The Most Memorable Michael Caine Movies Ranked Worst To Best

At 89 years old, Sir Michael Caine (knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the year 2000) continues to act regularly, often appearing in multiple movies each year. His first appearance on screen arrived all the way back in 1946 with an uncredited part in the made-for-TV movie "Morning Departure" when he was just 13 years old. But it was the late 1950s when Caine's career really started taking off, and by the 1960s, he was a full-blown international movie star.

These days, Sir Michael Caine is a household name who continues to balance leading roles with supporting parts. His distinctive voice and accent are often imitated the world over. Dueling Michael Caine impressions between fellow Brits Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan even became a running bit in the "Trip" series. This list will take a look at Michael Caine's major film roles and rank them from worst to best, according to Rotten Tomatoes critics.

"Blame it on Rio" is an '80s sex comedy that clocked in with virtually no laughs and much more than its fair share of creepiness. The misguided premise follows a pair of friends and coworkers, played by Michael Caine and Joseph Bologna, who go on vacation together without their wives as they are both going through matrimonial troubles. The creepiness comes in with the addition of each man's daughter accompanying them on their vacation, and Caine's character striking up a sexual relationship with his friend's much younger daughter, played by Michelle Johnson.

This was a movie that was doomed right from its premise, and this grossness was a point hit on by many film critics. Roger Ebert gave "Blame it Rio" a one-star rating and began his review by stating flat out that there was something incredibly inappropriate about a married 47-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl — who happens to be his best friend's daughter — getting it on. He went on to describe the movie as "clearly intended to appeal to the prurient interests of dirty old men of all ages."

"On Deadly Ground" is a 1994 action vehicle for star Steven Seagal. Beyond just starring in the lead role, Seagal also tried his hand at producing and directing the film this time around, Not surprisingly, this was Seagal's first and last time in the director's chair. All but two movies starring Steven Seagal have landed "rotten" critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes, so it should come as no surprise that "On Deadly Ground" wound up with a "rotten score" as well and lands near the bottom of Michael Caine's filmography.

Caine plays Michael Jennings, the film's generic villain who uses his position as an oil tycoon to destroy communities and reap massive profits until one of his employees, played by Seagal, has a change of heart and puts an end to his nefarious activities. Caine's casting was a strange choice given that the character is meant to be a Texan, and his attempt at a Texas accent is laughable by any metric. Also on the cast are Joan Chen, R. Lee Ermey, John C. McGinley, and Billy Bob Thornton. Many Rotten Tomatoes critics derided "On Deadly Ground" as a vanity project for Seagal, such as Stephen Hunter of the Baltimore Sun, who gave the movie a zero out of four score.

2005's "Bewitched" is a romantic comedy that uses the real-life 1960s "Bewitched" sitcom as a jumping-off point. An egomaniacal actor attempts to star in an upcoming television reboot of the classic series of the same name. But trouble ensues when he gets a real witch cast in the lead role opposite himself. The outside-the-box premise helps set "Bewitched" apart from other cash-in reboots of popular old properties, but the film itself falters at nearly every level, leaving it with "rotten" critic and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman star in the two lead roles, and the impressive supporting cast is filled with the likes of Michael Caine, Shirley MacLaine, Jason Schwartzman, Steve Carell, Kristin Chenoweth, David Alan Grier, Conan O'Brien, Stephen Colbert, Richard Kind, Michael Badalucco, and more. "Bewitched" was directed and co-written by Nora Ephron, who was a preeminent expert of the romance, comedy, and rom-com genres with hits under her belt like "When Harry Met Sally," "You've Got Mail," "Sleepless in Seattle," and "Julie and Julia." "Bewitched" was Ephron's penultimate film as a director before she passed from pneumonia in 2012.

Next up in this ranking of Michael Caine's filmography is another sequel, 2016's "Now You See Me 2." Just like the "Gnome" movies, both "Now You See Me" entries landed "rotten" critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes, but the sequel plunged even lower in the ratings with both critics and general audiences. Caine reprises his role as Arthur Tressler alongside the group of criminal magicians known as The Four Horsemen. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, and Mark Ruffalo all return from the first film as well, along with new additions to the cast including Daniel Radcliffe and Lizzy Caplan.

Caine is signed to play the Tressler character once more in "Now You See Me 3," but it remains to seen whether the film ever goes into production. Jon M. Chu took over the directing duties for "Now You See Me 2" after the first film was directed by French filmmaker Louis Leterrier, who also helmed "The Incredible Hulk" for Marvel in 2008.

Pixar's original "Cars" movie from 2006 was a big hit and fared well with both critics and general audiences. Unfortunately, the same could not be said of the sequel released in 2011. "Cars 2" saw both the critic and audience scores dipping down into "rotten" territory on Rotten Tomatoes. Owen Wilson returns as the voice of the main four-wheel protagonist from the first movie, Lightning McQueen, but this sequel pivots toward more of a focus on the former supporting character of Mater, voiced by Larry the Cable Guy. Racing remains a core part of the plot, but the scope also widens to find Mater getting involved in international espionage.

Michael Caine was a new addition to the cast for the sequel and voices Finn McMissle, a British spymaster on a top secret mission, who Mater becomes entangled with. Mater also finds himself attracted to McMissle's protégé, Holly Shiftwell, voiced by Emily Mortimer. The odd decision to make this "Cars" sequel a spy movie in part was an area that critics hit upon in their negative reviews. Critic Shubhra Gupta criticized the story, writing that "the plotlines tumble and collide with each other creating, mostly, cacophony."

2012's "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is a sequel to 2008's "Journey to the Center of the Earth." The first movie received a moderately fresh score with critics, but the sequel fared much worse, and both movies scored poorly with general audiences. Though Brendan Fraser starred in the first "Journey" movie, he does not return for the follow-up. Taking Fraser's place is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, while the main returning character is Sean Anderson, played by Josh Hutcherson. Also in the main cast are Vanessa Hudgens, Luis Guzman, and Kristin Davis.

The story follows the main group of adventurers as they head to a mysterious island in the South Pacific on a rescue mission. Michael Caine plays Alexander, the man they are attempting to save from an unsavory fate. Brad Peyton took over the directing duties of this sequel from Eric Brevig, who helmed the original. Peyton has worked with The Rock on blockbuster movies since "Journey 2," including "San Andreas," "Rampage," and the announced but yet to start filming "San Andreas 2."

The first "Now You See Me" fared considerably better with critics and audiences than its much lower-ranking sequel, and audiences left it with an overall "fresh" score even if it still wound up with a "rotten" rating from critics. This far-fetched story of bank-robbing magicians relies on the star power of its A-list cast, which includes Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Mélanie Laurent, Woody Harrelson, Common, and Michael Caine.

Some critics considered "Now You See Me" to be a fun, popcorn, blockbuster-type movie that can be enjoyed if you switch your brain off. Others found it to be a movie that fell apart if any time was spent thinking about the over-the-top plot and the implausible plot twist. Critic Kent Garrison gave the movie an "F" rating on the Mad About Movies podcast, saying that it "relies on one of the worst, if not the worst twist in cinema history, and literally erases everything that it builds up to."

"Austin Powers in Goldmember" is the third movie in the spy spoof series, following up "Austin Power: International Man of Mystery" and "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me." All three were directed by Jay Roach, who also directed "Bombshell," "Meet the Parents," and others. The first "Austin Powers" movie was written by star Mike Myers, with the latter two entries co-written with Michael McCullers, who also penned movies like "The Boss Baby" and "Baby Mama."

"The Spy Who Shagged Me" and "Goldmember" both landed on the "rotten" side of the ledger, but "Goldmember" was the only "Austin Powers" movie to also wind up with a "rotten" audience score on Rotten Tomatoes in a clear case of diminishing returns. The plot this time around again finds Powers' arch-nemesis Dr. Evil attempting to take over the world, this time with the help of the titular Goldmember and through the use of time travel. Michael Caine was a new addition to the cast as Austin Powers' father, Nigel. Caine was a welcome addition for many critics, even if he wasn't enough to save the movie. Leigh Paatsch of Australia's Herald Sun wrote that Caine and co-star Beyoncé Knowles "lightened the load," but added that Myers took on too much by playing four characters, making "heavy going of everything else."

"The Weather Man" stars Nicolas Cage as, you guessed it, a weather man dealing with depression who's divorced from his wife, semi-estranged from his children, and living in the shadow of his successful father, an acclaimed author played by Michael Caine. The movie landed marginally "rotten" critic and audience scores on Rotten Tomatoes. In the director's chair was Gore Verbinski, who also directed the first three "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies, as well as "Rango," "The Lone Ranger," and the English language remake of "The Ring."

Rotten Tomatoes critics were divided when it came to "The Weather Man." Some critics, like Kam Williams of Upstage magazine, found the movie to be an awful piece of work, giving it a zero out of four rating and calling it "gross" and "relentlessly depressing." Others, such as James Berardinelli of ReelViews, found it more worthwhile, calling it "a meticulously developed character piece."

Though its three-hour length was noted by many as a fault, "A Bridge Too Far" received generally positive reviews from critics and an even stronger reaction from audiences on Rotten Tomatoes. This war movie from 1977 tracks a team of British and American paratroopers who work together during World War II. Ryan O'Neal and Sean Connery star as an American and British general respectively, while Edward Fox and Michael Caine play important lieutenants on the ground. James Caan, Anthony Hopkins, Elliott Gould, Laurence Olivier, Dirk Bogarde, Liv Ullmann, Arthur Hill, and Robert Redford round out the rest of the main cast.

"A Bridge Too Far" was directed by Richard Attenborough, who also directed biopics like "Gandhi" and "Chaplin" as well as leading an illustrious career as an actor. Adapted from the non-fiction book of the same name by Cornelius Ryan, the adapted screenplay was penned by Oscar-winning writer William Goldman, the man behind movies like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Princess Bride," "Marathon Man," and "All the President's Men." The immensely talented cast and above-the-line crew make "A Bridge Too Far" work in spite of its hefty length. The movie won four BAFTAs and was nominated for four more, including Best Film.

Released in 1981, "Victory" is a hybrid of the sports and war movie genres set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. The national soccer team of Germany is set to play against a group of allied P.O.W.s, but an escape attempt is in the works with the aid of the French resistance. Michael Caine and Sylvester Stallone star as English and American captains. The movie also made use of real soccer players like Bobby Moore and Pelé. Also of note on the cast is Max von Sydow as a German major.

"Victory" was directed by John Huston, who led a long and storied career as both an actor and director. Huston also directed classic movies like "The Maltese Falcon," "The African Queen," "Prizzi's Honor," "Annie," "Moulin Rouge," "The Asphalt Jungle" and more. Throughout his impressive career, Huston was nominated for a staggering 14 Oscars across various categories and won both Best Director and Best Screenplay for "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" in 1948.

"Deathtrap" is a 1982 mystery drama, with comedy elements, directed by the great Sidney Lumet, the director behind movies like "12 Angry Men," "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon," and many others. Michael Caine stars as Sidney Bruhl, a washed up playwright who hatches a plot to murder an ex-student, played by Christopher Reeve of "Superman" fame, and take credit for his latest work. Bruhl's wife, who eggs on his murder plot, is played by Dyan Cannon.

"Deathtrap" was adapted from the stage play of the same name written by Ira Levin. In addition to writing plays, Levin was also an author who wrote the novels "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Stepford Wives," both of which received big-screen adaptations as well. Critics were generally positive toward the film, with Roger Ebert scoring "Deathtrap" three stars out of four. He wrote that the film is largely effective at subverting what the audience anticipates out of a movie like this, while still providing the requisite unexpected shocks. 

2015's "Youth" is a drama written and directed by Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, who also directed television projects like the HBO miniseries "The Young Pope" as well as movies like "The Great Beauty" and "The Hand of God." The low-key story is set in the Alps and follows a pair of old friends on vacation. One is a filmmaker, played by Harvey Keitel, who's writing the script for what he believes to be his final great work, while the other, played by Michael Caine, is a retired composer and conductor who is being pressured by the Queen of England to come out of retirement for a final performance. Also of note on the cast are Paul Dano, Jane Fonda, and Rachel Weisz.

Given that Caine's character is a composer, music holds great significance in "Youth." The movie was nominated for the best original song Oscar for "Simple Song #3" by David Lang, but ultimately lost out to Sam Smith's "Writing's on the Wall," from the James Bond thriller "Spectre." "Youth" is the first film on our list to land the coveted "Certified Fresh" badge on Rotten Tomatoes, with the film's stunning cinematography, the performances, and the dynamic between Caine and Keitel highlights for many Rotten Tomatoes critics.

"Kingsman: The Secret Service" is a bombastic 2014 spy movie packed with plenty of action and comedy. The plot follows a young hooligan named Eggsy (Taron Egerton), who is recruited into the ranks of a top-secret British spy guild called The Kingsmen by Harry Hart (Colin Firth). Michael Caine plays Chester King, codenamed Arthur, the head of The Kingsmen who betrays the organization by falling in league with the villainous Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson). Mark Strong, Mark Hamill, and Sofia Boutella round out the cast.

The film was adapted from the "Kingsman" comic book series created by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. Millar also co-created the "Kick-Ass" comic book series, with both "Kingsman" and "Kick-Ass" brought to the big screen by "X-Men: First Class" director Matthew Vaughn. Critics and moviegoers were both kind to "Kingsman," and strong box office led to a sequel in 2017 subtitled "The Golden Circle" and a prequel in 2021 titled "The King's Man," with Caine appearing in neither.

"The Prestige" is yet another highly-rated collaboration between Michael Caine and filmmaker Christopher Nolan. The movie is a mystery thriller set in the 1800s that follows a pair of rival magicians, played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, who are locked in a constant battle to one-up the other by any means necessary. The plot is full of twists and turns that keep viewers guessing up until the final moments. Michael Caine plays Cutter, an assistant and stage engineer who works with both magicians at different points. Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Ricky Jay, and Piper Perabo play important supporting characters, and David Bowie has an impressive cameo as Nikola Tesla.

"The Prestige" was adapted from the novel of the same name by Christopher Priest. Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan Nolan collaborated on the screenplay. While not an enormous box office success for Nolan, it continued his relationship with Caine even when they were not working on Batman films.

While the 2003 remake landed solid scores with critics and general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, the original "The Italian Job" from 1969 scored even higher with both. The story follows a British criminal, played by Michael Caine, who is released from prison and immediately gets wrapped up in a plot to steal gold in Italy. The most famous element of the movie is the big showstopper car chase toward the end of the film that makes creative use of Mini Cooper cars.

"The Italian Job" makes use of a goofy comedic tone that may or may not work for each viewer, but most critics found it enjoyable. Many critics also agreed that large stretches of the movie were not particularly engaging, but that the car chase finale made it all worthwhile. This was a sentiment touched upon by The Hollywood Reporter in their review, stating that the outstanding auto chase sequence in the film's final stretch would perk up viewers who steadily lost interest during the first two-thirds of the picture.

Ranking much, much higher than the Sylvester Stallone-led remake from 2000, the original "Get Carter" from 1971 is one of Michael Caine's highest-rated films. Caine stars in the titular role of Jack Carter, a hardened gangster who seeks out revenge against the men responsible for his brother's murder. The story was adapted from the novel "Jack's Return Home" by Ted Lewis. Following the success of the film adaptation, Lewis wrote two follow-up novels, "Jack Carter's Law" and "Jack Carter and the Mafia Pigeon," although neither was filmed.

"Get Carter" was directed by Mike Hodges, who went on to direct "Flash Gordon," "A Prayer for the Dying," and "Croupier." In a retrospective review published in 2021, critic Roger Moore of Movie Nation looked back at "Get Carter" and called Michael Caine's lead character "the definitive British gangster," adding, "50 years later, it's still one of the definitive gangland films."

As the concluding chapter in Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy, "The Dark Knight Rises" didn't fare quite as well with critics as the middle entry in the series, but it did earn a higher critic score than "Batman Begins." "The Dark Knight Rises" picks up eight years after the previous film and finds Bruce Wayne in retirement as a crimefighter eight years after the death of Harvey Dent. When he must put on the cape and cowl again, Michael Caine's Alfred expresses deep misgivings that lead to a breach between the two men.

Along with Caine and Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne, Nolan's final Batman movie brings back a bevy of familiar faces such as Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and even Cillian Murphy as the Scarecrow in a brief appearance. Nolan also integrates a couple of additional characters from the comic books, most prominently Selina Kyle aka Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), Talia al Ghul (Marion Cotillard), and Bane (Tom Hardy), who proves to be the Dark Knight's biggest threat yet.

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is an off-the-wall comedy starring the surprisingly well-matched duo of Michael Caine and Steve Martin. This 1988 farce set on the French Riviera follows a pair of rival con men, played by Caine and Martin, who compete to see who can take advantage of a particular rich target first, an heiress played by Glenne Headly. "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" was directed by Frank Oz, who also directed "What About Bob?" and the 1986 musical version of "Little Shop of Horrors," but is perhaps best known as the voice and puppeteer of Yoda. 

"Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" is actually a remake of a lesser-seen 1964 movie titled "Bedtime Story." Filling the roles of Michael Caine and Steve Martin's characters were David Niven and Marlon Brando, and taking on the role of the rich mark was Shirley Jones. While that version of the film is not mentioned much anymore, "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" — and its battle of wits between the elegant Caine and the more coarse Martin — remains a critical and fan favorite. 

2006's "Children of Men" is a science fiction drama with action elements set in a dystopian future that is rapidly hurtling toward an apocalyptic end, as humanity seems to have lost the ability to reproduce for unknown reasons. When a woman becomes pregnant for the first time in 18 years, her safety and survival become the top priority for Theo, played by Clive Owen, and a group of radical activists played by the likes of Julianne Moore and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Michael Caine plays the supporting role of Jasper, a friend of Theo's who sacrifices himself for the greater good.

The story was adapted from the novel of the same name by P.D. James, first published in 1992. "Children of Men" was directed by Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, whose filmography includes "Y tu mamá también," "Gravity," and "Roma." While Caine's appearance in the movie is relatively brief, "Children of Men" rose above initial box office indifference to become one of the most praised films of the 2000s.

1965's "The Ipcress File" is a spy thriller that stars Michael Caine as Harry Palmer, who is looking into the brainwashing of scientists. The plot was adapted from the novel of the same name by Len Deighton. "The Ipcress File" was Deighton's first novel, and he followed it up with six more books in what would become known as the "Secret File" series, all starring the same anonymous spy (who was given the name Harry Palmer for the films).

"The Ipcress" file was directed by Sidney J. Furie, who later helmed movies like "Iron Eagle" and "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace." Michael Caine would go on to reprise the Harry Palmer character periodically throughout his career. He played the character four additional times in "Funeral in Berlin," "Billion Dollar Brain," "Bullet to Beijing," and "Midnight in Saint Petersburg," the most recent of which was released as a TV movie in 1996.

In 1966, Michael Caine starred as the titular Alfie Elkins in an important early role in his career. The character is a womanizer who uses his looks and charm to sleep with various women while working as a chauffeur. "Alfie" is a character study of this lecherous man who gradually learns the error of his ways. The film was directed by Lewis Gilbert, who also helmed multiple James Bond movies.

Caine earned his first Oscar nomination for the part, and the critical acclaim his performance garnered made a pivotal difference in his acting career moving forward. Caine worked with director Lewis Gilbert again in 1983 on the film "Educating Rita," which earned Caine his third Oscar nomination. In its review of "Alfie," The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film catapulted Caine "into the select class of top international stars." "Alfie" was remade in 2004 with Jude Law in the lead role, but the remake was widely panned by critics and general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes.

The number one highest-rated movie of Michael Caine's long and illustrious career is 1975's "The Man Who Would Be King." The film was another collaboration between Caine and director John Huston, who would later direct him in "Victory." "The Man Who Would Be King" tells the story of two British soldiers, played by Caine and Sean Connery, who abandon their station in India in search of adventure. The pair winds up in Kafiristan, a place cut off from the outside world. The two become leaders of the Kafiristan people, and Connery's character is even mistaken for a god.

Christopher Plummer plays a supporting role as Rudyard Kipling, the author of the original short story that laid the foundation for the film. "The Man Who Would Be King" was nominated for four Oscars in the art direction, screenplay, costume design, and editing categories. The film also received a Golden Globe nomination for best original score, and two BAFTA nominations in the cinematography and costume design categories.