The 10 Best Robert Downey Jr. Movies

10. “Soapdish” (1991)

Image Credit: Paramount Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

Who Downey plays: David Seton Barnes, a young producer on the (fictional) daytime soap opera “The Sun Also Sets.” When he’s seduced by the ruthlessly ambitious new actress Montana (Cathy Moriarty), David sets out to sabotage established star Celeste (Sally Field) by bringing back her old partner Jeffrey (Kevin Kline).

Why he’s great: “Soapdish” is an amusing lark of a film that has, at certain points, aged horrifically, especially in its casual transphobia near its ending. Still, Downey is hilarious as the arrogant, slimy David, getting some of the film’s best lines and delivering them with his singularly sharp wit. Of all his early, post “SNL” performances, its the one that most clearly broadcast his talent and charisma.
9. “A Scanner Darkly” (2006)

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Who Downey plays: James Barris, a drug addict and the layabout roommate of main character Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves), an undercover agent looking into the supply chain of the powerful Substance D hallucinogen. In Richard Linklater’s rotoscoped Philip K. Dick adaptation, Barris initially seems like comic relief but reveals a nastier streak.

Why he’s great: As written in the book and the film, Barris is a complete asshole, a moron with a penchant for hurting his friends when he isn’t getting high. But it’s a lot funnier in the movie than it is on the page, thanks to Downey’s sarcastic, withering performance, which provides ample comic relief for the film’s hallucinogenic surreality. In a film driven more by visual presentation than individual performances, he establishes himself as “A Scanner Darkly’s” firm MVP.
8. “Good Night, and Good Luck” (2005)

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Who Downey plays: Joseph Wershba, a CBS news reporter who worked for the network from the 1940s to the ’60s. George Clooney’s “Good Night, and Good Luck” focuses on the CBS team’s investigation into Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist hearings during the early 1950s, led by Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn). Wershba works alongside his wife Shirley (Patricia Clarkson), which they keep hidden at the office due to company policy.

Why he’s great: As Wershba, Downey only plays a supporting role in “Good Night, and Good Luck,” but he’s deeply likable, bringing his sarcastic persona into a more likable register. And he has excellent sweet chemistry with Clarkson, making for some of the film’s most rootable periphery characters.
7. “Short Cuts” (1993)

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Who Downey plays: Bill Bush, a makeup artist and the husband of Honey (Lili Taylor). Downey is one of roughly 20 main characters in Robert Altman’s adaptation of nine Raymond Carver short stories, linking across a broad ensemble cast to tell multiple stories about romance and fate.

Why he’s great: In a broad ensemble film like “Short Cuts,” it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle, but Downey Jr. makes a great impression as the roving, unfaithful Bill. He’s charismatic and sexy, with memorable chemistry with Taylor, but with a hint of darkness underneath him that manifests in a voyeuristic search through another couple’s belongings and applying bruise makeup on his wife. It makes for a supporting part that doesn’t steal the movie, but shines brightly in its wider ensemble.
6. “Zodiac” (2007)

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Who Downey plays: Paul Avery, a journalist who worked for the San Francisco Chronicle and is most famous for his reporting on the serial Zodiac Killer that operated in the city area during the late ’60s. David Fincher’s 2007 film digs into the police investigation into the murder spree, which remains unsolved today, and features Avery as one of the three main characters, along with cartoonist Robert Greysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) and homicide detective David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo).

Why he’s great: “Zodiac” was one of the first lead parts Downey had during his comeback, and he’s excellent as the sarcastic Avery, making for an amusing foil to the more earnest and obsessive Greysmith. But the part also gives Downey a chance to flex some of his more dramatic abilities, and he captures Avery’s terror and slow descent into alcoholism after the killer threatens him with nuance and realism.
5. “Oppenheimer” (2023)

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Who Downey plays: Lewis Strauss, a member of the United States Atomic Energy Commission. With a massive chip on his shoulder and extreme resentment towards J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy), Strauss orchestrates a security hearing intended to destroy the atomic scientist’s career.

Why he’s great: “Oppenheimer,” despite its larger-than-life trappings, ends as the surprisingly petty story about how an insecure bureaucrat sabotaged its central hero. And Downey is magnificently petty in the role as Strauss, shedding almost all of his charm to play a thin-skinned weasel whose arrogance barely masks how much of a coward he is. Downey overplays it slightly in the role, but it’s a refreshing turn from the actor that shows he’s capable of more than just his trademark snark.
4. “Iron Man” (2008)

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Who Downey plays: You don’t need us to tell you that Downey is Tony Stark, a playboy billionaire who builds a robot suit to escape terrorists and begins using it to fight crime. The role became Downey’s signature part, and he would go on to reprise the role across many MCU films until his retirement from the role in “Avengers Endgame.”

Why he’s great: The quality of the MCU is a topic that seemingly everyone has an opinion on, but everyone can agree that Downey kills it as Stark. He fits the role from the comics like a glove, turning up his charisma and sarcasm exponentially for one of the most likable and memorable blockbuster turns in recent memory. Later films, especially Shane Black’s “Iron Man 3,” would push him in the role a bit harder by forcing Tony to deal with alcoholism and PTSD, but the breezy effortlessness of his first outing as the character remains the best use of his talents in the Marvel multiverse.
3. “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” (2005)

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Who Downey plays: Harry Lockhart, a small-time criminal who unintentionally lands a screen test for a film and flys out to Hollywood for it. While there, he gets further entangled in a bizarre murder conspiracy with childhood friend Harmony (Michelle Monaghan) and private eye Perry van Shrike (Val Kilmer).

Why he’s great: “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” was one of Downey’s first roles during his career comeback after going to rehab in the early 2000s. And it’s a canny choice to relaunch his career, riffing a bit on his negative public image at the time while playing to his strengths in a frazzled, sarcastic part. Downey has always been best when he’s being funny, and Shane Black’s scripts stuffed with jokes gives him plenty of opportunity to be very funny. It helps he has great chemistry with Monaghan and especially Kilmer, with whom he forms a fantastic odd couple pairing that feels like its dying to be explored in a sequel.
2. “Chaplin” (1992)

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Who Downey plays: Charlie Chaplin, the iconic silent film star who rose to fame through directing himself in acclaimed slapstick comedies. Downey Jr. received his first Oscar nomination for his work in Richard Attenborough’s biopic of the director and actor, which charts his course from humble beginnings to revolutionary success.

Why he’s great: “Chaplin” isn’t a great movie; it’s a bit too much of a bog-standard biopic to dig into what made the central figure a great artist. None of that is Downey’s fault, though. He’s excellent in the role, uncannily looking a ton like Chaplin and mastering his onscreen gait and mannerisms. It’s not just the type of biopic performance that rests simply on imitation, though; Downey is surprisingly soulful in the role, playing Chaplin across decades and delivering his heartbreak as he experiences setbacks in the brutal Hollywood landscape. Despite the film’s flaws, Downey’s Oscar nomination proved very well deserved.
1. “Tropic Thunder” (2008)

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Who Downey plays: Kirk Lazarus, an obnoxious Australian method actor with five Academy Awards under his belt. For the upcoming Vietnam War film “Tropic Thunder,” Lazarus underwent a “pigmentation alteration” procedure to play a Black man and refuses to break character — even when he and his costars get dumped by the director into a real war zone.

Why he’s great: Ultimately, Downey is at his best when he lets his comedic chops shine. And he’s never been funnier than he’s been in “Tropic Thunder,” which got him a rare Oscar nomination for a purely comedic performance. He makes a meal out of Lazarus’ insensitivities and Method Actor pretension, and the consistently cringeworthy stereotypical Black slang he inflects his speech with. But what’s impressive is that the part never feels too broad or exaggerated; Downey is able to find a core to Lazarus that makes him more than a cartoon character. In a cast filled with comedic ringers — Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Tom Cruise in an extremely memorable cameo — Downey handily walks away with the entire thing, delivering one of the best comedic turns of its decade.

Robert Downey Jr.’s Best Performances: ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Oppenheimer,’ ‘Tropic Thunder,’ and More

Wilson Chapman

10. “Soapdish” (1991)

9. “A Scanner Darkly” (2006)

8. “Good Night, and Good Luck” (2005)

7. “Short Cuts” (1993)

6. “Zodiac” (2007)

5. “Oppenheimer” (2023)

4. “Iron Man” (2008)

3. “Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” (2005)

2. “Chaplin” (1992)

1. “Tropic Thunder” (2008)

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