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

Before his professional boxing career – that saw him earn the status of undefeated in eight fights, with six wins (four by knockout) – Mickey Rourke was considered Hollywood’s next Marlon Brando.

His persona was brooding, unpredictable, and effortlessly magnetic, which made him the kind of actor that seemed to be born to act in films directed by the likes of Coppola and Parker.

Then, after his boxing days were over, Rourke returned to our screens, and was in some of the best movies of his career.

Whether he’s playing a burned-out fighter or an antihero, and from cult classics to critically acclaimed pieces, here are the top 10 Mickey Rourke films ranked by their IMDb score:

10. Barfly (1987)

IMDb score: 7.1

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

Faye Dunaway plays his equally tormented counterpart, Wanda – a role that got her nominated for the Best Actress (Drama) category at the Golden Globes.

9. Thursday (1998)

IMDb score: 7.1

Thursday is a sharp, violent, dark comedy where Rourke shows up as a drug-dealing enforcer in a tangled mess of guns, heroin, and guilt. Thursday is a crime drama about a reformed drug dealer, Casey (Thomas Jane), who, after moving to Houston and becoming an architect, is forced to confront his past when a former associate arrives with heroin, leading to a violent confrontation with corrupt characters.

It’s generally known as a Tarantino-esque film that doesn’t quite impress cinephiles, but will be a good source of entertainment for action and crime story fans.

8. Rumble Fish (1983)

IMDb score: 7.1

The second time Mickey Rourke teamed up with Francis Ford Coppola, for a more experimental project, was in Rumble Fish, a black-and-white film about the rebellious Rusty James (Matt Dillon), who idolises his older brother, the Motorcycle Boy, played by Rourke – touching on topics of youth, gang life and maturity.

The film wasn’t a box office success, but earned some good reviews from specialised media, who especially point out Coppola’s strong visual style as a highlight.

7. The Rainmaker (1997)

IMDb score: 7.2

Again directed by Francis Ford Coppola, The Rainmaker follows young lawyer Rudy Baylor, played by Matt Damon, as he takes on a powerful insurance company, Great Benefit, with the help of a cynical paralegal, Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito), to fight a bad faith insurance case for a terminally ill boy. Mickey Rourke plays Bruiser Stone – a greasy Memphis lawyer and Rudy’s mentor, who steals every scene he’s in.

The film got 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 score: 7.2

In Angel Heart, private investigator Harry Angel (Rourke) is hired by the mysterious Louis Cyphre (Robert De Niro) to find the singer Johnny Favorite. The investigation takes Angel to New Orleans, where he uncovers a dark mystery involving voodoo, the occult, and a series of brutal murders. As Angel gets closer to the truth, he discovers that the case is more personal than he initially thought, leading him to a shocking revelation about his own identity and a dark secret connected to Johnny Favorite.

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

5. Buffalo ‘66 (1998)

IMDb score: 7.4

In the dark comedy drama Buffalo ’66, Billy Brown (Vincent Gallo, who also directed the film) is released from prison and kidnaps Layla (Christina Ricci), a tap dancer, to pretend to be his wife and impress his estranged and eccentric parents. As Billy and Layla navigate Billy’s troubled past and his strained relationship with his parents, Layla slowly begins to understand the complex and often comical nature of his life and the world around 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 brief but brutal scene is thought to be one of its standout moments.

4. Body Heat (1981)

IMDb score: 7.4

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

Rourke plays Teddy Lewis, an arsonist with a conscience – or at least, some common sense, seeing as he warns the main character not to get involved in a deadly affair. This was one of Rourke’s earliest film appearances, and, at the time, critics took note.

3. Man on Fire (2004)

IMDb score: 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 protecting a young girl, Pita (Dakota Fanning), in Mexico City. After Pita is kidnapped, Creasy unleashes a violent rage and embarks on a vengeful mission to find and punish those responsible – but Mickey Rourke, as his handler Jordan, becomes the quiet voice of reason amid Creasy’s vengeance-fuelled rampage.

The film performed well in the U.S. market, and critical reception was warm.

2. The Wrestler (2008)

IMDb score: 7.9

Many would argue this one should be number one – and it nearly is. Directed by Darren Aronofsky, Rourke plays a character so close to his real-life story it feels fateful: Randy “The Ram” Robinson is a once-famous professional wrestler now reduced to signing autographs in school gymnasiums and reliving his glory days through blood and pain.

Rourke transformed for the role – that would mark his return to acting after his boxing career – and critics hailed it as the comeback of the decade.

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

1. Sin City (2005)

IMDb score: 8.0

The iconic Sin City is a crime thriller movie based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel series of the same name, featuring a noir-style visual aesthetic with black and white, and colored accents. The film weaves together several interconnected stories set in the corrupt city of Basin City, where lawlessness and violence reign. In it, Rourke becomes one of the two first characters, Marv, the trench coat-wearing brute with a heart of gold and a face carved like granite.

Filmed almost entirely on green screen with a stylised comic-book sheen, Sin City is a violent, visual masterpiece. It was a critical and commercial success, and featured plenty of stars, including Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson.