James Caan’s 10 Best Movies, Ranked (According To IMDB)

2021 will mark James Caan’s 60th anniversary working in the entertainment industry. The talented character actor has amassed 135 acting credits since 1961, appearing in some of the all-time greatest movies ever made in the process. In 1973, Caan earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his riveting turn as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather.

After a year away from the limelight in 2019, Caan returned to the big screen in 2020 with the family drama JL Family Ranch 2 and is poised to star in the comedy Never Too Late in 2021.But what are the best movies in James Caan’s filmography thus far?

10 Bolero (1981) 7.4/10

From French auteur Claude Lelouch, Bolero is a sweeping three-hour epic that traces the musical expression of intertwined relatives ranging from pre-WWII to the 1980s. In particular, four families of French, German, Russian, and American descent are explored.

For his part, Caan plays Jack Glenn, a budding jazz musician on the cusp of stardom before World War II upends the lives of everyone around him. Lelouch was nominated for a Palm d’Or at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival where the film earned a Technical Grand Prize for Sound Quality.

9 Thief (1981) 7.4/10

Michael Mann made his narrative feature film debut with Thief in 1981, starring James Caan in the title role. Caan plays Frank, a hot-shot safecracker and jewel thief who vows one last job before going on the straight and narrow.

Blinded by his desire to leave the life of crime behind, Frank takes a high-risk job of stealing invaluable goods for Chicago mob boss Leo (Robert Prosky). When an undercover surveillance operation catches wind of the scam, Frank’s dream life takes a turn for the worst.

8 A Bridge Too Far (1977) 7.4/10

In Richard Attenborough’s three-hour World War II epic, Caan joins the A-list ensemble of Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Gene Hackman, Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Olivier, Robert Redford, and many more to cross A Bridge Too Far.

The BAFTA-winner concerns the real-life Allied mission in 1944 called Operation Market Garden, which called for the capture of a bevy of strategically located bridges throughout Holland as the Nazi forces advanced.

7 Brian’s Song (1971) 7.6/10

Known for its ability to make grown men weep without fail, Brian’s Song is a made-for-TV tear-jerker based on the real-life kinship between Chicago Bears teammates Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) and Brian Piccolo (Caan).

When future Hall-of-Fame running back Gale Sayers joins the Chicago Bears, he is instantly met with kindness by a fellow tailback, Brian Piccolo. Despite competing with one another, the two become fast friends. When Brian is suddenly stricken with terminal cancer, Gale consoles his best friend at his bedside with heartwarming support.

6 El Dorado (1966) 7.6/10

In just his second pre-Godfather film to make the list, Caan took third billing to such Hollywood heavyweights as John Wayne and Robert Mitchum in the highly-acclaimed western El Dorado.

Directed by Howard Hawks, the story finds the hired gun Cole Thornton (Wayne) reuniting with his old Sheriff pal J.P Harra (Mitchum) to bring down a corrupt rancher stealing water from his town. Caan plays Mississippi, a rambunctious handyman who assists Cole in his return to the titular town.

5 Misery (1990) 7.8/10

Directed by Rob Reiner and based on Stephen King’s novel, Misery is a terrifying two-hander for which Kathy Bates won a Best Leading Actress Oscar.

Paul Sheldon (Caan) is a popular novelist who holes up in the Colorado mountains to write his newest book in solitude. Upon returning home, Paul nearly dies in a car crash, only to be rescued and nursed back to health by his biggest fan, Annie Wilkes (Bates). However, when Paul fails to write the novel Annie wants to read, she physically tortures him to near death until he mounts an escape.

4 The Tale Of Princess Kaguya (2013) 8.0/10

For the English-language version of the highly acclaimed Japanese animated movie The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Caan lent his voice for the role of The Bamboo Cutter. He was joined by Chloe Grace-Moretz, Lucy Liu, James Marsden, John Cho, Oliver Platt, and more.

The story tracks a miniature princess named Kaguya who is discovered dwelling in the bamboo forests by an old man. When Kaguya grows of age, she is proposed to by five marital suitors, who she tasks with finding the perfect wedding gift. When they fail to do so, Kaguya is courted by the Japanese Emperor.

3 Dogville (2003) 8.0/10

Written and Directed by Danish auteur Lars Von Trier, Dogville is a nine-chapter experimental crime film starring Nicole Kidman as Grace, a woman on the lam hiding from ruthless gangsters in a small Colorado mining town.

The controversial film also features a stellar American ensemble cast, including Caan as The Big Man, Grace’s mobster lover she flees from at the beginning of the story.

2 The Godfather: Part II (1974) 9.0/10

Although he only appears in an uncredited flashback cameo, Caan can still lay claim to having The Godfather: Part II listed in his decorated filmography.

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, the highly-acclaimed sequel envisions Don Vito Corleone’s (Robert De Niro) early days coming of age as a criminal in Sicily before moving to New York to set up a mafia empire. The film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and currently ranks #3 on IMDB’s Top 250.

1 The Godfather (1972) 9.2/10

James Caan earned the sole Oscar nomination of his career for his explosive turn as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, the #2 ranking movie on IMDB’s Top 250 Movies Of All Time.

Winner of three Oscars including Best Picture, Leading Actor (Marlon Brando), and Adapted Screenplay, the all-time classic traces the criminal exploits of the Corleone family, an enterprising Italian mafia outfit that relocated from Sicily to New York to become one of the most powerful and influential crime syndicates in history.