10 Best John Turturro Movies, According To Letterboxd

Following his role as crime boss Carmine Falcone in Matt Reeves’ The Batman, John Turturro has vaulted back into the spotlight. Although he has been out of the mainstream for a while, Turturro was a reliable and iconic character actor for much of the ’80s, ’90s, and 2000s.

The film comes just one year after Turturro reprised his most iconic role of Jesus Quintana from The Big Lebowski, and hopefully signals more significant performances from Turturro in the future.

10 Quiz Show (1994): 3.7/5

Quiz Show is one of the few lead roles that John Turturro has had in his career, so far, and one of two to rank as one of his best by Letterboxd users. The film depicts the real-life story of a rigged quiz show, while Turturro plays the slighted contestant at the story’s center.

The film was directed by Robert Redford and received significant acclaim after its release. It was nominated for four Oscars at the 1995 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and remains a critical and fan favorite to this day.

9 To Live And Die In L.A. (1985): 3.9/5

One of John Turturros’ earliest performances came in the 1985 crime thriller To Live and Die in L.A., based on a novel that was written by a former secret service agent. The film was also an early starring role for fellow actor Willem Dafoe.

The movie was directed by legendary filmmaker William Friedkin, who had already made iconic movies like The French Connection and The Excorcist. To Live and Die in L.A. is another great effort from the filmmaker, and worth watching for the early Turturro performance.

8 O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000): 3.9/5

One of only two films in Turturro’s top 10 made after the year 2000, the satirical crime comedy loosely based on the Odyssey and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson, was a surprise hit.

The music from the film ended up having a legacy of its own, hitting the top of the charts while winning a Grammy award for Album of the Year. Turturro and Clooney’s hilarious performances are the anchor of the movie’s heartwarming and hilarious core.

7 Miller’s Crossing (1990): 3.9/5

John Turturro made an appearance in his first of four collaborations with the Coen Brothers in 1990 with their neo-noir crime thriller Millers Crossing, marking Turturro’s biggest role in a film at that time.

The film has an intricate plot that left Joel and Ethan Coen with writers’ block while creating the script for the film, according to Cinephilia & Beyond. That writers’ block inspired the duo to write and create Barton Fink, which became Turturro’s first role in Hollywood as a leading actor.

6 Hannah And Her Sisters (1986): 4.0/5

John Turturro has a small role as a TV writer in Woody Allen’s 1986 film that follows an ensemble cast portraying an extended family over the course of multiple years. The performance helped vault Turturro’s career and landed him bigger roles later in the 1980s.

Hannah and Her Sisters features outstanding performances from Mia Farrow, Michael Caine, and Carrie Fisher, and is considered by most to be amongst Allen’s better films.

5 Barton Fink (1991): 4.0/5

Barton Fink is the only movie in Turturro’s Letterboxd top 10 that features the actor in a starring role, and he certainly makes the most of his time in the spotlight. Turturro gives a hilarious performance as a tortured screenwriter in the classic ’90s dark comedy, alongside John Goodman.

The film was a box office bomb, making only $6 million according to Box Office Mojo, but was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1998 and has grown a much bigger following in the years since its release.

4 The Big Lebowski (1998): 4.1/5

In what is likely his most iconic role, John Turturro portrayed Jesus Quintana in the Coen Brothers 1998 stoner comedy classic, The Big Lebowski.

RELATED: 6 Film Noir Tropes In The Big Lebowski (& How The Coens Put A Comedic Twist On Them)

The movie is the highest-ranked Coen Brothers movie in which Turturro makes an appearance. Each of his roles with the directing duo is incredibly memorable, but none have a more lasting legacy than his work in The Big Lebowski.

3 Raging Bull (1980): 4.2/5

Technically Raging Bull was the first performance of John Turturro’s career, but the now-famous actor was uncredited for his role as a man sitting at a table in Martin Scorsese’s classic boxing film.

It is Robert De Niro who gives the film’s standout performance, as well as one of the standout performances in all of film history. In act, the American Film Institute ranked the iconic black and white film as the fourth best movie of all time.

2 The Batman (2022): 4.2/5

Although it has only been out for a month, The Batman has quickly risen to the top of Turturro’s filmography. And given the incredible critical and fan reaction to the movie, it is no surprise that fans think of it so highly of it.

Turturro’s performance as Carmine Falcone, one of the main villains of The Batman, is one of the more memorable performances in the movie, alongside Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz’s remarkable portrayals of Batman and Catwoman.

1 Do The Right Thing (1989): 4.3/5

Spike Lee’s 1989 masterpiece has rightfully received a reputation as one of the greatest films of all time, thanks to the film’s great performances and Lee’s masterful screenplay and direction.

Turturro gives one of the most memorable performances of his career as the easily detestable Pino and helps contribute to a film that should only continue to rise as one of the greatest movies in film history.