Category - Entertainment
I Ranked the Best Jude Law Movies of All Time—and My Top Picks Might Surprise You
In case you hadn't noticed, we're currently living through a Jude Law renaissance. Call it a retreat from Law-less times, call it a comeback for one of the world's coolest leading men. Call it whatever you want, but in recent years, Law is back to doing what he does best: alternating between crowd-pleasing flicks and and pieces of cinematic art. He can do high-brow. He can do low-brow. He can play a robot gigolo who makes you want to cry.
And so, as Law celebrates his lightsaber-wielding victory lap in the series finale of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, we decided to count down his best movies. Here are the greatest Jude Law movies, ranked by quality, uniqueness, and pure, moviegoing fun.
Best Jude Law Movies You Need to Watch
10. Alfie
Taking on a role that was originated by Michael Caine in 1966 was always a risky proposition. And nobody is going to pretend that Jude Law's 2004 Alfie is somehow better than the original film. However, his Alfie is more accessible and relevant, and for a generation of men, he reminded us that wearing pink was not only okay but cool. And, that maybe, just maybe you can become a better person if you try a tiny bit harder.
In a 2024 GQ UK interview, Law described Alfie as a "bad move" at the time. But, we, respectfully, disagree. Plus, the Mick Jagger collaborations with Dave Stewart for the soundtrack album are still fantastic.
Alfie is streaming on Paramount+
9. Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows
The two Guy Ritchie-directed Sherlock Holmes films are generally underrated, partly because of when they came out. The first film hit in 2009, and was competing with Avatar on opening day, while the sequel, Game of Shadows hit in 2011, around the time the world started going Cumberbatch-crazy for a very different portrayal of the world's greatest detective.
But, the thing about the second film, is that it's not really a movie about Robert Downey Jr.'s Sherlock Holmes at all. Instead, it's kind of a movie about Dr. John Watson (Jude Law) and just how far he'll be pushed around. Law is one of the greatest Watsons of all time, partly because he embodies the two things Sir Arthur Conan Doyle infused into the character: Watson is a writer, and our point-of-view character who sees the adventure unfold. Also, Watson is a badass who was a former military man and can handle himself in dangerous situations. Game of Shadows lets Jude Law show off both of those qualities in perfect measure.
Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows is available to rent on YouTube, Amazon, and elsewhere.
8. A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Today, the title of this flick seems both redundant and not at all what we talk about when we talk about A.I. In this film, Steven Spielberg completed a dream of Stanley Kubrick and made a robot movie that was also, partially, a Pinocchio story. Jude Law is not the main character of A.I. but as a robot named Gigolo Joe, he steals the show.
Both hard-edged and also tender, Law's portrayal of Joe is somewhere between Blade Runner and Peter Pan. You believe that he's playing a sex worker. You also believe he's playing a robot. But through it all, he's charming as hell, and, crucially to the tone of the movie, has a heart of pure gold. If you've not seen the movie, sharing Joe's fate is a spoiler, but let's just say that any scene in A.I. that drags a bit, probably doesn't have Gigolo Joe in it.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence is streaming on Pluto and Paramount+.
7. The Holiday
The next time someone tries to tell you the best Christmas rom-com is Love, Actually, you should immediately counter with the Nancy Meyers modern classic The Holiday. While the premise is somewhat unlikely and absurd, Jude Law shines as Graham, a single dad and man-about-town. If you squint, The Holiday is like if Jude Law played a reformed version of Alfie, who's now a widower in love with Cameron Diaz.
In some ways, The Holiday feels like a movie that Jude Law stole from Matthew McConaughey. He feels absurdly unrealistic in this one, but oddly grounded at the same time. It's an unabashed feel-good rom-com—and if you hate it, you're probably dead inside.
The Holiday is available to rent on iTunes, Amazon Prime and elsewhere.
6. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
This deeply underrated movie was filmed to look like an artifact from another era. A tribute to old-school pulpy heroes, Sky Captain stars Law as the titular captain of the skies—a sort of 1930s James Bond figure who flies a tricked-out airplane. Sky Captain's adventures team him with ace reporter Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow), and eventually to an island populated by dinosaurs. Along the way, Sky Captain meets his old buddy, Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), who rocks an eyepatch and has a fleet of planes that can also become submarines.
Everything about Sky Captain is over the top. But what makes the movie so great is just how earnest and matter-of-fact the movie plays everything. The best part? At the beginning of the movie, when robots are attacking New York City, somebody suggests they call Sky Captain. There's no explanation needed, no origin story. Sky Captain is on the way.
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is streaming on Pluto.
5. I Heart Huckabees
This quirky, heartfelt, existential comedy was co-written by the late, great Jeff Baena. I Heart Huckabees is one of the saddest, strangest films you'll ever see. Jude Law is part of an ensemble cast in this one, but he's also one of the characters who has the most interesting arc. As Brad, he starts as a bit of a villain. But by the end, Law's character becomes the most relatable one of them all.
Filled with the kind of wit and subtly that most will associate with Noah Baumbach movies or Wes Anderson, I Heart Huckabees uses Jude Law extremely well, and feels like a a movie that came out yesterday, even though it's somehow, just over two decades old.
I Heart Huckabees is available to rent on Google Play, iTunes, and elsewhere.
4. Cold Mountain
Civil War movies don't get much better than this. Based on the Charles Frazier novel of the same name, it tells the story of W.P. Inman (Law), a man who deserts the Confederate Army in the 1860s. Ultimately, this is a love story and one in which Inman is trying to find his way back to his one true love, Ada (Nicole Kidman.)
Cold Mountain is ultimately a tragedy though, and getting into the specifics will ruin the beauty of the film. One of Jude Law's most tender performances, and one of his most affecting movies, ever.
Cold Mountain is streaming on Paramount+.
3. Firebrand
One of Law's best movies of all time is also one of his newest. In 2023, Law took on the role of Henry VIII, one of the more infamous English Kings. In theory, this movie is more about Henry VIII's wife, Katherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), but Law's transformation for the role is truly impressive. He's not quite pulling a Colin Farrell in The Penguin here, but he's coming very close.
Some might say Jude Law's success is only connected to his handsomeness. Firebrand proves he can ugly-up very well, and still deliver a fantastic performance.
Firebrand is streaming on Hulu.
2. Closer
A hard movie to watch in any era, Closer is perhaps the most painful movie about infidelity ever created. The movie focuses on two couples, played by Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen, and Julia Roberts. But, throughout the film, those couples become different couples, and the tangled web of betrayals and lies becomes more and more complicated.
While each of the four actors deserves credit for truly making this film intoxicating and gripping, Jude Law's novelist character, Dan moves much of the story forward, and it's through his narrative obsessions that much of the movie gleans its basic themes. Law is boh utterly charming and utterly despicable in this movie. A triumph that you can't stop watching.
Closer is streaming on Netflix.
1. Gattaca
One of the best films of the 90s, Gattaca has only gotten better with age. Set in a kind of Orwellian future, Gattaca focuses on a world in which obsession with genetics drives everything. While Jude Law is not the main character of the film, his story is what causes everything else in the film to happen. Without Law's character, Jerome, and his very specific genes, the conflict of the movie wouldn't make sense. Essentially, Ethan Hawke's character, Vincent, is using Jerome's DNA to get by in a society that would destroy him.
Gattaca isn't just a dystopian cautionary tale. It's also a thriller in which you're worried that everyone is going to be discovered at any minute. Jude Law's performance as Jerome is both tragic and a tiny bit heroic. Ethan Hawke might get top billing here, but Law is what makes it all work.