Viggo Mortensen’s 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes

Viggo Mortensen might be best-known for a very specific role in Middle Earth, but he has been involved in countless projects aside from that throughout his lengthy acting career. Viggo is an amazingly talented actor who can bring a very serious approach to things, adding tons of drama to his films.

His filmography is incredibly impressive, from huge blockbusters to smaller independent films, Viggo always lands incredible roles.

10 Far From Men – 87% (2015)

Far From Men is the perfect example of a movie that millions of people may not have seen, but it is one that everyone should watch. Viggo takes on the main role of Daru, who is a teacher and he is forced to escort a villager who has been accused of murder.

Considering that he is normally quite a quiet and reserved person, this is a difficult task for him, but he quickly begins to come out of his shell as he forms a bond with Mohamed to try and fight to get their own freedom.

9 The Reflecting Skin – 87% (1990)

The Reflecting Skin came fairly early on in Viggo Mortensen’s career, but he was already showing incredible talent by this point. This movie is incredibly strange and is told from a child’s point of view, focusing on the horrors that they can go through with this film touching on a lot of adult topics that are quite intense.

Cameron is the role that Viggo plays and he is a military man who returns for this point of the film, only to fall in love with Dolphin, who lives nearby. However, he has a sickness from A-bomb tests which pulls his energy and Viggo plays that character incredibly well.

8 A History Of Violence – 87% (2005)

A History Of Violence is an incredibly gripping movie that is certainly one of Viggo Mortensen’s best performances. He plays the character of Tom, who is just a normal man until his diner ends up being robbed. He kills two major criminals in self-defense as he tries to protect others.

While the murders actually make him a hero because of their criminal past, it instantly makes him a big talking point in his small town, with one man threatening him over issues from their past. His family then have to battle against situations that they never expected, from mistaken identity to the media pressure.

7 Jauja – 88% (2015)

Viggo Mortensen didn’t just act in Jauja, but he also worked as a producer and even a composer for this film, having a huge influence over what happened. Set way back in 1882, this movie does a great job of setting the scene and while the pace is slow at times, the detail that takes place is incredible.

Viggo plays a Captain who takes up a job in the Argentine army, bringing his daughter with him. However, she catches the eyes of many men around and she ends up running off with a soldier which prompts her father to head into the danger zone or enemy territory in a desperate bid to try and find her.

6 Crimson Tide – 88% (1995)

Crimson Tide is also one of Viggo Mortensen’s older movies on this list, but it is one that has stood the test of time due to its high quality. This movie is one where Viggo isn’t the lead role, with Denzel Washington and Gene Hackman being involved here, however, it is a splendid movie.

Following two leaders during a military battle, it is engaging due to the fact they have such opposing views and thoughts on how things should be run. The tension isn’t just within the fighting that is going on in the war, but also between the characters pulling the strings and making the decisions.

5 Eastern Promises – 89% (2007)

Viggo Mortensen’s performance as Nickolai in Eastern Promises remains one of the best that he has ever done as he earned an Oscar nomination for best lead actor. He really puts in a tremendous performance from start to finish in this one, which is one of the reasons why the film is so good.

His character is a driver for a well known criminal family, but he ends up not being sure of who he can trust within the world. This creates a truly gripping movie as he is forced to make major decisions about his future and whether he fits into the criminal world where he has always thrived.

4 The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring – 91% (2001)

Kicking off such a major trilogy of movies is never easy, and even though it is the lowest rated of the trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring is still a tremendous movie. It builds the world of Middle Earth fantastically with some stunning sets and the characters are all heavily developed.

Viggo Mortensen’s role as Aragorn is one that really gets a lot of attention within this film, and he plays the character perfectly. There’s an element of mystery and a clear heroic sense to him which really makes the character so strong.

3 Witness – 93% (1985)

Viggo Mortensen started his acting career with a bang by being part of Witness, as this was actually his first-ever movie credit. While he isn’t the lead role in this film, as that honor goes to Harrison Ford who earned an Oscar nomination for his work, Viggo is part of the cast that created this wonderful movie.

He plays the role of Moses in this thriller where a young boy is murdered at a bus station. Harrison Ford’s detective character, John Book then spends the film investigating this murder, but the situation is far more complicated than it first appears as the conspiracy begins to thicken within his own department, making it difficult.

2 The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King – 93% (2003)

The final instalment of The Lord of the Rings was a huge movie for Viggo Mortensen, mainly because of how big of a role his character has in it. Aragorn has tons of scenes within this film, from huge action moments to brilliant subtle and calm moments which work on the emotional aspect.

The film is breath-taking with the detail put into the entire movie really being unbelievable. There is a reason that this movie won so many awards and still stands strong to this day because it is such a great movie.

1 The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers – 95% (2002)

Despite the fact that it was Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King which brought a lot of the accolades, it is actually Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers which has a higher rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While people will debate which is the best, there is no doubt that this is a terrific movie.

There are tons going on within this movie as the action really ramped up for this movie in comparison to the first. Aragorn once again played a huge role in the film and it was clear in this film that he was being built up as a major star. It’s a fantastic movie that introduces plenty of new characters, all while still continuing the foundation that the original had set with the beloved characters.

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