10 Essential Marlon Brando Movies, Ranked

Hollywood icon and silver-screen legend, Marlon Brando, is considered to be the greatest actor of his generation, known for his intense method acting and remarkable versatility who starred in popular classics such as On the Waterfront, The Young Lions, and Francis Ford Coppola‘s The Godfather. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Brando started performing on stage and studied under actress and acting coach, Stella Alder, who introduced him to the techniques of the Stanislavski system.

After making his film debut in the 1950 movie The Men, Brando’s performance in A Streetcar Named Desire propelled him to stardom and also earned him his first of many Oscar nominations. Throughout his impressive and extensive career, Brando starred in an abundance of notable films, but there are several that stand out as the Oscar-winner’s most crucial and vital contributions to classic cinema. Out of hits such as Guys and Dolls, Julius Caesar, and Apocalypse Now, these are the ten most essential Brando movies, ranked!

10

‘The Fugitive Kind’ (1960)

Directed by Sidney Lumet

Marlon Brando in The Fugitive Kind (1960) — Image via United Artists

Sidney Lumet‘s The Fugitive Kind is a drama starring Brando as a drifter, Valentine Xavier, who arrives in a small Mississippi town where he catches the eye of a married woman, Lady Torrence (Anna Magnani), and a promiscuous alcoholic, Carol Cutere (Joanne Woodward), leading the two women to compete for the newcomer’s attention and affection. As tensions run high and Xavier ends up clashing with the wrong people, he must make a crucial decision between the women before things take a disastrous turn.

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The Fugitive Kind is a harrowing Southern-Gothic drama and features a highly underrated performance by Brando, who provides his character with a sense of vulnerability and a callous demeanor that ultimately conveys a devastating account of a life tormented by loneliness and broken dreams. Despite not being a financial success, The Fugitive Kind still earned overall positive reviews and, through the years, it has been reevaluated and is now recognized as one of Brando’s vital performances.

The Fugitive Kind

Release Date: April 14, 1960
Runtime: 119 minutes
Director: Sidney Lumet
Writers: Tennessee Williams

9

‘Guys and Dolls’ (1955)

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra in 'Guys and Dolls' — Image via MGM

Brando stars in an against-type role in Guys and Dolls as an ambitious gambler, Sky Masterson, who is challenged with a bet by a fellow gambler, Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra), that he can’t get a date with a virtuous young woman, Sarah Brown (Jean Simmons), unaware that the bet is intended to finance Detroit’s craps game. After a bit of negotiating, Masterson convinces the woman to go out with him, ultimately hijacking what Detroit believed to be an easy pay day.

The casting of Brando in Joseph L. Mankiewicz‘s Guys and Dolls has been surrounded by controversy for decades. While some might find it difficult to see an intensely dramatic actor like Brando in a musical, the actor manages to pull his performance off with surprising success. Brando gives a delightfully charismatic performance that allows audiences to see his marginalized range and tenacity of his craft, deeming Guys and Dolls to be an essential Brando pick.

Guys and Dolls

Release Date: December 23, 1955
Runtime: 150 minutes
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writers: Jo Swerling, Abe Burrows, Damon Runyon, Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Ben Hecht

8

‘One-Eyed Jacks’ (1961)

Directed by Marlon Brando

Marlon Brando as Rio wearing a cowboy hat & sweating in the sun in One-Eyed Jacks — Image via Paramount Pictures

Brando directs and stars in the 1961 Western, One-Eyed Jacks, as a notorious outlaw, Rio, who, along with his partner, Dad Longworth (Karl Malden), go on the run after pulling off a major bank robbery in Mexico. When Longworth betrays Rio and takes off with the loot, he’s arrested and put in prison where he spends the next years of solitude planning his revenge against his former partner.

Based on the 1956 novel The Authentic Death of Hendry Jones by Charles Neider, One-Eyed Jacks marked Brando’s one and only directorial credit and was generally well-received by both audiences and critics. Brando is a captivating sight in front of the camera and an absolute force behind it, incorporating his immense attention to detail and vicarious style into his artistic direction that makes One-Eyed Jacks a distinctive contribution to the Western genre.

One-Eyed Jacks

Release Date: March 30, 1961
Runtime: 141 Minutes
Writers: Guy Trosper, Calder Willingham

7

‘Julius Casear’ (1953)

Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

julius-caesar-marlon-brando — Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Brando stars in the film adaptation of William Shakespeare‘s play, Julius Caesar, as the Roman politician, Mark Antony, who, after the murder of Julius Caesar, speaks out against the vicious act which was carried out by Brutus (James Mason) and the Roman senators. As Antony’s words play on the Roman people’s love for their fallen leader, a battle of politics and power slowly emerges.

Julius Caesar is one of the best adaptations of a Shakespeare play and features a spellbinding performance by Brando which earned the actor his third consecutive Oscar nomination for Best Actor. Aside from a few criticisms from critics, Brando carries the film with his portrayal of Antony, capturing the politician’s irresistible aura and commanding presence that made him such a pivotal figure in Roman history. Julius Caesar was both a critical and financial success, which also earned several additional Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Cinematography, and went on to win for Best Art Direction.

Julius Caesar

Release Date: June 4, 1953
Runtime: 2h
Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Writers: William Shakespeare, Joseph L. Mankiewicz

6

‘The Young Lions’ (1958)

Directed by Edward Dmytryk

Edward Dmytryk‘s The Young Lions is a gripping World War II drama that follows three men, including a former ski instructor turned Nazi lieutenant (Brando) whose initial faith in Adolf Hitler is fading, a Jewish-American solider (Montgomery Clift) who is subjected to prejudices in his own unit, and a Broadway singer (Dean Martin) who uses his connections and wealth to avoid combat but is eventually burdened with guilt and regret.

The Young Lions is based on the 1948 novel of the same name written by Irwin Shaw and is an absolute must-see Brando classic. Brando immerses himself in his controversial role with undeniable precision and passion that makes his performance the main attraction of the film. While Clift and Martin are sensational, Brando is tasked with a much more difficult role which only an actor of Brando’s caliber could execute with such tenacity, solidifying The Young Lions as one of the star’s most essential films.

The Young Lions

Release Date: April 2, 1958
Runtime: 167 minutes
Director: Edward Dmytryk
Writers: Edward Anhalt

5

‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Colonel Kurtz in Apocalypse Now, looming in the shadows, staring at the camera — Image via United Artists

Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now is a psychological war thriller that follows an American special ops officer, Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), who has been assigned to track down and execute a rogue Special Forces officer, Colonel Kurtz (Brando), who has reportedly gone insane and is waging war against enemy forces without permission. As Willard and several other men venture down the river and through the jungle, they slowly begin to descend into their own inescapable madness.

Apocalypse Now was loosely inspired by the 1899 novella, Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad and features an all-star cast including Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper, and Laurence Fishburne. Brando is a haunting reflection of the horrors and traumas of the Vietnam War, delivering a sinister and ominous performance that is simply captivating and one of his finest performances. Apocalypse Now earned several Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for Duvall, and went on to win for Best Sound and Best Cinematography.

4

‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ (1962)

Directed by Lewis Milestone, Carol Reed, and George Seaton

Brando stars in the remake of the essential Clark Gable movie, Mutiny on the Bounty, as the first mate of the HMAV Bounty, Fletcher Christian, who, along with his shipmates, are pushed to the edge by the ship’s cruel captain, William Bligh (Trevor Howard). When the crew becomes fed up with the captain’s abuse, Christian leads a mutiny against Bligh, throwing him into the brig where the scorned captain plots his revenge against his first mate.

Mutiny on the Bounty is a solid remake of the 1935 classic and received generally positive reviews from both audiences and critics. While some knocked Brando’s performance, the actor still manages to deliver an alluring performance as a reluctant man faced with an internal dilemma that forces him to choose between his sense of justice and social standing. Mutiny on the Bounty became one of the highest-grossing films of the year and went on to receive several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Special Effects.

3

‘A Streetcar Named Desire’ (1951)

Directed by Elia Kazan

Blanche DuBois and Stanley Kowalski covered in grease and removing his overshirt in A Streetcar Named Desire. — Image via Warner Bros. Pictures

Brando delivers his breakthrough performance in A Streetcar Named Desire, which tells the story of a middle-aged school teacher, Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh), who, after enduring a series of tragedies and losses, leaves her home in Mississippi to live with her sister, Stella (Kim Hunter) and her husband, Stanley Kowalski (Brando) in New Orleans. Unfortunately, Blanche’s flirting and Southern Belle charm cause her to clash with her volatile, straightforward brother-in-law, causing tensions to rise in the Kowalski home.

A Streetcar Named Desire is a film adaptation of Tennessee Williams‘ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, which Brando originally starred in with both Hunter and Karl Malden in the play’s Broadway debut. Leigh had also originally played the role of Blanche in the London debut of the play, which earned the actress critical acclaim. Brando gives one of his finest performances, effectively channeling his character’s internal turmoil, which brings an uncertain intensity and suspense to the classic melodrama. The movie earned several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Brando. It went on to win four of its nominations, notably Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Actress, making A Streetcar Named Desire the first movie to win in three of the acting categories.

2

‘The Godfather’ (1972)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

Marlon Brando sits and holds a glass of wine with Al Pacino across from him in The Godfather, 1972. — Image via Paramount Pictures

Brando stars in the classic gangster movie, The Godfather, as Don Vito Corleone, a highly respected family man and powerful mob boss who finds himself at war with the other Mafia families after declining an offer from an up-and-coming narcotics man. While Vito’s health begins to decline, his youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), reluctantly joins the family business and eventually becomes the future head of the Corleone family.

Brando’s performance in The Godfather is one for the ages as well as an impeccable testament to the star’s talent as a method actor. Brando essentially brought Vito Corleone to life, envisioning every minor detail of the character, including his raspy voice and bulldog-like jaw, which Brando initially achieved by stuffing cotton balls in his mouth before a mouthpiece was made for him. The Godfather was a monumental success and marked a career comeback for Brando, who, prior to the movie, had taken a leave from Hollywood. The movie earned eleven Academy Award nominations and went on to win three for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor for Brando, marking the actor’s second Oscar win.

1

‘On the Waterfront’ (1954)

Directed by Elia Kazan

Marlon Brando as Terry in On the Waterfront — Image via Columbia Pictures

Brando stars in one of the most perfectly acted movies of the 20th century, On the Waterfront, as a once promising boxer turned dockworker, Terry Malloy, who works on the Hoboken waterfront, which is controlled by a ruthless mob boss, Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb). When a longshoreman who was scheduled to testify against Friendly is found dead, Malloy teams up with the dead man’s sister (Eva Marie Saint) and a streetwise priest (Karl Malden) to take Friendly down once and for all.

Elia Kazan‘s On the Waterfront is a gripping crime drama that elevated Brando to ultimate stardom and, today, is recognized as one of the actor’s most profound and iconic performances of all time. Brando conveys his character with a chilling, raw vulnerability and emotional authenticity that not only showcases his mastery of method acting but also his impressive range as a serious dramatic actor. On the Waterfront earned ten Academy Award nominations and went on to win eight of its nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Brando, which ultimately solidifies On the Waterfront as Brando’s most essential film.