Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Movies Ranked, According To IMDb

Alejandro González Iñárritu is considered by many to be one of the greatest living filmmakers. The five-time Oscar winner started his career in entertainment working in Mexican radio, before transitioning to shorts, advertisements, television shows, and eventually films.

His work has spanned several genres, from historical westerns to thrilling dramas. Working with everyone from Mexican superstars to international icons, moviegoers around the world anticipate Iñárritu’s next work. In the meantime, for those who want to catch up or revisit his projects, here are Iñárritu’s movies ranked according to IMDb.

6 Babel (2006) – 7.4

With nonlinear story arcs following four separate families simultaneously, Babel contains groups of characters in Morocco, Japan, Mexico, and the United States. Following a tragedy that strikes a married couple in the Moroccan desert, each of the four stories splinters off in the wake of the event.

Iñárritu’s third feature was an international box office hit and received seven Oscar nominations across the board. Among its international cast, the film included American stars Brad Pitt (Moneyball) and Elle Fanning (The NeonDemon), Australian Cate Blanchett (Carol), and previous Iñárritu collaborator Gael García Bernal (Y Tu Mamá También) from Mexico.

5 Biutiful (2010) – 7.5

His first Spanish language film since his debut, Iñárritu’s fourth feature Biutiful focuses on Uxbal, a middle man for illegal immigrants who helps them find jobs. When Uxbal finds out he has terminal prostate cancer, he does his best to leave the world on his own terms and protect his two young children.

Starring Javier Bardem in one of his best performances, the film received mixed reviews but still nabbed Oscar nominations for Best Actor and Best Foreign Language Film regardless. The film fared better critically abroad, with Bardem winning Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival in France.

4 21 Grams (2003) – 7.6

Iñárritu’s English feature debut, 21 Grams nonlinearly tracks an ill mathematician (Sean Penn), a grieving mother (Naomi Watts), and a born-again former convict (Benicio Del Toro) whose lives are interconnected by a devastating automobile accident. The title refers to the amount of weight change occurring after death that can’t be accounted for, which has led many to conceptualize that amount to be the weight of a soul.

The film was well-received and earned Oscar nominations for Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro, in one of his best roles. Sean Penn won an Oscar the same year, but for a different movie: Mystic River. Other notable cast members include Danny Huston (The Aviator), Melissa Leo (The Fighter), and Charlotte Gainsbourg (Melancholia).

3 Birdman Or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) (2014) – 7.7

Commonly referred to as Birdman, Iñárritu’s fifth feature follows washed-up actor Riggan Thomson, played by Michael Keaton in one of his best movies, as he struggles to make a comeback on Broadway. The black comedy was shot as if it were one long continuous take, edited together through invisible cuts.

Birdman was a commercial and critical success, earning nine Oscar nominations and three wins for Iñárritu in the Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture categories. In addition to helping Keaton make a career comeback with an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, the film also featured Oscar-nominated performances from Edward Norton (Primal Fear) and Emma Stone (La La Land).

2 The Revenant (2015) – 8.0

Set in what would become the Dakotas in 1823, The Revenant follows frontiersman Hugh Glass, played by Leonardo DiCaprio in one of his best movies, as he journeys through the wilderness to exact revenge on the men who left him for dead after a bear attack and killed his son. Previously nominated for four acting Oscars, The Revenant secured DiCaprio his first win.

In addition to DiCaprio’s critical success, The Revenant gave Iñárritu his second Oscar win for directing and netted an additional 10 nominations overall. The supporting cast includes Oscar-nominated Tom Hardy (Inception), Domhnall Gleeson (Ex Machina), and Will Poulter (The Maze Runner).

1 Amores Perros (2000) – 8.1

Iñárritu’s debut feature, Amores Perros is constructed as a triptych, containing three separate stories linked together by a car accident. The stories center around a teenager in the slums who becomes involved in dogfighting, a model whose leg becomes irreversibly injured, and a mysterious hitman. Among the cast is Gael García Bernal in an early career performance, playing the teenager at the center of the narrative.

The film became a critical success and drove Iñárritu to fame in the film world overnight. In addition to winning several international awards, Amores Perros was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. Translated to English, “amores perros” takes on a double meaning: it can either mean one love’s dogs, or that love’s a b*tch.

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