Best Kirk Douglas movies
If you love cinema, you will share this ranking of the best Kirk Douglas movies, although you may have ordered them differently. In any case, we hope you love it and with a little luck discovering a movie that you still don't know about Kirk Douglas.
TOP 25: There Was a Crooked Man...
Kirk Douglas as: Paris Pitman, Jr.
Genre: Western
Release: 1970
Charismatic criminal Paris Pitman ends up in prison, then attempts to escape.
TOP 24: The Man from Snowy River
Kirk Douglas as: Harrison / Spur
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Western, Romance
Release: 1982
Jim Craig has lived his first 18 years in the mountains of Australia on his father's farm. The death of his father forces him to go to the low lands to earn enough money to get the farm back on its feet. Kirk Douglas plays two roles as twin brothers who haven't spoken for years, one of whom was Jim's father's best friend and the other of whom is the father of the girl he wants to marry.
TOP 23: The Heroes of Telemark
Kirk Douglas as: Dr. Rolf Pedersen
Genre: Action, War
Release: 1965
Set in German-occupied Norway, resistance fighter Knut Straud enlists the reluctant physicist Rolf Pedersen in an effort to destroy the German heavy water production plant in rural Telemark.
TOP 22: In Harm's Way
Kirk Douglas as: Commander Paul Eddington, Jr.
Genre: Drama, War
Release: 1965
A naval officer reprimanded after Pearl Harbor is later promoted to rear admiral and gets a second chance to prove himself against the Japanese.
TOP 21: The War Wagon
Kirk Douglas as: Lomax
Genre: Western
Release: 1967
An ex-con seeks revenge on the man who put him in prison by planning a robbery of the latter's stagecoach, which is transporting gold. He enlists the help of a partner, who could be working for his nemesis.
TOP 20: The Last Sunset
Kirk Douglas as: Brendan 'Bren' O'Malley
Genre: Western
Release: 1961
Brendan O'Malley arrives at the Mexican home of old flame Belle Breckenridge to find her married to a drunkard getting ready for a cattle drive to Texas. Hot on O'Malley's heels is lawman Dana Stribling who has a personal reason for getting him back into his jurisdiction. Both men join Breckenridge and his wife on the drive. As they near Texas tensions mount, not least because Stribling is starting to court Belle and O'Malley is increasingly drawn by her daughter Missy.
TOP 19: Last Train from Gun Hill
Kirk Douglas as: Marshal Matt Morgan
Genre: Western
Release: 1959
A marshal tries to bring the son of an old friend, an autocratic cattle baron, to justice for the rape and murder of his wife.
TOP 18: Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
Kirk Douglas as: Dr. John 'Doc' Holliday
Genre: Western
Release: 1957
Lawman Wyatt Earp and outlaw Doc Holliday form an unlikely alliance which culminates in their participation in the legendary Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.
TOP 17: Detective Story
Kirk Douglas as: Det. James 'Jim' McLeod
Genre: Crime, Drama
Release: 1951
Tells the story of one day in the lives of the various people who populate a police detective squad. An embittered cop, Det. Jim McLeod, leads a precinct of characters in their grim daily battle with the city's lowlife. The characters who pass through the precinct over the course of the day include a young petty embezzler, a pair of burglars, and a naive shoplifter.
TOP 16: Operation Petticoat
Kirk Douglas as: Welding Seaman (uncredited)
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance
Release: 1959
A World War II submarine commander finds himself stuck with a decrepit sub, a con-man executive officer, and a group of army nurses.
TOP 15: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Kirk Douglas as: Ned Land
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Release: 1954
A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.
TOP 14: The List of Adrian Messenger
Kirk Douglas as: George Brougham / Vicar Atlee / Mr. Pythian / Arthur Henderson
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Release: 1963
Adrian Messenger, a famous writer, asks his friend Anthony Gethryn, a former British agent, to help him investigate the whereabouts of the people who appear on a list, without asking him the reason why he should do so.
TOP 13: And the Oscar Goes To...
Genre: Documentary, TV Movie
Release: 2014
The story of the gold-plated statuette that became the film industry's most coveted prize, AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... traces the history of the Academy itself, which began in 1927 when Louis B. Mayer, then head of MGM, led other prominent members of the industry in forming this professional honorary organization. Two years later the Academy began bestowing awards, which were nicknamed "Oscar," and quickly came to represent the pinnacle of cinematic achievement.
TOP 12: Lust for Life
Kirk Douglas as: Vincent van Gogh
Genre: Drama
Release: 1956
An intense and imaginative artist, revered Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh possesses undeniable talent, but he is plagued by mental problems and frustrations with failure. Supported by his brother, Theo, the tormented Van Gogh eventually leaves Holland for France, where he meets volatile fellow painter Paul Gauguin and struggles to find greater inspiration.
TOP 11: Is Paris Burning?
Original Title: Paris brûle-t-il?
Kirk Douglas as: General Patton
Genre: Drama, History, War
Release: 1966
Near the end of World War II, Gen. Dietrich von Choltitz receives orders to burn down Paris if it becomes clear the Allies are going to invade, or if he cannot maintain control of the city. After much contemplation Choltitz decides to ignore his orders, enraging the Germans and giving hope to various resistance factions that the city will be liberated. Choltitz, along with Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling, helps a resistance leader organize his forces.
TOP 10: The Vikings
Kirk Douglas as: Einar
Genre: Action, Adventure, History
Release: 1958
Einar, brutal son of Ragnar and future heir to his throne tangles with Eric, a wily slave, for the hand of a beautiful English maiden.
TOP 9: Seven Days in May
Kirk Douglas as: Col. Martin 'Jiggs' Casey
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Release: 1964
A U.S. Army colonel alerts the president of a planned military coup against him.
TOP 8: The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Kirk Douglas as: Walter O'Neil
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Release: 1946
Three childhood friends, Martha, Walter and Sam, share a terrible secret. Over time, the ambitious Martha and the pusillanimous Walter have married. She is a cold businesswoman; he is the district attorney: a perfect combination to dominate the corrupt city of Iverstown at will. But the unexpected return of Sam, after years of absence, deeply disturbs the life of the odd couple.
TOP 7: The Bad and the Beautiful
Kirk Douglas as: Jonathan Shields
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release: 1952
Told in flashback form, the film traces the rise and fall of a tough, ambitious Hollywood producer, Jonathan Shields, as seen through the eyes of various acquaintances, including a writer, James Lee Bartlow; a star, Georgia Lorrison; and a director, Fred Amiel. He is a hard-driving, ambitious man who ruthlessly uses everyone on the way to becoming one of Hollywood's top movie makers.
TOP 6: A Letter to Three Wives
Kirk Douglas as: George Phipps
Genre: Drama, Romance
Release: 1949
Lora May Hollingsway, who grew up next to the wrong side of the tracks, married her boss who thinks she is just a gold digger. Rita Phipps makes as much money writing radio scripts at night as her school teacher husband does. Deborah Bishop looked great in a Navy uniform in WWII but fears she'll never be dressed just right for the Country Club set. These three wives are boarding a boat filled with children going on a picnic when a messenger on a bicycle hands them a letter addressed to all three from Addie who has just left town with one of their husbands. They won't know which one until that night.
TOP 5: Lonely Are the Brave
Kirk Douglas as: John W. "Jack" Burns
Genre: Drama, Western
Release: 1962
A fiercely independent cowboy arranges to have himself locked up in jail in order to then escape with an old friend who has been sentenced to the penitentiary.
TOP 4: Spartacus
Kirk Douglas as: Spartacus
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, War
Release: 1960
The rebellious Thracian Spartacus, born and raised a slave, is sold to Gladiator trainer Batiatus. After weeks of being trained to kill for the arena, Spartacus turns on his owners and leads the other slaves in rebellion. As the rebels move from town to town, their numbers swell as escaped slaves join their ranks. Under the leadership of Spartacus, they make their way to southern Italy, where they will cross the sea and return to their homes.
TOP 3: Out of the Past
Kirk Douglas as: Whit Sterling
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller, Romance
Release: 1947
Jeff Bailey seems to be a mundane gas station owner in remote Bridgeport, CA. He is dating local girl Ann Miller and lives a quiet life. But Jeff has a secret past, and when a mysterious stranger arrives in town, Jeff is forced to return to the dark world he had tried to escape.
TOP 2: Ace in the Hole
Kirk Douglas as: Chuck Tatum
Genre: Drama
Release: 1951
A frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to revitalize his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control media circus.
TOP 1: Paths of Glory
Kirk Douglas as: Col. Dax
Genre: Drama, War
Release: 1957
A commanding officer defends three scapegoats on trial for a failed offensive that occurred within the French Army in 1916.