part for Roddenberry's wife Majel Barrett.

A supernatural gothic detective story, "Spectre" centers on William Sebastian (Culp), an occultist and former criminologist obsessed with finding the reason for the evil that lurks within human souls. During his travels he's become cursed by a demon, and is aided in his quest by his skeptic assistant Dr. Hamilton (Young) and faithful housekeeper Lilith (Barrett). With their help, Sebastian heads to England to look into the affairs of Geoffrey Cyon (James Villiers), a wealthy tycoon who's been dabbling in dark magic himself. Once there, Sebastian comes face to face with the demon Asmodeus, who has taken the form of Cyon's brother Mitri (Hurt).

An intriguing story with a good cast and some fun moments, it probably would have worked better as the TV series it was meant to be, but it's still a fun quasi-horror romp with the same kind of eccentric flare as Roddenberry's "Trek."

No, you're not reading that wrong — British icon John Hurt did indeed star alongside Hollywood and WWE superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson in his 2014 epic saga, "Hercules." Based on the mythical hero of legend, the film is an over-the-top big budget action movie that doesn't adapt the most famous story of his 12 labors, but instead tells a new adventure for the big screen.

The Rock's Hercules in the film is introduced as a downtrodden hero, leader of a group of nomadic renegade warriors. No matter what deeds he accomplishes, though, he can't shake his dark past, tormented by dreams of his dead wife and nightmarish visions of the demon Cerberus. But when he meets Princess Ergenia of Thrace (Rebecca Ferguson), he's hired by her father King Cotys (Hurt) to help prepare his armies for a great battle with a rival kingdom ruled by a vicious warlord. 

A pleasantly diverting fantasy adventure, "Hercules" may not be a classic, but it delivers all the fun, action-packed action one could want in a movie about Hercules as played by Hollywood's biggest star.

Known for his distinctive voice, a mix of aristocratic regality and gritty authority, John Hurt has narrated a number of documentaries over the years. But in 2009, the drama "Lecture 21" (aka "Lesson 21") saw Hurt in the lead role of a university professor in a story disguised as a documentary itself. Written and directed by Italian filmmaker Alessandro Baricco, it presents Hurt's professor character as the subject of a video chronicle as he lectures his students on the travails of a legendary musician.

At his lecture, renowned professor Mondrian Kilroy (Hurt) expounds on the beauty and history of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, including the story of Hans Peters (Noah Taylor), a musician who yearned to understand it. Taking a trip through the snowy mountains, Peters would meet his fate there. A forum for Hurt to show off his immense talents, the film veers between Kilroy's lecture and Peters' story, leading to Kilroy's encounter with Martha (Leonor Watling), a young woman who engages him in spirited philosophical debate.

Almost an experimental film of sorts, The Hollywood Reporter praised "Lecture 21" as "a treat for lovers of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and filmgoers who enjoy sumptuous images accompanied by splendid music."

For years, the dismal debacle that is the 1980 Western "Heaven's Gate" was known by many as among the worst films ever made (per The Los Angeles Times). Perhaps judged too harshly due to how hard it flopped at the box office, made worse by its enormous budget for the day — in excess of $44 million — the drama about a 19th century land baron isn't nearly as bad as its reputation would suggest. With a fine cast that includes not just John Hurt but Christopher Walken, Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston, and Brad Dourif, there are excellent performances all around, at the very least.

A high profile film project from director Michael Cimino, who was fresh off his multiple Oscar wins on "The Deer Hunter," "Heaven's Gate" may have suffered from a bit too much anticipation that it just couldn't deliver on. It tells the story of Jim Averill (Kris Kristofferson), a U.S. Marshal who is tasked with protecting local landowners in Wyoming from the iron grip of wealthy cattle company tycoons. 

Savaged by critics at the time,  it was nominated for Worst Director at the infamous Razzie Awards in 1982. But "Heaven's Gate" has aged well: For years seen as a "Hollywood folly," its reputation has improved over the decades, with some now even calling it a masterpiece (per BBC Culture).

As he got older, John Hurt was often cast in mentor roles, like university professors or sagely teachers who help young and bright but naïve minds make their way through an adventure. In 2008 he played such a role alongside Elijah Wood in "The Oxford Murders," a thriller based on a book by mathematician and mystery writer Guillermo Martínez.

Young and brilliant math student Martin (Wood) goes to England to study abroad at Oxford University and work with noted professor Arthur Seldom (Hurt). But after the mysterious murder of his landlady, Martin becomes compelled to find the killer himself, and now instead of Seldom becoming his mentor in the classroom, he becomes his advisor as a mystery-hunting sleuth. But as they work together to track the culprit, it becomes clear that a famously unsolvable equation may hold the key to the case, and their mathematical minds may be able to unlock the secret that can stop a killer.

A film oft-compared to "The Da Vinci Code" (per Empire), "The Oxford Murders" is best enjoyed by those who grasp the math involved, or who at least love conspiracies and secret codes. For everyone else it may come across as a bit confusing, but if you can follow the numbers, you'll find a compelling conundrum.

The somber story of a man hoping to escape his old life and find a new one, "The Night Train" is a 1998 romantic thriller out of Ireland that saw John Hurt star opposite Brenda Blethyn ("Secrets and Lies"). Part gangster saga, part eccentric love story, it finds Hurt in the role of Michael Poole, an ex-con just released from prison who in his younger days had run the books for a group of mobsters.

Now out of prison, Poole hides out from his former criminal cronies, and finds himself renting a room from Mrs. Mooney (Pauline Flanagan), who lives there with her daughter Alice (Blethyn). Beguiled by Poole's gentle spirit and his love of model trains, Alice finds Poole a kindred soul with much in common, both being at similar points in their lives, albeit for very different reasons. Using his model trains as a fantasy escape, Poole meanwhile lives in his own little world, but must soon face up to the real one when gangster Billy (Lorcan Cranitch) comes looking for him.

A story of two gentle soulmates at a crossroads, "The Night Train" is a different kind of story that puts a spotlight on Hurt's ability to render powerful pathos.

Entering the genre of sports films, John Hurt starred in the 1984 film "Champions," based on a true story of the aptly named British steeplechase jockey Bob Champion, who made a remarkable run at the 1981 Grand National. The film tells a classic underdog story, but does far more than portray the excitement and suspense as Champion battles to win the race. It also recounts the dramatic story of his years battling a life-threatening disease.

A headstrong young jockey in the 1970s, Champion's career takes a major hit when he's diagnosed with terminal cancer, and not given long to live. But against all odds, and thanks to his indomitable spirit, Champion undergoes treatment and surgery, before facing a grueling recovery. While his prospects of returning to the races are slim, Champion does just that, and soon finds himself riding to victory in Britain's biggest race just two years later. A moving tale of one man's strength and unwillingness to ever give in, "Champions" is an inspirational story that's made all the more powerful by being based on a true story.

Indie family drama "Lou" is a different kind of film for John Hurt, an earnest coming-of-age story about a young girl named Lou (played by newcomer Lily Bell Tindley). In the dreary outskirts of New South Whales, Lou has been looking after her two younger siblings since her father walked out, as her mother continues struggling to make ends meet. To make extra money, Lou's mother agrees to take in Doyle (Hurt), her father-in-law who is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease.

Lost and confused, his presence causes strife at home with night terrors and confusion during everyday moments. But he begins to settle down after striking up a friendship with young Lou, who is coming into womanhood with a crush on a neighbor boy. Things take a dark turn, however, when Doyle begins to confuse Lou for his ex-wife who had left him for another man, and while Lou is happy to play along, her mother isn't so sure about where his confusion will lead.

Despite being Tindley's only acting credit, the actress acquits herself with poise and grace as the eponymous Lou, while Hurt is at his best in a heartfelt role as the lost Doyle, who like Lou is just looking for someone to love.

Constructed in 1961, the Berlin Wall acted as a physical, concrete border that split Germany in two. The East was controlled by the Soviet Union, and the West under the jurisdiction of an alliance between the United States, Great Britain, and France, under an agreement made in the aftermath of World War II. For decades, the people of Germany were separated by this massive barrier, but that didn't stop many desperate people from trying to escape the tyranny of Soviet rule. One incredible true story of one such attempt was dramatized in the 1982 film "Night Crossing."

The year is 1978, and Peter Strelzyk and Günter Wetzeldecide plan a daring escape from East Germany under the nose of the Stasi, the ruthless German intelligence and security force that maintain order in the region. Their ambitious plan is to construct a hot air balloon that will take them over the Inner Zone and over the Berlin Wall into West Germany. But when their first attempt fails, it puts the Stasi in hot pursuit as they begin to hastily attempt a second flight, knowing now that if they are discovered, they are likely to be executed.

Starring John Hurt and Beau Bridges as Peter Strelzyk and Günter Wetzeldecide, "Night Crossing" is a tense drama about one of the greatest escapes ever attempted.

It's hard to find a pattern to the movies that John Hurt chose to star in. He appeared in conventional dramas, indie thrillers, and even a few over-the-top blockbusters. But despite his star status and reputation as one of the finest British actors working in his day — a reputation that could have gotten him any major movie he wanted — his career is also dotted with a handful of small, offbeat foreign films. This includes the 1993 French fantasy comedy "Dark at Noon."

In "Dark at Noon" we meet Felicien (Didier Bourdon), a French man living in the days following World War I. After the death of his father, Felicien heads to a small village in Portugal to inspect a factory that his late father had apparently invested heavily in. But when he arrives, he discovers the village is a bizarre dreamscape where fantasy has become reality, where the line between the true and the impossible has been erased. A meeting with the head of the factory Anthony (Hurt) leads Felicien to encounters with disembodied souls, the Virgin Mary, and a giant stone finger.

A film that's as hard to decipher as it is to describe, "Dark at Noon" is nevertheless a solid effort in the genre of surrealist filmmaking.

Late in John Hurt's career the British icon joined a pair of major franchises. Before debuting on "Doctor Who," Hurt would play the role of Professor Oxley in 2008's long-awaited "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Released nearly 20 years after the previous film in the series, "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" saw Harrison Ford reprise one of his most iconic film roles, and reunite with Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood on an adventure to seek a long lost artifact that could point the way to an ancient civilization lost in the jungles of Brazil.

In the film, Indiana Jones is called out to help search for Oxley by his old flame Ravenwood when the professor is abducted by enemy agents during his search for crystal skulls of the lost city of Akator. With the help of young greaser Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf), the heroes head to the Amazon in search of Oxley and the fabled relics. But to find Oxley they'll have to face down the devious and deadly Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), who is obsessed with acquiring the power of the crystal skulls.

Though it received mixed reviews from diehard fans, "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" is still a rousing pulpy adventure that brought Indiana Jones to a new generation.

John Hurt starred in several true stories, and a pair of them have involve major political events in his native Britain. The first was "The Scandal," which may be one of Hurt's finest, but "The Journey" from 2016 is no slouch either. Centered on the conflict between two Irish rivals, it provides a fictionalized account of how the two former enemies wound up working together to reshape the political landscape.

"Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" star Colm Meaney plays Martin McGuinness, a former IRA leader turned Democratic Unionist Party politician, while "Harry Potter" actor Timothy Spall is Ian Paisley — a Protestant religious leader from Northern Ireland. The two openly despise one another, but in 2006, amidst important peace talks, both men find themselves together sharing a car — and a common goal — and are suddenly exploring the idea of an uneasy alliance.  

A captivating political drama, its cast also includes John Hurt, Toby Stephens, and Freddie Highmore, rounding out a strong ensemble delivering top notch performances.

The first film to be produced and funded by the late Beatle George Harrison, "Little Malcolm and his Struggle Against the Eunuchs" was filmed in the early 1970s and was a darling of the film festival circuit at the time. But it would take nearly 40 years for the film to see the light of day again, never widely released to theaters thanks to the infamous series of lawsuits involving Harrison, the Beatles, and their manager Alan Klein. Caught in the middle was "Little Malcolm," Harrison's first attempt at making movies, which became a contested asset in the split between the legendary rock group and Klein (via The Guardian).

For decades the film was practically a legend itself, often spoken of but rarely seen. Headlined by British stars like John Hurt and David Warner, the film was a black comic satire about a young man expelled from university who fights back by forming his own political movement. Based on a stage play by David Halliwell, the film won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival, before being lost for decades. Finally released on DVD in 2011, "Little Malcolm and his Struggle Against the Eunuchs" can now finally be seen, with Hurt's energetic performance on full display for all to see.

A macabre but light-hearted superhero adventure, the 2004 film "Hellboy" was based on the comics from writer and artist Mike Mignola. A fusion of pulp adventure and supernatural gothic horror, the film was a passion project for director Guillermo del Toro, who had just come off his first big mainstream Hollywood action movie, "Blade II," also based on a comic book property. "Hellboy" starred Ron Perlman in the title role, Doug Jones as sidekick Abe Sapien, Selma Blair as firestarter Liz Sherman, and John Hurt chosen as the wise, sagely Professor Bruttenholm, the hero's mentor. 

In the film we meet the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Development — or BPRD for short — and their lead agent, a heroic pistol-packing demon who goes by the moniker Hellboy. He's paired with newly-minted BPRD agent John Myers (Rupert Evans), who joins Hellboy and his team — including the amphibious Abe Sapien and the pyrokinetic Sherman — on a mission to stop the ancient villain Rasputin (Karel Roden), who wants to use Hellboy to bring about the apocalypse.

Well-loved by fans of the original comic book series, critics seemed pleased as well, with NPR calling it "thrilling, emotionally complex, and rapturously beautiful all at once."

Even into his final years, John Hurt's celebrity status never waned, and his addition to the cast of any film always seemed to bring with it a certain gravitas, no matter what other heavyweights might be starring. Even in 2013, his supporting role in director Jim Jarmusch's "Only Lovers Left Alive," a film headlined by a pair of contemporary stars, provided the film with a veteran presence. A modern gothic vampire story, its star-studded cast was led by Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston and supported by Hurt, Jeffrey Wright, Mia Wasikowska, and Anton Yelchin. 

The film centers on immortal vampire musician Adam (Hiddleston) and his alluring ageless wife Eve (Swinton). Each has their own means to secure supplies of blood for consumption in an effort to avoid killing for sustenance. Eve's supplier is the veteran vampire Christopher Marlowe (Hurt), the 16th century English playwright who as a member of the unliving had faked his death centuries ago and now lives as a recluse. But Adam and Eve's fantasy world comes crashing down when Eve's chaotic sister Ava comes into their life, murdering one of their friends for his blood and wrecking everything they've built.

An innovative and eccentric modern vampire story, it's everything you could want from the combination of talent involved.

In the 1960s, a political kerfuffle rocked the foundation of the British government, a scandal full of sex, lies, and intrigue that captured the world's attention. The so-called Profumo Affair was sparked by a dalliance between teenager Christine Keeler and the married Secretary of War John Profumo. But domestic gossip soon gave way to a crisis when it was learned that she also engaged in an affair with Soviet naval attaché Yevgeny Ivanov, and had been paid to pursue powerful men by a British socialite named Stephen Ward.

The 1989 film "Scandal" dramatizes the Profumo Affair with John Hurt starring as Ward and Ian McKellan as Profumo. Joanne Whalley is Keeler, the young showgirl who strikes up affairs with prominent political figures, destroying Profumo's career and nearly collapsing the entire British government in the process. Though the film takes some liberties with the true story, it was hailed as Hurt's masterpiece by The Guardian in 2017 in a posthumous review of the actor's long career.

Adapted from the classic George Orwell novel of the same name, this particular adaptation of "Nineteen Eighty-Four" ironically was released that very year, and put up on the big screen a bold vision of a dystopian future that perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the era. John Hurt starred as the story's protagonist Winston Smith, while the legendary Richard Burton played the villainous government agent O'Brien, in his final film performance before his death in October of that year.

In the nightmare alternate world of "1984," freedom is quashed in the mega-state of Oceana, where an iron-fisted government is ruled by Big Brother, a powerful but unseen authority that controls every aspect of society. Winston Smith is a pencil-pushing drone in the government's Ministry of Truth, who disseminates the information that is consumed by the masses, tightly controlled to prevent free thought. But unbeknownst to his colleagues in the Ministry, Smith is a thought criminal, who catalogs his own independent ideas in a secret diary, and when he comes across another like him named Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), he is inspired to do more than just think freely.

A terrifying glimpse into a dark future, "1984" somehow managed to live up to the towering legacy of Orwell's milestone opus, and remains one of the best sci-fi films of the '80s.

Famed comic book writer Alan Moore has never been a fan of adaptations of his work. But by the time that the big screen version of his seminal '80s classic "V For Vendetta" was released in 2005, he had disavowed them entirely, forfeiting royalties and having his name removed from the credits (via The New York Times). But whatever he might think of what ended up on screen, we can't imagine Moore would have any objections to John Hurt starring as the villainous Chancellor Sutler in the film.

Likely cast as an homage to his role in "1984," the film version of the comic book "V For Vendetta" is set in a similarly dystopian fascist police state. As the tyrannical High Chancellor sends his secret police to control the people, dissenters are silenced, and thought forbidden. But a masked vigilante known as V (Hugo Weaving) rises up to strike back against the regime, inspiring scores of followers. Natalie Portman stars as Evey, a young woman who gets swept up in V's quest for a revolution, bringing its violence to the Chancellor's front door.

Mixing slick Hollywood action with powerful political messaging, "V For Vendetta" rose above other comic book adaptations to become a cautionary tale that feels all too relevant.

In 2005, John Hurt re-teamed with his "Rob Roy" director Michael Caton-Jones for a project that would wind up being among his best films, "Beyond the Gates." Starring future "Hannibal" actor Hugh Dancy, the film recounts the harrowing experiences of David Belton and the horrific events that took place at the École Technique Officielle during the Rwandan genocide in the mid-1990s. In contrast to its contemporary, the better known "Hotel Rwanda," Hurt and company filmed on location at the site of where the events took place, while real survivors served as extras (per Crosswalk).

Adapted from the true story, Dancy stars as Joe Connor, a British man who has come to Rwanda to be a teacher. But when conflict breaks out between warring tribes there, his school suddenly becomes a refuge for innocent Tutsis hoping to escape the wrath of the murderous Hutu's. As the United Nations decides not to intervene in the crisis and chaos spirals around them, Connor and his headmaster Father Christopher (Hurt) must decide whether to abandon their students or stay and risk death with them.

In addition to powerful performances from Dancy and Hurt, the film's use of the real location adds a sense of stark reality that is hard to ignore. Deeply unnerving, "Beyond the Gates" is not for the faint of heart.

Author Quentin Crisp was an eccentric philosopher, a humorist, a writer, and a downright captivating personality who was hard to ignore. In 1975, when he became the subject of a feature film starring John Hurt, based on his memoir "The Naked Civil Servant," Crisp became an overnight star. An LGBTQ icon for his frank discussion of his sexuality in the public sphere, he wasn't without controversy, and the film put it all on full display for the world to see.

Opening with a monologue from the real Crisp himself, the film dramatizes his life from his youth through the 1960s, beginning with his difficult early years as he struggled with his own identity. But on discovering his sexuality, Crisp takes to the streets and proudly flaunts himself to the public, drawing the ire of a conservative nation, and even scorn among the closeted gay community who resent his ostentatiousness. Focusing on his love affairs, his time as an artist's model, and his outlandish court case, "The Naked Civil Servant" is ultimately a story about accepting who you are.

Not without its own controversy, the film caused waves of displeasure in the United States for a time (via TV Guide), but is now seen as one of Hurt's most beloved performances. 

In a decade jam-packed with groundbreaking science fiction sagas on the big screen, John Hurt would star in one of the best, the sci-fi/horror classic "Alien." Led by newcomer Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, the film follows a crew of space truckers on a long-haul mission aboard a lonely freighter. But the eclectic crew is threatened by a unique life form they discover on a distant alien world. Taking aboard a strange specimen they find there, they're horrified as it quickly gives rise to a deadly creature that terrorizes the ship, picking them off one by one.

Though his role is a supporting one that only features in the early part of the film, John Hurt gets arguably the most memorable scene as Kane. The first victim of the alien, he's the one with the creature gestating inside him until it bursts from his chest in one of the most horrifying and visceral scenes in sci-fi history. A gritty, grounded, and stunning chiller, "Alien" blends elements from science fiction, slashers, and psychological thrillers. Directed by a young filmmaker named Ridley Scott, it delivered a jaw-dropping experience for moviegoers unlike anything they'd seen before, and became one of the most gripping, terrifying, and downright shocking films of the era. Sparking a long-running franchise that continues to this day, "Alien" also topped our list of best sci-fi movies of the '70s.