All Josh Brolin Movies Ranked | Rotten Tomatoes

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All Josh Brolin Movies Ranked

Josh Brolin: Goonie for life, though the whole killing-half-the-life-in-the-universe thing might put his membership in jeopardy. Having a role in The Goonies nets you cool points forever, but it took a while for Brolin to fully match his acting talent with the appropriate movies. 1998-2006, for example, didn’t net him a single Fresh movie, as he appeared in disparate films like The Mod Squad, Hollow Man, and Melinda and Melinda.

But nobody had a better 2007 than Brolin, as he appeared in three Certified Fresh projects: Grindhouse (the Planet Terror portion), American Gangster, and No Country for Old Men, the latter of which would go on to win Best Picture.

Brolin debuted in the MCU in 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy as Thanos, though the character was depicted first by another actor in The Avengers. Thanos has been hanging over these movies like a purple Sword of Damocles, with the character requiring an actor of immense physical presence yet capable of emanating a kind of, yes, sensitivity and inner life to make this Mad Titan believable and near-relatable. As we’ve seen in Infinity War and Endgame, Marvel bet on the right actor. He portrayed hot planet tactican Gurney Halleck in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Dune, and he’s one of the lucky few to survive into Part Two, which has just entered production. Until we’re back to sniffin’ the spice and riding the sandworm electric, we’re ranking Josh Brolin’s movies by Tomatometer! —Alex Vo

#1

True Grit (2010)
95%

#1
Adjusted Score: 106329%
Critics Consensus: Girded by strong performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and newcomer Hailee Steinfeld, and lifted by some of the Coens' most finely tuned, unaffected work, True Grit is a worthy companion to the Charles Portis book.
Synopsis: After an outlaw named Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) murders her father, feisty 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) hires... [More]
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper
Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

#2
#2
Adjusted Score: 123857%
Critics Consensus: Exciting, entertaining, and emotionally impactful, Avengers: Endgame does whatever it takes to deliver a satisfying finale to Marvel's epic Infinity Saga.
Synopsis: Adrift in space with no food or water, Tony Stark sends a message to Pepper Potts as his oxygen supply... [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth
Directed By: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

#3
#3
Adjusted Score: 104839%
Critics Consensus: Bolstered by powerful lead performances from Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men finds the Coen brothers spinning cinematic gold out of Cormac McCarthy's grim, darkly funny novel.
Synopsis: While out hunting, Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) finds the grisly aftermath of a drug deal. Though he knows better, he... [More]
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson
Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

#4

Milk (2008)
93%

#4
Adjusted Score: 102987%
Critics Consensus: Anchored by Sean Penn's powerhouse performance, Milk is a triumphant account of America's first openly gay man elected to public office.
Synopsis: In 1972, Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) and his then-lover Scott Smith leave New York for San Francisco, with Milk determined... [More]
Starring: Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna
Directed By: Gus Van Sant

#5
#5
Adjusted Score: 108330%
Critics Consensus: Guardians of the Galaxy is just as irreverent as fans of the frequently zany Marvel comic would expect -- as well as funny, thrilling, full of heart, and packed with visual splendor.
Synopsis: Brash space adventurer Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) finds himself the quarry of relentless bounty hunters after he steals an orb... [More]
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel
Directed By: James Gunn

#6

Sicario (2015)
92%

#6
Adjusted Score: 105666%
Critics Consensus: Led by outstanding work from Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro, Sicario is a taut, tightly wound thriller with much more on its mind than attention-getting set pieces.
Synopsis: After rising through the ranks of her male-dominated profession, idealistic FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) receives a top assignment.... [More]
Starring: Emily Blunt, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Victor Garber
Directed By: Denis Villeneuve

#7

Only the Brave (2017)
87%

#7
Adjusted Score: 95679%
Critics Consensus: Only the Brave's impressive veteran cast and affecting fact-based story add up to a no-frills drama that's just as stolidly powerful as the real-life heroes it honors.
Synopsis: Through hope, determination, sacrifice and the drive to protect families and communities, the Granite Mountain Hotshots become one of the... [More]
Starring: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly
Directed By: Joseph Kosinski

#8
#8
Adjusted Score: 91431%
Critics Consensus: Darkly funny, solidly cast, and surprisingly thoughtful, Flirting with Disaster proved David O. Russell's Spanking the Monkey was no fluke.
Synopsis: Adopted as a child, new father Mel Colpin (Ben Stiller) decides he cannot name his son until he knows his... [More]
Starring: Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Téa Leoni, Alan Alda
Directed By: David O. Russell

#9

Hail, Caesar! (2016)
86%

#9
Adjusted Score: 103475%
Critics Consensus: Packed with period detail and perfectly cast, Hail, Caesar! finds the Coen brothers delivering an agreeably lightweight love letter to post-war Hollywood.
Synopsis: In the early 1950s, Eddie Mannix is busy at work trying to solve all the problems of the actors and... [More]
Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes
Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

#10
#10
Adjusted Score: 112642%
Critics Consensus: Avengers: Infinity War ably juggles a dizzying array of MCU heroes in the fight against their gravest threat yet, and the result is a thrilling, emotionally resonant blockbuster that (mostly) realizes its gargantuan ambitions.
Synopsis: Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk and the rest of the Avengers unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet --... [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin, Chadwick Boseman
Directed By: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

#11

Deadpool 2 (2018)
84%

#11
Adjusted Score: 107375%
Critics Consensus: Though it threatens to buckle under the weight of its meta gags, Deadpool 2 is a gory, gleeful lampoon of the superhero genre buoyed by Ryan Reynolds' undeniable charm.
Synopsis: Wisecracking mercenary Deadpool meets Russell, an angry teenage mutant who lives at an orphanage. When Russell becomes the target of... [More]
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, Zazie Beetz
Directed By: David Leitch

#12

Dune (2021)
83%

#12
Adjusted Score: 109619%
Critics Consensus: Dune occasionally struggles with its unwieldy source material, but those issues are largely overshadowed by the scope and ambition of this visually thrilling adaptation.
Synopsis: Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the... [More]
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin
Directed By: Denis Villeneuve

#13
#13
Adjusted Score: 89574%
Critics Consensus: American Gangster is a gritty and entertaining throwback to classic gangster films, with its lead performers firing on all cylinders.
Synopsis: Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) earns his living as a chauffeur to one of Harlem's leading mobsters. After his boss dies,... [More]
Starring: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Cuba Gooding Jr.
Directed By: Ridley Scott

#14
#14
Adjusted Score: 94730%
Critics Consensus: Exuberant and eye-popping, Avengers: Age of Ultron serves as an overstuffed but mostly satisfying sequel, reuniting its predecessor's unwieldy cast with a few new additions and a worthy foe.
Synopsis: When Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) jump-starts a dormant peacekeeping program, things go terribly awry, forcing him, Thor (Chris Hemsworth),... [More]
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans
Directed By: Joss Whedon

#15

The Dead Girl (2006)
76%

#15
Adjusted Score: 78722%
Critics Consensus: This dark thriller boasts a fresh approach, but it can still get bogged down by its heavy subject matter.
Synopsis: In a quintet of stories, the murder of a young runaway (Brittany Murphy) connects a group of unrelated women. Lonely... [More]
Starring: Toni Collette, Rose Byrne, Mary Beth Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden
Directed By: Karen Moncrieff

#16

The Goonies (1985)
77%

#16
Adjusted Score: 82800%
Critics Consensus: The Goonies is an energetic, sometimes noisy mix of Spielbergian sentiment and funhouse tricks that will appeal to kids and nostalgic adults alike.
Synopsis: When two brothers find out they might lose their house they are desperate to find a way to keep their... [More]
Starring: Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen, Corey Feldman
Directed By: Richard Donner

#17

Planet Terror (2007)
77%

#17
Adjusted Score: 77324%
Critics Consensus: A cool and hip grindhouse throwback, Planet Terror is an unpredictable zombie thrillride.
Synopsis: An ordinary evening in a small Texas town becomes a grisly nightmare when a horde of flesh-eating zombies goes on... [More]
Starring: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodríguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton
Directed By: Robert Rodriguez

#18

Inherent Vice (2014)
74%

#18
Adjusted Score: 86133%
Critics Consensus: Inherent Vice may prove frustrating for viewers who demand absolute coherence, but it does justice to its acclaimed source material -- and should satisfy fans of director P.T. Anderson.
Synopsis: In a California beach community, private detective Larry "Doc" Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) tends to work his cases through a smoky... [More]
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston
Directed By: Paul Thomas Anderson

#19
#19
Adjusted Score: 80192%
Critics Consensus: Though some of Paul Haggis's themes are heavy-handed, In the Valley of Elah is otherwise an engrossing murder mystery and antiwar statement, featuring a mesmerizing performance from Tommy Lee Jones.
Synopsis: A police detective (Charlize Theron) helps a retired Army sergeant (Tommy Lee Jones) search for his son, a soldier who... [More]
Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon
Directed By: Paul Haggis

#20

Everest (2015)
73%

#20
Adjusted Score: 84317%
Critics Consensus: Everest boasts all the dizzying cinematography a person could hope to get out a movie about mountain climbers, even if it's content to tread less challenging narrative terrain.
Synopsis: On the morning of May 10, 1996, climbers (Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin) from two expeditions start their final ascent toward... [More]
Starring: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright
Directed By: Baltasar Kormákur

#21

Men in Black 3 (2012)
67%

#21
Adjusted Score: 78939%
Critics Consensus: It isn't exactly a persuasive argument for the continuation of the franchise, but Men in Black III is better than its predecessor and manages to exceed expectations.
Synopsis: Even though agents J (Will Smith) and K (Tommy Lee Jones) have been protecting the Earth from alien scum for... [More]
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement
Directed By: Barry Sonnenfeld

#22

Mimic (1997)
65%

#22
Adjusted Score: 67774%
Critics Consensus: Mimic finds director Guillermo del Toro struggling to inject his unique sensibilities into a studio picture - and delivering just enough genre thrills to recommend.
Synopsis: When a cockroach-spread plague threatens to decimate the child population of New York City, evolutionary biologist Susan Tyler (Mira Sorvino)... [More]
Starring: Mira Sorvino, Jeremy Northam, Josh Brolin, Giancarlo Giannini
Directed By: Guillermo del Toro

#23
#23
Adjusted Score: 78068%
Critics Consensus: Though less subversive than its predecessor, Sicario: Day of the Soldado succeeds as a stylish, dynamic thriller -- even if its amoral machismo makes for grim viewing.
Synopsis: FBI agent Matt Graver calls on mysterious operative Alejandro Gillick when Mexican drug cartels start to smuggle terrorists across the... [More]
Starring: Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Merced, Jeffrey Donovan
Directed By: Stefano Sollima

#24

W. (2008)
58%

#24
Adjusted Score: 67005%
Critics Consensus: A surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of the 43rd American president, W. is fascinating in spots, but merely rudimentary as a whole.
Synopsis: Flashbacks to key events in his life reveal the rise of George W. Bush from ne'er-do-well party boy and son... [More]
Starring: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Ellen Burstyn, James Cromwell
Directed By: Oliver Stone

#25
#25
Adjusted Score: 64601%
Critics Consensus: It's more entertaining than many sequels, but with Oliver Stone directing, a terrific cast, and a timely storyline that picks up where the original left off, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps should be better.
Synopsis: Following a long prison term for insider trading, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) finds himself on the outside looking in at... [More]
Starring: Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan
Directed By: Oliver Stone

#26
#26
Adjusted Score: 55878%
Critics Consensus: Woody Allen's uneven Melinda and Melinda fails to find neither comedy nor pathos in what seems like a rehash of his previous themes.
Synopsis: While dining out with friends, Sy (Wallace Shawn) suggests the difficulty of separating comedy from tragedy. To illustrate his point,... [More]
Starring: Radha Mitchell, Chloë Sevigny, Jonny Lee Miller, Will Ferrell
Directed By: Woody Allen

#27

Coastlines (2002)
48%

#27
Adjusted Score: 46293%
Critics Consensus: Coastlines features solid lead performances, but is hindered by an unconvincing love triangle and scattered direction. Not up to the standard of Victor Nunez's previous directorial efforts.
Synopsis: Sonny (Timothy Olyphant) had to be strong to endure prison. By the time he arrives home to a small coastal... [More]
Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Josh Brolin, Sarah Wynter, Scott Wilson
Directed By: Victor Nunez

#28
#28
Adjusted Score: 50147%
Critics Consensus: It's sporadically amusing, and typically well-cast, but You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger isn't one of Woody Allen's more inspired late-period efforts.
Synopsis: Two married couples find only trouble and heartache as their complicated lives unfold. After 40 years of marriage, Alfie leaves... [More]
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones
Directed By: Woody Allen

#29

Best Laid Plans (1999)
43%

#29
Adjusted Score: 43181%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Returning to his dreary hometown as a wealthy man, Bryce (Josh Brolin) is unaware of the target his financial gain... [More]
Starring: Alessandro Nivola, Reese Witherspoon, Josh Brolin, Rocky Carroll
Directed By: Mike Barker

#30
#30
Adjusted Score: 51850%
Critics Consensus: A Dame to Kill For boasts the same stylish violence and striking visual palette as the original Sin City, but lacks its predecessor's brutal impact.
Synopsis: The damaged denizens of Sin City return for another round of stories from the mind of Frank Miller. In "Just... [More]
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Directed By: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller

#31

Flag Day (2021)
39%

#31
Adjusted Score: 42676%
Critics Consensus: Flag Day benefits from powerful performances and a moving fact-based story, but it's largely lost in the movie's melodramatic din.
Synopsis: Jennifer Vogel's father John was larger than life. As a child, Jennifer marveled at his magnetizing energy and ability to... [More]
Starring: Dylan Penn, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Norbert Leo Butz
Directed By: Sean Penn

#32

Oldboy (2013)
39%

#32
Adjusted Score: 45566%
Critics Consensus: Suitably grim and bloody yet disappointingly safe and shallow, Spike Lee's Oldboy remake neither surpasses the original nor adds anything new to its impressive legacy.
Synopsis: Although his life is already in a downward spiral, things get much worse for advertising executive Joe Doucett (Josh Brolin)... [More]
Starring: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Michael Imperioli
Directed By: Spike Lee

#33
#33
Adjusted Score: 38326%
Critics Consensus: Well-cast but frustratingly underwhelming, Milwaukee, Minnesota assembles a number of intriguingly unique ingredients that add up to a mostly middling mess.
Synopsis: Mentally disabled champion fisher Albert Burroughs (Troy Garity) grows up under the protection of his possessive mother, Edna (Debra Monk),... [More]
Starring: Troy Garity, Alison Folland, Randy Quaid, Bruce Dern
Directed By: Allan Mindel

#34

Labor Day (2013)
34%

#34
Adjusted Score: 43017%
Critics Consensus: Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin make for an undeniably compelling pair, but they can't quite rescue Labor Day from the pallid melodrama of its exceedingly ill-advised plot.
Synopsis: At the tender age of 13, Henry Wheeler (Gattlin Griffith) grapples with the pains of adolescence while caring for his... [More]
Starring: Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin, Gattlin Griffith, Tobey Maguire
Directed By: Jason Reitman

#35

Gangster Squad (2013)
31%

#35
Adjusted Score: 40318%
Critics Consensus: Though it's stylish and features a talented cast, Gangster Squad suffers from lackluster writing, underdeveloped characters, and an excessive amount of violence.
Synopsis: Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mobster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has 1949 Los Angeles in an iron fist, as he accumulates a fortune... [More]
Starring: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Nick Nolte, Robert Patrick
Directed By: Ruben Fleischer

#36
#36
Adjusted Score: 28461%
Critics Consensus: The Legacy of a Whitetail Deer Hunter wastes a promising premise and talented cast on a frustratingly uneven comedy that lacks enough laughs to forgive its narrative flaws.
Synopsis: The great hunter Buck Ferguson and his trusted cameraman Don set out for an epic weekend adventure to reconnect with... [More]
Starring: Josh Brolin, Danny McBride, Montana Jordan, Scoot McNairy
Directed By: Jody Hill

#37

Women in Trouble (2009)
29%

#37
Adjusted Score: 29058%
Critics Consensus: Sebastian Gutierrez certainly has an eye for the beauty of the female form, but Women in Trouble lacks a compelling script or point of view to go with its curvaceous visual appeal.
Synopsis: The lives of various and disparate women intersect when a porn superstar named Elektra Luxx (Carla Gugino) discovers she is... [More]
Starring: Carla Gugino, Connie Britton, Adrianne Palicki, Emmanuelle Chriqui
Directed By: Sebastian Gutierrez

#38

Nightwatch (1998)
27%

#38
Adjusted Score: 28070%
Critics Consensus: Nightwatch loses much of what made its inspiration entertaining - and proves that when remaking a foreign film, hiring the original director is no guarantee of success.
Synopsis: Law student Martin Bells (Ewan McGregor) needs to make some money, and so he takes a side job as a... [More]
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Nick Nolte, Josh Brolin, Patricia Arquette
Directed By: Ole Bornedal

#39

All the Rage (1999)
27%

#39
Adjusted Score: 16635%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: A rich cross-section of urban USA find their lives changed when their fates collide at gunpoint. At the center of... [More]
Starring: Joan Allen, Andre Braugher, Josh Brolin, Jeff Daniels
Directed By: James D. Stern

#40

Hollow Man (2000)
26%

#40
Adjusted Score: 30362%
Critics Consensus: Despite awesome special effects, Hollow Man falls short of other films directed by Paul Verhoeven. This flick over time degenerates into a typical horror film.
Synopsis: The thought of human invisibility has intrigued man for centuries. Highly gifted scientist Sebastian Caine develops a serum that induces... [More]
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Elisabeth Shue, Josh Brolin, Greg Grunberg
Directed By: Paul Verhoeven

#41

Into the Blue (2005)
21%

#41
Adjusted Score: 25202%
Critics Consensus: Even the endless shots of bronzed beach babes and buffed dudes can't keep this soggy scuba flick's plot from drowning.
Synopsis: Divers Sam (Jessica Alba) and Jared (Paul Walker) love life in the Bahamas. But when friends Bryce (Scott Caan) and... [More]
Starring: Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, Scott Caan, Ashley Scott
Directed By: John Stockwell

#42

Bed of Roses (1996)
19%

#42
Adjusted Score: 19266%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Workaholic Lisa (Mary Stuart Masterson) long ago shut down emotionally, retreating into a shell during her painful childhood. Career is... [More]
Starring: Christian Slater, Mary Stuart Masterson, Pamela Adlon, Josh Brolin
Directed By: Michael Goldenberg

#43

Jonah Hex (2010)
12%

#43
Adjusted Score: 17904%
Critics Consensus: Josh Brolin gives it his best shot, but he can't keep the short, unfocused Jonah Hex from collapsing on the screen.
Synopsis: Having cheated death, gunslinger and bounty hunter Jonah Hex (Josh Brolin) has one foot in the natural world and one... [More]
Starring: Josh Brolin, John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Michael Fassbender
Directed By: Jimmy Hayward

#44

Slow Burn (2005)
9%

#44
Adjusted Score: 9415%
Critics Consensus: With wooden acting and hammy, overheated dialogue, Slow Burn isn't so much a noir as it is a mediocre parody of one.
Synopsis: As ambitious District Attorney Ford Cole (Ray Liotta) prepares for his mayoral bid, he faces conflicting stories surrounding a man's... [More]
Starring: Ray Liotta, LL Cool J, Jolene Blalock, Mekhi Phifer
Directed By: Wayne Beach

#45

The Mod Squad (1999)
3%

#45
Adjusted Score: 5667%
Critics Consensus: The Mod Squad aims for stylish cool and thrilling adventure, but collapses in an incoherent jumble of dated source material and unintentional hilarity.
Synopsis: Julie (Claire Danes) is on her way to jail for assault. Arsonist Linc (Omar Epps) is looking at serious prison... [More]
Starring: Claire Danes, Giovanni Ribisi, Omar Epps, Dennis Farina
Directed By: Scott Silver