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Any discussion about the greatest filmmakers of all-time would be incomplete without mentioning Stanley Kubrick, who is responsible for some of the most groundbreaking leaps forward in the history of the medium. What’s most impressive about Kubrick is that he was not bound by one genre; within his filmography, he created the definitive space opera classic, one of the scariest horror films ever made, several highly influential war epics, an “ahead of its time” erotic thriller, and a brilliant work of social satire that grows more relevant with each passing day.
Kubrick routinely got excellent performances out of his actors, and his best films would often force popular stars to act against type. While Kubrick is a filmmaker known for being obsessed with technicals, his films would be nothing without their great characters. Here are the ten best Stanley Kubrick movies with great acting, ranked.
10 ‘Spartacus’ (1960)
Starring Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier
Spartacus is one of the more controversial films of Kubrick’s career, as he famously disowned the film because he was not awarded the final cut. It’s understandable that Kubrick’s more ambiguous themes may have brushed up against the more politically allegorical writing of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo, but nonetheless, Spartacus is a rousing historical epic that features a star making turn from Kirk Douglas.
Douglas perfectly conveys the honor and nobility of a proud warrior whose dedication to seeing that all men are free makes him an inspirational revolutionary hero. Although a lesser film would exclusively focus on the singular actions of the titular character, Spartacus explores the wider scope of Roman politics through a supporting role by the great Laurence Olivier, who delivers one of the best performances of his career since his initial breakout in Hamlet and Rebecca in the early 1940s.
9 ‘The Killing’ (1956)
Starring Sterling Hayden and Coleen Gray
The Killing is one of Kubrick’s most influential films, as the notion of an immersive crime thriller about a heist gone wrong would influence modern classics such as Reservoir Dogs, Out of Sight, Good Time, and How To Blow Up A Pipeline. While the craftsmanship behind the camera is a large reason why the film was so successful, The Killing proved once and for all that Kubrick had the capability to balance an ensemble.
Despite the relative brevity of the film’s running time, The Killing does a great job at fleshing out each of the criminal characters that are involved in the robbery, giving the audience room to question which of the anti-heroes they should actually be rooting for. While all the performances are excellent, it’s perhaps Sterling Hayden’s role as a grizzled career criminal that is the biggest stand out.
8 ‘Paths of Glory’ (1957)
Starring Kirk Douglas and Ralph Meeker
Paths of Glory was unlike any other war film, as it attempted to redefine the notion of “heroism” through the story of a respected French leader in World War I who defies orders so that his men can be protected, which sparks outrage from his superiors. While their relationship would get more contention by the time that Spartacus went into production, Douglas and Kubrick worked together very well in Paths of Glory.
Despite the impressive trench warfare scenes that provide the film with its context, Paths of Glory works best when Douglas is able to give monologues about ethics, morality, and the oaths of brotherhood that he swore to the soldiers under his command. Although Kubrick is a filmmaker whose work is occasionally accused of being “emotionally stale,” Paths of Glory is quite overwhelming on a character level thanks to the diligence that is expressed through Douglas’ performance.
7 ‘Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb’ (1964)
Starring Peter Sellers and George C. Scott
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is quite simply one of the funniest movies ever made, as Kubrick offered a chilling look at what actually goes along behind-the-scenes in a congress of world leaders when critical decisions are made about nuclear testing and international conflict.
Dr. Strangelove or: HowI Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb succeeds thanks to the all-time great performance by Peter Sellers, who appears as multiple different characters within this wild satire. Although this is a technique that would later be adopted by Eddie Murphy in Coming to America and Sacha Baron Cohen in both of the Borat films, seeing Sellers commit to the bit with such gravity was relatively groundbreaking in 1964, serving as yet another example why Kubrick’s foresight was so radically ahead of its time.
Starring Matthew Modine and Vincent D’Onofrio
Full Metal Jacket is a very subversive film about the Vietnam War that explores the nature of dehumanization and radical nationalism. Kubrick made the brilliant choice to divide the film into two unique segments; one half focuses on a cowardly private (Vincent D’Onofrio) as he is faced with insults and abuse by his training sergeant (R. Lee Ermey) whilst in boot camp, and the other centers on Private Joker (Matthew Modine) as he ventures deep into North Vietnamese territory.
D’Onofrio is absolutely heartbreaking in his limited capacity, and shows just how challenging the training process can be. Ermey gives one of the definitive “training sergeant” performances that has certainly inspired many subsequent characters in war films ever since. While Modine has always been an underrated actor, Full Metal Jacket offered him the opportunity to show the talents that he had as a leading man.
5 ‘A Clockwork Orange’ (1971)
Starring Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Magee
A Clockwork Orange is perhaps the most controversial and divisive film of Kubrick’s career, which is certainly saying a lot considering that his films were frequently met with backlash over their explicit content. A Clockwork Orange received an X-Rating and was banned in Kubrick’s home country of Great Britain due to the excessive scenes of violence and sexual assault involving the character of Alex (Malcolm McDowell), a young man who leads a gang and attacks wealthy targets.
McDowell’s chilling performance is simultaneously harrowing and heartbreaking; although it is clear that Alex is a character that is in need of serious mental health resources in order to properly become reintegrated within society, the film shows how a totalitarian future wants to berate him into conforming to the law by using any means of torture and abuse that is at their disposal.
4 ‘Barry Lyndon’ (1975)
Starring Ryan O’Neal and Patrick Magee
Barry Lyndon is a historical epic like no other, as it focuses on one of the most unlikeable protagonists in screen history. The great Ryan O’Neal of Paper Moon and Love Story fame is cast against type in the titular role of an Irish scoundrel who switches sides several times over the course of a chaotic war between England and France. It becomes increasingly fascinating and infuriating to see how little attention Barry pays to the oaths that he has sworn, as it becomes more than obvious that he is willing to serve whatever party suits him best in the given moment.
O’Neal carries himself with a faux sense of honor that makes Barry even more despicable; although the tragedy that he eventually experiences is quite cruel, it’s one that feels quite cathartic when considering the despicable actions that he has proven himself to be capable of.
3 ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (1999)
Starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
Eyes Wide Shut is perhaps the most intensive production of Kubrick’s entire career, as the film went over budget and was only barely finished before Kubrick tragically died of a heart attack in 1999. The brilliance of the film was that Kubrick cast the real-life couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman as sparring partners who begin to suspect that the other one is being unfaithful.
Cruise is cast against type as an egocentric, dogmatic, and jealous husband who is riddled with anxiety and anger whenever he begins to suspect that the truth is being concealed from him. The brilliance of Eyes Wide Shut is that Kubrick understood that there was some inherently dark comedy within the story; getting to see one of the most famous couples in the world air out their grievances with one another offered some surprisingly humorous moments.
2 ‘The Shining’ (1980)
Starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall
The Shining is often cited as one of the greatest horror films ever made, even though the supernatural elements are relatively obscure until the very end. The Shining offers an intimate look at what is is like to life with an abusive partner who is not willing to listen to reason; with Jack Torrance, Jack Nicholson created the embodiment of a toxic male who takes out his personal and artistic frustrations on his family, and blames them for his personal failings.
Nicholson’s name has now become synonymous with the film itself, but Shelley Duvall was never given enough credit for how brilliant her portrayal of Wendy was in The Shining, as there is a quiet strength that she conveys within the film’s most terrifying moments. Although it was a performance that was met with mixed responses at the time, Duvall’s performance has held up as one of the greatest “scream queens” ever.
1 ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ (1968)
Starring Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood
2001: A Space Odyssey is a masterpiece of speculative science fiction that has predicted many real-world developments, such as the continued study of outer space and the more advanced development of artificial intelligence. While it’s a film best remembered for its trippy ”stargate” sequences that end the story, the performances by Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood as the two astronauts that begin to suspect that their trip is in danger.
It would be impossible to discuss the legacy of 2001: A Space Odyssey without mentioning Douglas Rain, whose vocal performance as the malevolent android HAL is one of most terrifying villains in film history, and one that has been homaged and parodied countless times. While this type of vocal work is often overlooked by voting bodies, Rain’s performance was truly worthy of an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
