The Five Best Robert Downey Jr Films Of All Time
Robert Downey Jr has enjoyed one of the most breathtaking careers in Hollywood. He’s gone from teen heartthrob to rock bottom, to completely rejuvenating his career and becoming Iron Man, amongst many other high profile roles.
He’s a great example of how to turn a career around. In his early years he was seen as a promising young star, but drug and alcohol abuse left his career in tatters, struggling to get roles, bumping into the law on regular occurrences and eventually ending up in drug rehab.
That feels like a lifetime ago for the star, and he’s once again set to have a very good year, starring in Christopher Nolan’s new biopic Oppenheimer, set for release in 2023. And at 57, there’s still plenty to come from the New Yorker.
But with so much success to already look back on, we decided to take stock of Downey Jr’s career so far and choose our five favourite movies from his back catalogue (in no particular order)…
Tropic Thunder
Tropic Thunder saw us encounter a whole different side to Downey Jr and it was certainly his bravest role, playing Kirk Lazarus, an Australian method actor who blacks up for a role set in the Vietnam War.
The 2008 movie earned him an Oscar nomination and it’s a fantastically funny movie that doesn’t pull any punches in its mockery of the movie industry.
Chaplin
Chaplin was the movie that really took Robert Downey Jr to new heights before it all came crashing down for him. Starring as Charlie Chaplin, the actor captured the iconic figure’s mannerisms perfectly and it’s one of the best biopics ever made, standing up to this day despite being 30 years old.
Zodiac
Many see Zodiac as Robert Downey Jr’s finest role and it is difficult to disagree. It’s a fantastic crime thriller that sees Downey Jr take up the role of a true crime reporter who is following the case of the “Zodiac killer”.
Downey Jr shows charisma in abundance in this movie and there are plenty of twists and turns in the movie, but of course we’re not going to spoil those.
Sherlock Holmes
So many actors have taken on the role of Sherlock Holmes and we absolutely adore what Downey Jr did with the role. From his relationship with Watson, to his rather eccentric personality, it was a great movie and we can’t wait to see him revisit it, which appears to be on the cards.
Iron Man
It’s hard not to include Iron Man and we’re going with the 2008 movie and Downey Jr’s first as Tony Stark. It’s a hugely influential movie and completely changed the landscape of superhero movies.
It openly deals with a number of issues, including alcoholism and depression, which Downey Jr has suffered with himself, while it was the catalyst for all the Iron Man, Avengers and many other franchises that followed.
