10 Best Guy Pearce Movies, According To IMDb

Guy Pearce has been in the acting game since the 1980s and has appeared in many big-budget movies. The native of the United Kingdom is recognizable for having some of the most screen time in Iron Man 3 (2013) and the films Prometheus (2012) and Mary Queen of Scots (2018), as well. More recently, Pearce played Richard Ryan in the critically acclaimed HBO Max miniseries, Mare of Easttown (2021).

Along with his impressive acting resumé, Pearce won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his role as Monty Beragon in Mildred Pierce (2011), which also featured a number of talented costars, including Kate Winslet and Evan Rachel Wood.

10 The Proposition (2005) – 7.3

The Proposition is a western-crime-drama with the classic angle of a deadly ultimatum where nobody wins. The film takes place in the brutal outback of Australia in the 1880s where Charlie Burns (Pearce) plays the middle brother of a trio who gets arrested for a vicious crime.

The arresting officer proffers a strange opportunity to Charlie: either he hunts down his still-free older and incredibly violent brother, Arthur (Danny Huston), or his younger brother, Mike (Richard Wilson), will be hanged for the crimes. Charlie struggles with having to choose the lesser of two evils and, of course, encounters obstacles along the way.

9 Animal Kingdom (2010) – 7.3

This crime drama focuses on the always intriguing organized crime and mafia subgenre. Animal Kingdom tells the story of a 17-year-old who is attempting to navigate through a volatile criminal family. Pearce plays Detective Senior Sargeant Nathan Leckie who believes he can save the kid from a life of crime and danger.

The film is directed by David Michôd, who was also behind the Netflix original movies The King (2019), starring Timothée Chalamet and Robert Pattinson, and War Machine (2017), starring Brad Pitt and Ben Kingsley. Pearce’s costars in Animal Kingdom include Joel Edgerton and Ben Mendelsohn.

8 Lawless (2012) – 7.3

Lawless quickly garnered positive reviews upon its release in 2012. The film is a period piece set in Depression-era Virginia and focuses on three brothers and their bootlegging operation. They struggle with the newly appointed sheriff and his efforts to halt their production and profits.

This movie has an awesomely star-studded cast with Pearce playing Special Deputy Charles Rakes, the opposing force to the brothers played by Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, and Jason Clarke. Other stars among this stellar cast include one of Dane DeHaan in one of best movies, as well as Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, and Gary Oldman.

7 Holding The Man (2015) – 7.4

Holding the Man is a love story that covers 15 years between two boys who first fell in love at their all-boys school. Throughout these years, they face discrimination, rejection, separation, temptation, and jealousy. Love prevails, but tragedy does not linger far away.

The film has been hailed for its realism and relevance to the LGBTQ+ community. Pearce plays the role of Dick Conigrave, father to one of the boys, Timothy (Ryan Corr). Costarring with Pearce is Sarah Snook of the HBO original series, Succession.

6 The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert (1994) – 7.5

Perhaps one of Pearce’s more ambitious roles, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert is a comedic musical that follows two drag queens and a transgender woman who travel across the desert and they perform their unique style of cabaret across the way.

Pearce plays Adam aka Felica, who accompanies Tick aka Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) and Bernadette (Terence Stamp). The film also won an Oscar for Best Costume Design and has joined the ranks with Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001) and The Birdcage (1996) in terms of its relevance and impact.

5 The Hurt Locker (2008) – 7.5

The Hurt Locker received an incredible amount of raving reviews not only because of the quality of the film as a whole but also for the relevance and importance of the subject. Set during the Iraq War, a Staff Sargeant (Jeremy Renner), is assigned to a bomb squad and causes tensions with his risky methods, and it’s easily one of the best contemporary war movies.

Pearce plays Sargeant Matt Thompson and is accompanied by the talents of Anthony Mackie, Evangeline Lilly, and Ralph Fiennes. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow of Point Break (1991) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012) fame, the film took home an impressive six Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture and Best Achievement in Directing.

4 The Count Of Monte Cristo (2002) – 7.8

One of the most classic revenge tales, The Count of Monte Cristo is based on the book of the same name by Alexander Dumas. Pearce plays the villain Fernand who falsely accuses his best friend, Edmond (Jim Caviezel), of treason because he wants his girlfriend, Mercedes (Dagmara Dominczyk).

Edmond remains imprisoned for a lengthy 13 years and, understandably, meticulously plots his revenge against Fernand. With the help of another prisoner, Edmond escapes and acquires the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo. The film also features a very pre-Superman Henry Cavill, who was just 19-years-old at the time.

3 The King’s Speech (2010) – 8.0

Another biographical drama that Pearce played an integral part in was 2010’s The King’s Speech, which chronicles the story of King George VI’s (Colin Firth) abrupt ascension to the throne, his struggles with a vocal stammer, and the speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) who helps him overcome it.

Pearce plays King Edward VIII, King George’s brother, alongside Helena Bonham Carter and Michael Gambon. The film took home four Oscars, including Best Picture of the Year, and Colin Firth won for Best Actor in a Leading Role.

2 L.A. Confidential (1997) – 8.2

L.A. Confidential is ranked #112 of IMDb’s top movies of all-time, which makes its rating of 8.2 unsurprising. This murder mystery three policemen of different morals in Los Angeles in the 1950s who investigate a series of murders, but through the means they individually deem effective.

Boasting two Academy Awards and another seven nominations, the film’s incredible cast leaves no questions as to why it’s held in such high esteem. Pearce is Ed Exley, one of the policemen. The movie also stars Russell Crowe, Kevin Spacey, and Kim Basinger, who took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, as well as James Cromwell and Danny DeVito.

1 Memento (2000) – 8.4

Even more impressive, Memento holds the #53 spot on IMDb’s top movies of all-time list and begins with one of the most memorable opening movie shots. Pearce plays the central character, Leonard, a man with short-term memory loss who searches for his wife’s murderer. Leonard follows leads that seem to go nowhere and ends in a mind-bending twist.

The legendary Christopher Nolan directs the film and is a perfect presentation of his ability to fool the audience and blindside them in an exciting way. Carrie-Anne Moss also stars in the film that had two Academy Award nominations. Memento inarguably features Pearce’s most powerful and memorable performance.