Top 10 Mickey Rourke movies ranked – and The Wrestler isn’t No. 1 | Films | Entertainment | EUROtoday

Before his skilled boxing profession – that noticed him earn the standing of undefeated in eight fights, with six wins (4 by knockout) – Mickey Rourke was thought of Hollywood’s subsequent Marlon Brando.

His persona was brooding, unpredictable, and effortlessly magnetic, which made him the sort of actor that appeared to be born to behave in movies directed by the likes of Coppola and Parker.

Then, after his boxing days have been over, Rourke returned to our screens, and was in a few of the finest motion pictures of his profession.

Whether he’s enjoying a burned-out fighter or an antihero, and from cult classics to critically acclaimed items, listed here are the highest 10 Mickey Rourke movies ranked by their IMDb rating:

10. Barfly (1987)

IMDb rating: 7.1

Before Mickey Rourke turned a tabloid fixture, he turned Henry Chinaski, a poet who spends extra time brawling and ingesting than writing. This biographical drama – directed by Barbet Schroeded – was loosely primarily based on the lifetime of poet Charles Bukowski, and follows the character’s struggles as a self-destructive, alcoholic author who finds solace in bars in Los Angeles.

Faye Dunaway performs his equally tormented counterpart, Wanda – a job that bought her nominated for the Best Actress (Drama) class on the Golden Globes.

9. Thursday (1998)

IMDb rating: 7.1

Thursday is a pointy, violent, darkish comedy the place Rourke reveals up as a drug-dealing enforcer in a tangled mess of weapons, heroin, and guilt. Thursday is against the law drama a few reformed drug vendor, Casey (Thomas Jane), who, after shifting to Houston and turning into an architect, is compelled to confront his previous when a former affiliate arrives with heroin, resulting in a violent confrontation with corrupt characters.

It’s commonly known as a Tarantino-esque movie that does not fairly impress cinephiles, however will probably be supply of leisure for motion and crime story followers.

8. Rumble Fish (1983)

IMDb rating: 7.1

The second time Mickey Rourke teamed up with Francis Ford Coppola, for a extra experimental challenge, was in Rumble Fish, a black-and-white movie concerning the rebellious Rusty James (Matt Dillon), who idolises his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy, performed by Rourke – pertaining to matters of youth, gang life and maturity.

The movie wasn’t a field workplace success, however earned some good critiques from specialised media, who particularly level out Coppola’s sturdy visible type as a spotlight.

7. The Rainmaker (1997)

IMDb rating: 7.2

Again directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Rainmaker follows younger lawyer Rudy Baylor, performed by Matt Damon, as he takes on a robust insurance coverage firm, Great Benefit, with the assistance of a cynical paralegal, Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito), to struggle a foul religion insurance coverage case for a terminally sick boy. Mickey Rourke performs Bruiser Stone – a greasy Memphis lawyer and Rudy’s mentor, who steals each scene he’s in.

The movie bought a Golden Globes nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture, for Jon Voight’s work.

6. Angel Heart (1987)

IMDb rating: 7.2

In Angel Heart, non-public investigator Harry Angel (Rourke) is employed by the mysterious Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) to seek out the singer Johnny Favorite. The investigation takes Angel to New Orleans, the place he uncovers a darkish thriller involving voodoo, the occult, and a collection of brutal murders. As Angel will get nearer to the reality, he discovers that the case is extra private than he initially thought, main him to a surprising revelation about his personal identification and a darkish secret related to Johnny Favorite.

Mickey Rourke received a Jupiter Award for Best International Actor, and Lisa Bonet received the Young Artist Award for Best Young Female Superstar in Motion Pictures. Additionally, the movie was nominated for 3 Saturn Awards.

5. Buffalo ’66 (1998)

IMDb rating: 7.4

In the darkish comedy drama Buffalo ’66, Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo, who additionally directed the movie) is launched from jail and kidnaps Layla (Christina Ricci), a faucet dancer, to fake to be his spouse and impress his estranged and eccentric dad and mom. As Billy and Layla navigate Billy’s troubled previous and his strained relationship together with his dad and mom, Layla slowly begins to know the complicated and sometimes comical nature of his life and the world round him.

In Buffalo ‘66, Rourke plays a bookie in a short but sweet appearance. The film became a cult classic almost instantly, and Rourke’s transient however brutal scene is considered one among its standout moments.

4. Body Heat (1981)

IMDb rating: 7.4

Neo-noir gem Body Heat follows a Florida lawyer, Ned Racine (William Hurt), who falls for a good looking girl, Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner), who’s married to a rich businessman. They embark on an affair and conspire to kill Matty’s husband, Edmund (Richard Creena), to inherit his fortune.

Rourke performs Teddy Lewis, an arsonist with a conscience – or a minimum of, some frequent sense, seeing as he warns the principle character to not get entangled in a lethal affair. This was one among Rourke’s earliest movie appearances, and, on the time, critics took notice.

3. Man on Fire (2004)

IMDb rating: 7.7

Man on Fire tells the story of John Creasy (Denzel Washington), a burned-out ex-CIA operative turned bodyguard, who takes a job defending a younger lady, Pita (Dakota Fanning), in Mexico City. After Pita is kidnapped, Creasy unleashes a violent rage and embarks on a vengeful mission to seek out and punish these accountable – however Mickey Rourke, as his handler Jordan, turns into the quiet voice of cause amid Creasy’s vengeance-fuelled rampage.

The movie carried out nicely within the U.S. market, and demanding reception was heat.

2. The Wrestler (2008)

IMDb rating: 7.9

Many would argue this one must be primary – and it almost is. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Rourke performs a personality so near his real-life story it feels fateful: Randy “The Ram” Robinson is a once-famous skilled wrestler now lowered to signing autographs at school gymnasiums and reliving his glory days by means of blood and ache.

Rourke remodeled for the function – that might mark his return to appearing after his boxing profession – and critics hailed it because the comeback of the last decade.

He went on to win a BAFTA and Golden Globe, however misplaced an Oscar to Sean Penn (Milk), sparking probably the most hotly debated Best Actor races of the century.

1. Sin City (2005)

IMDb rating: 8.0

The iconic Sin City is against the law thriller film primarily based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel collection of the identical title, that includes a noir-style visible aesthetic with black and white, and coloured accents. The movie weaves collectively a number of interconnected tales set within the corrupt metropolis of Basin City, the place lawlessness and violence reign. In it, Rourke turns into one of many two first characters, Marv, the ditch coat-wearing brute with a coronary heart of gold and a face carved like granite.

Filmed nearly fully on inexperienced display with a stylised comic-book sheen, Sin City is a violent, visible masterpiece. It was a vital and industrial success, and featured loads of stars, together with Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson.