10 Must-See Robert Downey Jr Movies
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The Last Party (dirs. Mark Benjamin & Marc Levin, 1993)
Want to see Robert Downey Jr. play, uh, Robert Downey Jr.? In this documentary, the actor strolls in-and-around the 1992 Democratic Convention doing interviews with people from all walks of life. Sometimes his questions are articulated with journalistic intelligence, and other times, he’s brutally candid and trying to instigate a spirited verbal confrontation. The word “fascinating” comes to mind when viewing this.
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The Singing Detective (dir. Keith Gordon, 2003)
Robert Downey Jr. naturally gives many of his characters a playful side. And as a bed-ridden fictional writer with a rare skin-disease, he was let loose in Dennis Potter’s adaptation of his own crime-mystery television series. It’s big-band Hollywood (noir) spliced with engaging inter-personal drama in this quasi-fantastical telling that Downey Jr. made effortlessly flow.
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Chaplin (dir. Richard Attenborough, 1992)
Biopics are hit-n-miss, and unless you have someone with the cache of Daniel Day-Lewis or Anthony Hopkins portraying the title character, it’s just always a roll-of-the-dice. But when Oscar-winning director Richard Attenborough tapped the former Brat Pack member as the lauded filmmaker from Hollywood’s formative years, magic transpired. As did an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
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A Scanner Darkly (dir. Richard Linklater, 2006)
It’s pretty much a sizzle-reel of the Robert Downey Jr. we know and admire today. He’s just animated (literally) in this paranoid drama set in the not-so distant future. One thing you’ll notice here is that no matter whom he is sharing a scene with (Keanu Reeves, Woody Harrelson, Winona Ryder, etc.), onscreen chemistry is always present and it usually emanates from him.
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Sherlock Holmes (dir. Guy Ritchie, 2009)
It takes a certain kind of bravery to step into a literary icon’s shoes. And it takes a savvy confidence to then tweak it. But the man did just that in this slick adaptation of the famed detective chronicles. He found a charismatic way to evolve the character from the pages and make it his own, all while displaying attributes that respectfully honored the source material. It resulted in one of the more fun buddy-comedy action adventures in years.
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Less Than Zero (dir. Marek Kanievska, 1987)
If you believe the rumors that Downey’s uncanny performance of a wealthy L.A. junkie was so authentic due to the fact that he was struggling with his own personal drug addictions at the time, well, it’s method acting at its finest I guess. This movie is when people started to realize the pure talent bubbling up (pardon the pun).
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Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (dir. Shane Black, 2005)
The first time that Shane Black (helmer of Iron Man 3) directed Downey Jr. was in this witty murder-mystery caper. While Downey was mainly playing around on the indie film circuit in the ‘80s and ‘90s, this is considered his first jaunt back to the mainstream after a career setback. And this may also be the first time people started to recall just how sharp and comedic he could be with his patent brand of spit-fire dialogue as a wise-cracking wannabe detective.
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Tropic Thunder (dir. Ben Stiller, 2008)
Put it this way: When some people fail to realize that a heavily make-up’d white guy was portraying a black guy, and hilariously hitting the target, chances are you can act. Downey Jr. transformed into an Aussie actor playing a black solider and had everyone who gazed upon this in awe and rolling with laughs. Despite some controversy, he earned an Oscar nod for Best Supporting Actor.
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The Soloist (dir. Joe Wright, 2009)
Robert Downey Jr. plays a journalist who has lost the desire to keep going through life until he meets someone (Jamie Foxx) even more down on his luck than he. This drama allowed audiences to see an introspective and mentoring performance that had the ability to tug on the heart strings. Just as you see glimpses of a reflective side in his predominantly sarcastic and blunt characters today, in this role he does the exact opposite. Yep, he has the talent to play it straight and get deep and still put on a show.
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Iron Man (dir. Jon Favreau, 2008)
Just about every superhero that has graced the big screen comes equipped with a dual persona. Yet Iron Man was the rare one that is out in the open. Downey Jr. not only had to create two personas (Tony Stark and Iron Man), but he had to find a way to blend them seamlessly together. And he rocked it, and therefore, pleased the masses; which then catapulted this realm of the Marvel Universe to unprecedented heights.
