61 Jack Nicholson Movies & TV Shows, Ranked Best to Worst

After being convicted, Randle Patrick McMurphy pleads insanity to avoid hard labor at a prison farm and is sent to the mental institution run by the tyrannical head nurse Mildred Ratched, who keeps everyone subdued with abuse and medication. Rebellious McMurphy quickly comes into conflict with authoritarian Ratched, and leads an uprising with his fellow inmates.

This Academy Award-winning crime drama is a tale of two newly graduated officers from Massachusetts State Police Academy. Billy Costigan goes undercover to gain the trust of Irish-American mobster Frank Costello, while Costello's protégé Colin Sullivan joins the police as his informer. Chaos ensues as both try to expose the other in order to survive.

Based on Stephen King’s novel, this psychological horror movie has Jack Torrance moving into a secluded hotel, with a violent past, as an off-season caretaker along with his wife, Wendy and psychic son, Danny. While the supernatural influences gradually turn Jack into a more violent person, the safety of his family is threatened.

Los Angeles private detective Jake Gittes, who specializes in adultery cases, is hired by a woman to spy on her husband, high-profile engineer Hollis Mulwray. However, after he exposes Mulwray's affair with a young blonde woman, he is sued by the real Mrs. Mulwray, and gets further entangled into a conspiracy following the sudden death of Mr. Mulwray.

Melvin Udall, a popular romance novelist has OCD and is rude to everyone around. His routine life is shaken when his neighbour is assaulted and he is entrusted to take care of his dog. Moreover, the only waitress who puts up with his nuisance in the restaurant he visits is ready to leave the job to take care of her critically ill son.

After two US Marines kill another, Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway proposes to defend them suspecting that they acted on a "code red" order from above. When the case is instead assigned to Liutentent Daniel Kaffee, known for seeking plea bargains, Galloway convinces him to take the case to court and question Colonel Nathan Jessup despite lack of evidence.

Starring Michael Keaton in the eponymous role of DC Comics superhero, Batman, and Jack Nicholson as his nemesis, Joker, this film is the first in the Batman series. After falling into a vat of chemicals, Jack Napier a.k.a. Joker terrorizes Gotham City until Batman manages to save the day along with his love interest, reporter Vicki Vale, played by Kim Basinger.

The Last Detail is a comedy drama film which revolves around two Navy men, who are given the task to bring a convict to prison. Although he has committed a small theft, he has been sentenced to eight years in prison. They soon realize that he is actually a kleptomaniac, and steals compulsively.

David Locke is an American journalist who is sent to cover a conflict in Northern Africa, but he fails to make any progress with the story. When he discovers the body of a stranger looking similar to him, he decides to assume the identity of the dead man. He soon finds out that the man was an arms dealer, which puts him into dangerous situations with criminals as well as cops.

When elderly blue-collar mechanic Carter Chambers learns he has lung cancer, he befriends fellow cancer patient billionaire health care magnate Edward Cole, and the two men embark on a road trip with a wish list of things to do before they "kick the bucket".

The multiple Academy Award-winning movie features widowed Aurora Greenway and daughter Emma, who share a deep bond despite their frequent squabbles. Lonely after Emma’s marriage, Aurora finds love with neighbor Garrett. Emma, who is facing marital discord and difficulties in managing children, is diagnosed with terminal cancer. As Garrett breaks up with Aurora, she keeps her pain aside to be with Emma. 

Wyatt and Billy, two freewheeling motorcyclists and drug smugglers decide to travel cross-country through America to find some kind of spiritual truth. In their journey, which sadly ends in tragedy, they ingest drugs, come face to face with bigots, hatred, violence, and other travelers looking for free lifestyles. 

A radical American journalist travels to Russia where he gets involved with the communist revolution in the country. He also meets an activist sharing the same ideology, and gets married to her.

Retired actuary Warren Schmidt, who is struggling with his dull life, becomes estranged from his daughter Jeannie after she accuses him of not caring enough for his recently deceased wife Helen. Believing Jeannie can do better than waterbed salesman Randall, he travels to Denver in an attempt to postpone her wedding, which becomes a journey of self-realization.

Brilliant but not-so-telegenic reporter Aaron Altman, whose work mostly goes unappreciated, is secretly in love with Jane, the talented but high-strung news producer. The new inexpert anchor Tom Grunick’s good personality attracts Jane, though she despises the trend of entertainment news he represents. With Aaron considering Tom as personal and professional rival, Jane must take the difficult decision between style and substance. 

Carnal Knowledge is a comedy drama film which revolves around two college roommates named Sandy and Jonathan, who becomes good friends. However, their personalities are quite different. While Sandy is gentle and passive, and idolizes women, Jonathan is tough and aggressive, and objectifies them. But what they have in common is that neither of them are able to sustain a relationship with a woman.

Retiring detective, Jerry Black, promises a mother to find the murderer of her young daughter. Unconvinced that it’s an open-and-shut case, Jerry buys petrol-pump, moves in that area where he discovers more cases and clues. As he grows closer to bartender Lori, her young daughter reports befriending a person nearer to suspect’s description. So now Jerry has to quickly nab the killer. 

Aging music mogul and womanizer, Harry Sanborn, has been dating the much younger Marin Klein. A heart attack forces Harry to stay for a few days at Marin’s mother Erica’s beach house. Hilarious complications arrive when Harry and Erica fall for each other, while a young doctor Julian falls for Erica.  

This black comedy romance film tells us the story of two assassins who are hired to kill each other.  However, things get complicated as they end up falling in love.

Francis Phelan is a retired baseball player who had deserted his family decades ago after he had accidentally caused the death of his infant son, by dropping him to the ground. He visits his hometown after several years, and seeks out his lover Helen Archer, who is now working as a vocalist on the radio.

A fictionalized version of the infamous Teamster leader Jimmy Hoffa’s life. He starts as a Teamster union organizer and rises to become the president of the 'International Brotherhood of Teamsters.' Forming an alliance between the union and mafia, he illegally uses Teamster funds for mob. Following frequent battles with industry management and the Attorney General, he serves prison sentence, but after his release, disappears mysteriously in 1975.

This crime thriller film tells the story of Frank Chambers, who begins working at a rural California diner located in the hills outside Los Angeles. The diner is operated by a young, beautiful woman named Cora, and her older husband Nick, who is an immigrant from Greece. Frank and Cora soon start having an affair, and since Flora doesn’t love her husband, and wishes to own the diner, they start planning to murder him.  

Tommy is a satirical musical drama film which tells the story of a young boy who receives a terrible shock after seeing his stepfather murder his father over an argument. This makes him psychosomatically deaf, dumb and blind. However, when he stumbles upon a pinball machine, his life takes a turn as he turns out to be a natural prodigy in the game. He soon becomes a champion and starts attracting a religious following.

The story centers on three small town friends, each of whom has lost the man in their life and leads an unfulfilled existence. Then a stranger comes to town and starts courting them one by one, eventually persuading them to live in his house. Living together, they soon realize that they are witches; and also start worrying about the man’s ultimate intension.  

Erasmus Craven is a magician who is still suffering from depression two years after the death of Lenore, his beloved wife. One day, he is visited a Adolphus Bedlo, who has been transformed into a raven after he lost a duel against Dr Scarabus, an evil wizard. After Erasmus turns him back into a human, Bedlo claims that Lenore may still be alive, as he thinks that he saw her in the castle of Dr Scarabus.

A cattle rustler decides to steal horses from a land baron's ranch in retaliation for his best friend's death.

David is a radio personality who reconnects with his brother Jason after a long time. Jason, who is a con-man, is traveling with a beautiful woman named Sally and her stepdaughter. Jason tries to get David to fund one of his get-rich-quick schemes, but things don’t go as expected.

Earth is surrounded by a fleet of Martians spaceships who initially claim to have come in peace. But they soon kill the entire U.S. Congress and later assassinate President James Dale. Earth survives when it is accidentally discovered that Martians die on hearing Slim Whitman’s song “Indian Love Call” which is then played all over the world. 

Freddy Gale is a jeweler whose young daughter is killed by a drunk driver. When the driver is released from prison, Freddy swears to kill him and informs him that he has only three days to live.  

Based on an unfinished novel of the same name by F Scott Fitzgerald, this drama film tells the story of a movie producer, who works tirelessly in a time of turmoil. However, problems arise because he neglects and disrespects the other studio executives, and they feel like they would be better off without him.

Dave Buznik is an introvert who suppresses all emotions in public. However, Dave loses his temper on a flight and is sentenced to anger management under Dr. Buddy Rydell, who is unorthodox, to say the least. He moves in with Dave and turns his life upside down in his attempt to fix Dave’s anger issues. 

This romantic horror film tells us the story of Will Randall who becomes a werewolf, and finds himself full of vigor and youth. He fights to regain his job and to woo his former boss’s daughter Laura. 

Well-known actor Joaquin Phoenix decides to retire from the world of acting and focus on a new career as a hip-hop musician. Later he approaches Sean Combs, American rapper and record producer, hoping he will produce the record.

Gravis Mushnick owns a florist shop which is staffed by himself and two employees. One of them creates a new plant species which he names as Audrey Junior, in honor of his girlfriend Audrey. However, things get complicated when the plant starts to speak and demands human blood and flesh, for food.

Goin’ South is a western romantic comedy film which takes us to a town in Texas, shortly after the Civil War. Henry Moon is an outlaw who is captured while trying to make his escape to Mexico. Due to lack of men after the war, the town has a special law that if a single woman offers to marry a condemned man, he can walk free. Henry is in luck since a woman named Julia offers to marry him, but it soon turns out that her main purpose is to have someone to search for gold in her property.

A businessman in Los Angeles named Julius Berman hires a private detective named JJ Gittes to help him, after he suspects his wife of adultery. Eventually, Berman kills the lover of his wife, Mark, who is also his partner in a real estate development company. When Gittes finds out about this, he convinces his old acquaintance LAPD Captain Lou Escobar that he should not be charged as an accomplice with the murder.

Heartburn is a comedy drama film which tells the story of a magazine writer named Rachel who decides to give up her career after she falls in love with a man named Mark Forman, a newspaper columnist who is a playboy. They try to build a life together, but Mark just can’t seem to give up his old tricks.

Blood and Wine is a crime drama thriller film which tells the story of a man who feels that he has failed as a father and husband, and eventually he decides to commit a heist to get rid of his financial woes. However, things get complicated when his wife decides to interfere.

After some valuable diamonds get stolen, it leads to deadly consequences involving a group of strangers in a jungle in the Philippines.

Lisa, a star softball player, finds herself evaluating her life, after she fails to make it into the National Team. She also falls in love with two men at the same time, and struggles to find the true meaning of love. 

Will is a young cowboy who rides into a tiny frontier town. He is soon targeted by the town’s corrupt sheriff, who puts him in jail. When Billy and Gabe come to his defense, they are thrown behind bars as well. Now their only hope is a waitress named Marva, who may find a way to free them.

A fragile young woman Noah, who lives alone in a New York apartment, prefers to lose herself in the past and looks for a ‘safe place.’ She treasures three supposedly magical objects given to her by a magician during her childhood. Though involved with two men, one of whom is practical while the other is vivacious; she is far from feeling content. 

Teenager Jimmy Wallace, when viciously assaulted by a gang of other teenage hoodlums, fights back and believes that he has killed two of the gang. So when the police officers, who have the area encircled, order him to surrender, Jimmy is terrified and takes some random man, a woman and her baby as hostages, and along with them hides in a storeroom. 

The Terror is a horror film which tells the story of André, a lieutenant in Napoleon’s army, who gets separated from his unit accidentally. While wandering near the coast, he sees a young mysterious woman, whom he asks for directions. She doesn’t answer or even greet him. André continues following her and reaches the castle of Baron Von Lepp. Upon trying to enter the castle, the Baron tells him that there is no woman in the castle, but shows him a picture of the Baroness who died twenty years ago. André is shocked to see that it is the same woman he has been following.

Paul wants to talk marriage to his pregnant, but unwilling girlfriend Karen and on their way to the beach they are captured by a motorcycle gang, led by Paul’s high school friend J.J. As the gang vies with each other to decide who will have Karen first, J.J suggests that they have a motorcycle drag race to decide the winner, giving Paul a chance to escape.   

Goin’ South is a western romantic comedy film which takes us to a town in Texas, shortly after the Civil War. Henry Moon is an outlaw who is captured while trying to make his escape to Mexico. Due to lack of men after the war, the town has a special law that if a single woman offers to marry a condemned man, he can walk free. Henry is in luck since a woman named Julia offers to marry him, but it soon turns out that her main purpose is to have someone to search for gold in her property.

A businessman in Los Angeles named Julius Berman hires a private detective named JJ Gittes to help him, after he suspects his wife of adultery. Eventually, Berman kills the lover of his wife, Mark, who is also his partner in a real estate development company. When Gittes finds out about this, he convinces his old acquaintance LAPD Captain Lou Escobar that he should not be charged as an accomplice with the murder.

The Terror is a horror film which tells the story of André, a lieutenant in Napoleon’s army, who gets separated from his unit accidentally. While wandering near the coast, he sees a young mysterious woman, whom he asks for directions. She doesn’t answer or even greet him. André continues following her and reaches the castle of Baron Von Lepp. Upon trying to enter the castle, the Baron tells him that there is no woman in the castle, but shows him a picture of the Baroness who died twenty years ago. André is shocked to see that it is the same woman he has been following.

Based on real events, this crime drama film shows us the events that lead to an infamous shootout, between rival gangs that were led by Al Capone and George Moran.  In order to claim his status as the most powerful mobster of his time, Capone had ordered his men to disguise themselves as cops and murder all the important men in Moran’s gang, which eventually resulted in immense bloodshed.  

Head is a musical adventure film which revolves around the members of an American pop rock band, who set out on a trippy and musical adventure through 1960s Hollywood. They meet personalities such as Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson and Frank Zappa.