Jack Nicholsonis one of the most celebrated and instantly recognizableactorsin cinema history, with a career marked by unforgettable characters and magnetic screen presence. From playing rebellious antiheroes to deeply flawed everymen and scene-stealingvillains,Nicholson brought a mix of charm and emotional depth to every role he took on. With over 60 film credits and threeAcademy Awardsto his name, his filmography is filled with landmark performances that have shaped modernHollywoodand inspired generations of actors and filmmakers alike.
This list explores the best Jack Nicholson films as ranked byIMDb, offering a snapshot of how audiences continue to appreciate and revisit his work. From Oscar-winning masterpieces to cult classics,these films explore how Nicholson’s performance becomes essential to the films' impact on their audiences.
10’The Passenger' (1975)
IMDb Rating:7.4/10
The Passengerfollows David Locke (Nicholson), a weary television journalist covering a civil war in North Africa. Frustrated with his stagnant career,he stumbles upon the body of a fellow hotel guest who happens to resemble him and decides to assume the man’s identity. But what begins as an escape soon turns into a deeper entanglement, as Locke learns the dead man was an arms dealer with dangerous political ties.
Jack Nicholson strips away all his usual theatrics in this meditative, slow-burn performance, trading volatility for quiet detachment.His portrayal of Locke is haunting as the character is worn down by the weight of his own life and desperately trying to escape it. Under directorMichelangelo Antonioni (L’Avventura,Blow Up), Nicholson delivers a restrained, great performance that rewards the audience’s patience and reflection. WhileThe Passengerdidn’t make waves upon release, it has since been reviewed as a masterwork of existential cinema that explores the theme of identity with spectacular visuals. It’sone of Antonioni’s best works, anchored by Nicholson’s most subtle and affecting roles.
The Passenger
Journalist David Locke, frustrated with his career and life, decides to assume the identity of a dead arms dealer he finds in a remote African hotel. As Locke navigates this new life, he becomes embroiled in the dangerous world of arms trafficking, while being pursued by both the law and those connected to the dead man. His journey takes him through various European and African locales, where he forms a connection with an enigmatic young woman who aids him in his quest for a new beginning.
9’Terms of Endearment' (1983)
Terms of Endearmenttraces thedecades-long relationship between Aurora Greenway (Shirley MacLaine), a sharp-tongued and fiercely protective mother, and her daughter Emma (Debra Winger). Asthe two women navigate their complex lives, often clashing but never wavering in their bond, they’re joined by Garrett Breedlove (Nicholson), a retired astronaut and Aurora’s neighbor, whose charm and vulnerability bring romance and humor into their relationship.
Jack Nicholson’s performance as Garrett is a scene-stealer. He plays the boozy, womanizing ex-astronaut with his trademark irreverence, but gradually peels back layers to reveal a surprising tenderness. His chemistry with MacLaine is magnetic, and their unconventional romance brings warmth to a film filled with emotional weight.Nicholson’s effortless pivot between comedy and sincerity earned him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, proving he could captivate just as powerfully in a supporting role. The film itself wasa critical darling in the 1980s, winning a total of five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for MacLaine, from 11 nominations.
Terms of Endearment
Follows hard-to-please Aurora looking for love and her daughter’s family problems.
8’The Last Detail' (1973)
IMDb Rating:7.5/10
The Last Detailfollows two Navy petty officers, Billy “Badass” Buddusky (Nicholson) and “Mule” Mulhall (Otis Young), assigned to escort a young sailor, Larry Meadows (Randy Quaid), from Virginia to a naval prison in New Hampshire. Meadows is facing an eight-year sentence for theft, and along the journey, Buddusky and Mulhall realize how harsh the punishment is for such a minor offense. Instead of rushing the job,they decide to give the naive young man a taste of life before he’s locked away.
Jack Nicholson’s performance as Buddusky is explosive and unforgettable, balancing humor, crassness and empathy really well.Nicholson’s energy dominates the screen, but he also brings a sadness beneath the bravadothat speaks volumes about his character’s own entrapment in military bureaucracy. The role earned him Best Actor honors at theCannes Film Festivaland an Oscar nomination, marking one of his earliest and most transformative performances.The Last DetailshowcasedNicholson’s potential as a leading manand displayed his uncanny ability to bring complexity and raw humanity to even the most rough-edged characters.
The Last Detail
7’Batman' (1989)
Tim Burton’sBatmanfollows Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), a reclusive billionaire who dons the mantle of Batman to keep Gotham from criminals. His greatest challenge emerges in the form of Jack Napier (Nicholson),a sadistic mob enforcer who, after a chemical accident, transforms into the Joker, a deranged, theatrical villain with a penchant for chaos. As the Joker unleashes mayhem on the city, Batman is forced to confront both his nemesis and his own tragedy that shaped him.
Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of the Joker is a brilliant, larger-than-life performance that steals the spotlight from the film’s brooding hero.With his devilish grin, flamboyant style, and gleeful unpredictability, Nicholson created a version of the character that was equal parts gangster and showman. His Joker is dangerous but captivating, balancing genuine menace with sardonic wit. Besides receiving top billing, Nicholson reportedly negotiated a historic payout deal, earning a percentage of the film’s massive box office, a testament to his star power at the time. His performance became instantly iconic andinfluenced every Joker portrayalthat followed.
The Dark Knight of Gotham City begins his war on crime with his first major enemy being Jack Napier, a criminal who becomes the clownishly homicidal Joker.
6’A Few Good Men' (1992)
IMDb Rating:7.7/10
A Few Good Menis a courtroom drama centered onthe trial of two U.S. Marines accused of murdering a fellow soldierat the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. Tasked with defending them is Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise), a cocky but inexperienced Navy lawyer known more for plea deals. As the case unfolds, Kaffee uncovers a disturbing culture of blind obedience and hazing, leading to a legal showdown against high-ranking officials such as Colonel Nathan R. Jessup (Nicholson).
Jack Nicholson’s performance as Colonel Jessup is magnetic and ferocious. Despite limited screen time, he commands the screen with authority. Armed withAaron Sorkin’s sharp screenplay,Nicholson is tasked with delivering the now-legendary monologue, in which it culminates in the unforgettable, highly quotable line, “You can’t handle the truth!”. Nicholson earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, proving once again his ability to dominate a film with sheer presence. Ina movie stacked with powerhouse performancesthat also includesDemi MooreandKevin Bacon, it’s Nicholson’s turn as Jessup that lingers the longest.
A Few Good Men
Military lawyer Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee defends Marines accused of murder. They contend they were acting under orders.
5’As Good as It Gets' (1997)
As Good as It Getscenters onMelvin Udall (Nicholson), a misanthropic romance novelist living in Manhattan who leads a rigid, solitary life with a cynical view of everyone. When his gay neighbor Simon (Greg Kinnear) is hospitalized, and he’s forced to care for his dog, he becomes emotionally entangled with Carol (Helen Hunt), a kind-hearted waitress and single mother.Melvin is reluctantly pulled out of his routine and starts to forge meaningful connections.
Jack Nicholson delivers a pitch-perfect performance as Melvin, walking a fine line between abrasive and endearing. With his cutting wit and emotional armor,Melvin could have easily been irredeemable, but Nicholson infuses him with depth and vulnerability, revealing the pain and fear beneath the cruelty. Nicholson’s performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor, making him one of the few towin three acting Oscars. His dynamic with Helen Hunt, who also won an Oscar for her role, drives the film’s emotional core. InAs Good as It Gets, he proves that even the most difficult characters can be transformed with honesty and heart.
As Good As It Gets
4’Chinatown' (1974)
IMDb Rating:8.1/10
Set in 1930s Los Angeles,Chinatownfollows private investigator Jake Gittes (Nicholson),who is hired by a woman claiming to be Evelyn Mulwray to follow her husband, Hollis Mulwray, the chief engineer for the city’s water department. When Hollis is found dead under suspicious circumstances and the real Evelyn (Faye Dunaway) shows up at Gittes' office, Jake realizes he’s been set up and drawn into something far more dangerous.
Jack Nicholson is riveting as Gittes, delivering one of his most iconic and grounded performances. Unlike his other roles,Nicholson plays Gittes with restraint, embodying a man who believes in control, only to find himself hopelessly outmatched. His cool demeanor gradually gives way to frustration and helplessness, making the film’sgut-punch of an endingall the more devastating. Nicholson earned a Best Actor Oscar nomination, andChinatownwent on to become a landmark in American cinema.Chinatownitself was nominated for 11 Oscars and won its sole trophy for Best Original Screenplay, losingmostly toThe Godfather Part II.
Originally released in 1974, Chinatown is an American neo-noir mystery movie starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. Its story was inspired by the California water wars, a series of conflicts between the city of Los Angeles and the people of Owen’s Valley around the beginning of the twentieth century. The movie received 11 Academy Award nominations in total, with Robert Towne winning the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
3’The Shining' (1980)
IMDb Rating:8.4/10
The Shiningfollows Jack Torrance (Nicholson), a struggling writer and recovering alcoholic who takes a job as the winter caretaker of the remote Overlook Hotel, bringinghis wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall)and young son Danny (Danny Lloyd) along. Isolated by snow and silence,the hotel becomes a pressure cooker for Jack’s fragile mental state. Danny, who possesses psychic abilities known as “the shining,” begins to experience terrifying visions of the hotel’s violent past.
The Shininghad a tumultuous productionand was met with mixed reviews upon release and famously snubbed by the Oscars, but it has since become a landmark of horror cinema. Much of its enduring legacy is owed toStanley Kubrick’s singular vision and Nicholson’s unhinged, unforgettable presence.His performance as Jack Torrance is a masterclass in psychological horror, charting a slow-burning transformation from mild irritability to full-blown homicidal mania. His now-iconic delivery of “Here’s Johnny!” is just one highlight in a performance filled with unpredictability.
The Shining
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
2’The Departed' (2006)
IMDb Rating:8.5/10
A remake of the Hong Kong police thrillerInfernal Affairs,The Departedfollows two moles, Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio), an undercover cop embedded deep within the criminal empire of mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson), and Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), Costello’s protégé who has infiltrated the Massachusetts State Police. As the stakes get higher,both men race to uncover the other’s identity before they are exposed themselves.
With strong source material and great execution,The Departedwent on to win four Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director forMartin Scorsese. Nicholson plays Frank Costello with charisma and menace, crafting one of themost sinister crime bossesin modern film. From his ruthless plansto delivering electric monologuesin the same breath, he leans into the role with fearless theatricality. While he was snubbed by the Oscars,Nicholson’s presence was pivotal to the film’s success as he builds great chemistry with DiCaprio and Damonand anchors the tension in the film.
The Departed
An undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.
1’One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest' (1975)
IMDb Rating:8.7/10
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nestfollows Randle Patrick McMurphy (Nicholson), a rebellious convict who fakes insanity to serve his sentence in a mental institution instead of a prison. Once inside, McMurphy becomes a symbol of resistance against the dehumanizing regime of Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), a steely and manipulative authority figure who controls the ward with cruel precision.McMurphy challenges the system by encouraging his fellow patients to reclaim their individuality and self-worth.
The film was a critical hit upon release and is still considered one of the best films of all time. It is hailed for its emotional power, humanistic themes, and unforgettable performances.Nicholson’s performance here is considered his definitive performance that ranges from funny, heartbreaking to tragic. The film swept the 1976 Academy Awards, winning Best Picture,Best Director for Milos Forman, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Adapted Screenplay, making itone of only three films in historyto achieve this. With so many acclaimed films in his filmography, it is no surprise that this adaptation ofKen Kesey’s book is Nicholson’s highest-rated film on IMDb.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
In the Fall of 1963, a Korean War veteran and criminal pleads insanity and is admitted to a mental institution, where he rallies the scared patients against the tyrannical nurse.
