After spending upwards of six decades being a beloved film actor, the legendaryMichael Cainehas announced his retirement from actingat the age of 90. It’s bittersweet because, while it might be hard to accept the prospect of no longer seeing Caine in movies, he’s been at it so long and has given the art of acting his all throughout that time, meaning no one’s going to argue that he doesn’t deserve his retirement.
When it comes to iconic Michael Caine movies/roles of the 21st century, the films ofChristopher Nolanundoubtedly come to mind, given Caine had a variety of roles in eight consecutive Nolan movies between 2005 and 2020. All these Nolan + Caine collaborations are ranked below, weighted based on how prominently they feature Michael Caine and also roughly how good they are overall as films. None are bad, so it’s the kind of ranking that goes from good to great, rather than “worst” to best.
8’Batman Begins' (2005)
Though itssequels are arguably more impressive,Batman Beginsis still a significant film within what’s now become a broad genre of superhero movies. It was a movie that was willing to take its title character quite seriously, all things considered. Nowadays, it might feel a little stilted and overly serious as a result, but it was a breath of fresh air in 2005 that undeniably allowed comic book/superhero films to mature and more easily branch off in varied directions.
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Batman Beginsdoes nowadays feel like a lesser and somewhat flawed Nolan film, but nonetheless still contains an engaging Michael Caine performance, introducing viewers to his take on Bruce Wayne’s loyal butler/friend Alfred Pennyworth. Caine’s great here in his first collaboration with Nolan, and from here on out, the two would go on to do bigger and better things during their continued actor + director partnership.
7’Dunkirk' (2017)
WithDunkirk, Christopher Nolan took a dramatic step away from lengthy dialogue scenes and (sometimes divisive) long passages of exposition and made something almost entirely visual. The story here doesn’t need much dialogue to be told, as its depiction of the 1940 Allied mission to evacuate various soldiers off the beaches of Dunkirk is straightforward and rather blunt, though its editing and structure - concurrently telling three storylines that each take place over a different period of time - adds some thrilling and unique complexity to the proceedings.
It’s abold and successful take on the war genre, and perhaps one of the best in recent memory, too. However, it takes a hit within this particular ranking owing to the fact that it’s the briefest appearance Michael Caine’s ever had within a Christopher Nolan movie. It’s a voice-only cameo - and an uncredited one - but even so, it’s nice to have Michael Caine be something of a presence within the film, even if he doesn’t appear on-screen.
6’Tenet' (2020)
With Michael Caine’s retirement announcement in 2023, and that year’sOppenheimerbeing released without an appearance from Caine (there were plenty of other big names, though),Tenetstands as the final time audiences will see Caine appear in a Nolan film. It’s a bittersweet send-off of sorts for their partnership, and his role here - as a charismatic delivered of exposition named Sir Michael Crosby - is fairly brief, all things considered.
Still, Caine’s great, even if it’s really just an extended cameo, andTenetas a whole is also pretty impressive. It’s fair to call the 2020 film divisive and convoluted, to some extent, with its approach to time manipulation and sci-fi espionage being dense and head-spinning even by Nolan’s standards. But those willing to go along for the ride - and enjoy one final team-up between Nolan and Caine - should find a decent amount to like here.
5’The Prestige' (2006)
It’s impressive how soonThe Prestigecame out after 2005’sBatman Begins, being one part of a Nolan hot streak between 2005 and 2014, where the director released half a dozen impressive films within a relatively short amount of time. It stands out from the other Nolan films released around this time for not having any action and/or adventure elements, instead being more of a psychological thriller/drama movie about the rivalry between two magicians during the final years of the 19th century.
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May contain traces of non-chronological storytelling and muffled dialogue.
It starsHugh JackmanandChristian Balein the lead roles, but the supporting cast here is also amazing (as is often the case with Nolan’s films), with not only Michael Caine being featured here, but also the likes ofScarlett Johansson,Rebecca Hall,and evenDavid Bowie. Caine plays a stage engineer who has ties with both main characters, finding himself caught between two people within this dark and oftentimes very engaging exploration of the dangers that come with obsession and perfectionism.
4’The Dark Knight Rises' (2012)
Admittedly,The Dark Knight Risesisn’t exactly one of Christopher Nolan’s strongest films, but it is one ofsoaring highs and some occasionally confounding lows. PerhapsBatman Beginsis more consistent, but there is a certain epic quality toThe Dark Knight Risesthat makes it admirable, and in many ways (again, certainly not every way), it serves as a compelling conclusion to Christopher Nolan’sBatmantrilogy.
It does have a considerable amount of merit here, however, for giving Michael Caine’s Alfred the most to do here out of any film within this trilogy. Alfred gets a decent amount of screen time and several pivotal scenes throughout, feeling more prominent than he had before, and providing some of the best moments in the entire film. It’s not the greatest Christopher Nolan movie by any means, but there’s an argument to be made that it’s the best performance Caine’s given within one of Nolan’s films.
3’Inception' (2010)
WithInception, Christopher Nolancombined his love of sci-fi and actioninto something bold and undeniably exciting. This is a movie that plays out like a heist film, except instead of something physical being stolen, the heist involves an object being implanted somewhere… and not even an object in the physical sense, but an idea that’s to be inserted into someone’s subconscious while they’re asleep and dreaming.
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With its rather out-there premise, there’s a good deal of exposition early on before much of the action really gets to shine, but the concepts and ideas are introduced and elaborated on in interesting ways. It’s also beneficial that Michael Caine is featured prominently early in the film as a mentor toLeonardo DiCaprio’scharacter, who’s the protagonist, with Caine showing that if you need to deliver exposition to the audience, it always helps to have a greatly charismatic actor there to help do it.
2’Interstellar' (2014)
For as ambitious asInceptioncould be as a sci-fi film,Interstellar- released four years later - is arguably even more lofty and expansive. It tells a story that starts grim, with the film taking place in a future where life on Earth is beginning to become less and less sustainable, leading to a group of explorers venturing out deep into space - and through a wormhole - with the hope of finding another planet that could sustain human life.
It marks the last time Michael Caine got a substantial supporting role in a Nolan film, givenDunkirkwas just a voice cameo andTenetgave him a single (slightly longer) on-screen cameo. He’s great here as a fairly complex character who’s a key figure behind the NASA mission to find another planet, and he’s one part of a hugely impressive cast that also includes the likes ofMatthew McConaughey,Anne Hathaway,Jessica Chastain, andTimothée Chalamet, plus abrief yet emotionally devastating appearance fromEllen Burstyn.
1’The Dark Knight' (2008)
When it comes to selectingthe greatest superhero movies of all time, 2008’sThe Dark Knightis often a film that appears right at the top, as it’s something of an undisputed classic. Much of its acclaim comes from the fact that it features alegendary performance fromHeath Ledgeras The Joker, but it’s also an exceptional fusion of action/crime epic with the superhero genre, making for something that’s persistently thrilling and ambitious.
Beyond Ledger, there’s a cast filled with actors who are all crushing it (perhaps too many names to list), and Michael Caine is also fantastic, as expected. Alfred continues to be one of the trilogy’s most interesting characters here, and his scenes/surprisingly frequent monologues are all iconic enough to mark this as one of the best collaborations between Nolan and Caine, and arguably Nolan’s greatest film overall, too.
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