Ever since winning an Academy Award for his leading performance as iconic rock’n’roll singer Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami Malek has risen to the A-list and been in extremely high demand. In addition to starring in David O. Russell’s untitled new project due to come out sometime in 2022, Malek is also poised to appear in Christopher Nolan’s star-studded Oppenheimer in 2023.
With nearly 40 credits amassed since making his screen debut in Gilmore Girls in 2004, highlights in Malek’s eclectic filmography include indie and blockbuster fare alike, with users on Letterboxd feeling pretty strongly about Malek’s work in big and small cinematic stories.
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 (2012) – 2.7/5
Who remembers Rami Malek appearing in a Twilight movie? Indeed, before starring in Mr. Robot, Malek appeared in Breaking Dawn Part 2 as an Egyptian vampire named Benjamin. When the Volturi come around, Benjamin vows to protect Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson).
Alas, there is quite the quantitative and qualitative drop-off from Malek’s top eight movies and his bottom two, the latter of which happen to be formulaic sequels in large studio franchises, but as some of his earliest movies, they were nonetheless important stepping stones.
Night At The Museum: Battle For The Smithsonian (2009) – 2.7/5
Malek has appeared in all three Night of the Museum movies so far, playing the role of Akhmenrah, a wax model of a mummified pharaoh who comes to life during one of the exhibits. In the second film, Battle for the Smithsonian, Akhmenrah’s kindhearted nature is expressed in direct opposition to his older brother, Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria).
With a substantial rating drop-off from its predecessor, the star-studded sequel is actually shorter despite having more characters, making it feel somewhat underwhelming for what is a fairly novel original premise. However, as Malek’s only blockbuster trilogy to date, there’s no denying the importance of the movie to his overall career.
Night At The Museum (2006) – 3.1/5
After logging a few TV credits from 2004 to 2006, Malek made his feature film debut in the 2006 high-concept blockbuster Night at the Museum, an adventurous comedy about the world’s most famous wax figures coming to life after hours. The broad crowd-pleaser led to two somewhat inferior sequels, in which Malek reprised his role of pharaoh Akhmenrah.
While his character is explored further in the sequels, in the original, Akhmenrah helps Larry (Ben Stiller) and Nick (Jake Cherry) safely escape the museum in the nick of time. One Letterboxd user perhaps says it best, adding “aside from the monkey p*ss jokes, NATM has a close place in my heart. Just wonderful, sweet, funny, nostalgic.”
Buster Mal’s Heart (2016) – 3.2/5
Malek gives arguably his best, weirdest, and most convincing performance as the title character in Buster’s Mal Heart, a quirky indie crime film that doubles as a fascinating character study. Buster is a paranoid drifter prone to conspiracy, who finds himself breaking into empty homes in the mountains as a means of avoiding the law.
Haunted by repressed memories and fractious dreams that allude to a better past, Buster braves the harsh winter elements as police continue to search for his whereabouts. A bizarre, off-kilter story from writer/director Sarah Adinah Smith, Malek has never been better onscreen.
Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (2013) – 3.3/5
David Lowery’s Aint Them Bodies Saints is a romantic crime picture about lovelorn prison escapees on the run. Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara star as Bob and Ruth, two Texas convicts who test their love and the law at once, with Malek playing a minor supporting character named Will.
A gritty yet lyrical throwback movie made in the style of 1970s filmmaking, Malek is unfortunately given little room to shine in a small part, but the scene in which he drives a badly wounded Bob home is one of the most tender moments in the film.
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) – 3.4/5
In arguably his most famous role, Rami Malek walked away with Oscar gold for his portrayal of the notorious Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, turning Bohemian Rhapsody into a celebratory ode to the fallen rocker and his loving bandmates. Unfortunately, the vitriolic comments on Letterboxd don’t match the movie’s overall rating.
Still, there’s no denying what a career-defining and life-altering role Mercury was for Malek, who immediately got to work with fellow Oscar-winners Denzel Washington and Jared Leto in The Little Things. Without the massive spike in his profile after the film, perhaps Malek’s podcast series Blackout would not have caught on.
Papillon (2017) – 3.5/5
A remake of one of the best prison escape films of all time, Papillon pairs Malek with Charlie Hunnam in the same imprisoned roles. Based on true events, the film chronicles how a Parisian safecracker (Hunnam) wrongfully accused of murder escapes from prison with the help of a convicted counterfeiter (Malek).
Less a daring escape movie and more of an intimate portrait of an unlikely friendship that borders on the romantic, Papillon continues to resonate with audiences because much of it truly occurred, proving once more that truth is often stranger than fiction.
No Time To Die (2021) – 3.5/5
It’s a real honor to be cast as the chief villain in a Bond film, and Malek earned that distinction in Daniel Craig’s final hour in the title role via No Time To Die. Indeed, with a name like Lyutsifer Safin, Malek’s devilish turn is pretty spot on.
A grand gestalt summing up Craig’s time in the iconic role, the emotionally fraught finale hits all the high notes of 007 formula filmmaking while pushing the franchise into a daring new direction in the foreseeable future. For his part, Malek has an absolute blast as the whispering scar-faced menace out to avenge Specter’s misdoings.
The Master (2012) – 4.0/5
In one of his best movies, Malek worked with the great Paul Thomas Anderson on The Master, a cerebrally vexing tale of alcoholic wanderer Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) finding spiritual companionship in Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a cultlike leader of The Cause, a new religious movement.
With an unparalleled acting quality across the board, Malek plays Dodd’s stepson Clark Massey, who Quell becomes oddly jealous of when Dodd officiates their wedding with prideful glee. It’s a small but substantial part that further shades Quell’s vindictive nature.
Short Term 12 (2013) – 4.1/5
A breakout vehicle for Brie Larson and director Destin Daniel Cretton as well, Short Term 12 is an intimate and deeply moving tale of at-risk foster youth who are counseled by Grace (Larson), a beleaguered but empathetic caretaker struggling to balance the personal with the professional.
In one of his best movies to date, Malek plays Nate, a naive new staff member whose bright-eyed ambition is put to the test immediately. Malek plays the part with a kind of gullibility that goes a long way in relating to the younger foster children, making a lasting bond that prompted one Letterboxd user to say, “if kindness was a movie it would be this one.”
