Sean Connery’s 10 Best Movies, Ranked

The career of legendary Scottish actor Sean Connery was one forever associated with his most famous role, however, it also included many other interesting parts across a wide variety of genres and styles. Connery worked with many acclaimed directors such as Alfred Hitchcock, Brian De Palma, and Sidney Lumet, and demonstrated a strong range for which he often does not receive enough credit. The filmography of Connery was full of beloved classics, cult favorites, and interesting off-shoots, that showcased him as a true legend of cinema.

Sean Connery was best known as the MI6 agent James Bond whom he played across seven different films and also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his standout performance in The Untouchables. The latter part of Connery’s career included beloved action films, like The Hunt for Red October and The Rock, that demonstrated the ongoing appeal of his star power. While Connery’s final onscreen appearance in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was a critical disappointment and was soon followed by his retirement, Connery’s career deserved celebrating and was filled with many remarkable roles.

10 Highlander (1986)

Sean Connery as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez

While Highlander may not rank as the most prestigious of Sean Connery movies, this classic 1980s fantasy adventure has gone on to achieve cult status and acted as one of the most unique and fun entries in his filmography. Connery played Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez, an Egyptian immoral who acted as a mentor to Connor MacLeod and taught him the ways of the Highlander, ever living beings who cannot die unless beheaded due to an energy called the Quickening. Connery excelled in the role and returned for the sequel, his only reappearance in a franchise outside of James Bond.

9 Murder on the Orient Express (1974)

Sean Connery as Colonel Arbuthnott

The first star-studded adaptation of Agatha Christie’s acclaimed mystery story Murder on the Orient Express featured an ensemble cast including Sean Connery, Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, and many more. A classic whodunit, Connery’s inclusion as a suspect on the Orient Express only highlighted his star power at the time of its release as the film acted as a cinematic event and one of the best adaptations of a Christie story on the big screen. Connery added a sense of intrigue and suspicion to Murder on the Orient Express, as Colonel Arbuthnott, an English officer returning home from India.

8 Marnie (1964)

Sean Connery as Mark Rutland

The psychological thriller Marnie was one of the most disturbing films ever made by director Alfred Hitchcock, it followed the story of Marnie Edgar, played by Tippi Hedren, and Mark Rutland, played by Sean Connery in a tale of crime, deceit, and obsession. While at first Marnie appeared to be the villain of the story, stealing almost $10,000 from her employer, Connery’s character later blackmailed the young woman into a marriage categorized by control and implied sexual assault. In the end, Marnie was a deeply unsettling story of childhood trauma and one of Connery’s most complex and disconcerting roles.

7 The Hill (1965)

Sean Connery as Trooper Joe Roberts

Sean Connery stepped outside of his comfort zone for the role of Trooper Joe Roberts in the World War II prison drama The Hill. As a soldier facing brutal punishment from sadist guards in a North African military prison, Connery played against type and demonstrated he was capable of portraying gritty roles in stark opposition to the charm and style of James Bond. A brutal production both emotionally and physically, The Hill was a heavy prison movie and the first of five films Connery would make with director Sidney Lumet.

6 The Untouchables (1987)

Sean Connery as Officer Jim Malone

Sean Connery took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Officer Jim Malone in Brian DePalma’s prohibition-era gangster movie The Untouchables. A deeply entertaining film, Connery starred opposite Kevin Costner as Special Agent Eliot Ness and Robert De Niro in an over-the-top performance as Al Capone, Connery was the emotional heart of the film and played a street cop who entered an intense investigation to bring down Capone. A late-career triumph for Connery, his Oscar win for The Untouchables showcased 25 years after first playing James Bond that Connery still had major star power.

5 The Rock (1996)

Sean Connery as John Patrick Mason

A jaw-dropping action spectacle by director Michael Bay, Sean Connery shined in The Rock as John Mason, the only man to ever escape Alcatraz. A high-octane adventure that also featured Nicolas Cage as FBI officer Stanley Goodspeed, The Rock may be one of the most unrealistic modern war movies that still managed to keep audiences on the edge of their seats with a story of a chemist and ex-con averting a major nerve gas missile attack. The Rock played to Connery’s strengths as an actor and showcased the pairing of Connery and Cage as a match made in heaven.

4 The Hunt for Red October (1990)

Sean Connery as Captain Marko Ramius

An incredible submarine spy story based on a novel by Tom Clancy and directed by the man who made Die Hard John McTiernan, Sean Connery gave one of the best performances of his career in The Hunt for Red October. In this Cold War thriller, Connery played Soviet Captain Mark Ramius defecting to the U.S. in an undertake missile submarine. With commitment performances from the entire cast, which also included Alec Baldwin and Tim Curry, The Hunt for Red October was an old-fashioned thriller that kept the action coming in a well-paced and clever adventure that kept audiences guessing.

3 Dr. No (1962)

Sean Connery as James Bond

As the cinematic introduction of the world’s most famous spy, Dr. No stood as the first adventure of British M16 agent James Bond, known by the codename 007. Connery would go on to star in seven James Bond movies and his iconic portrayal as the charming spy would lay the groundwork for every actor who later took up the part of James Bond. Dr. No was a hit and featured Bond investigating a missing agent in Jamaica, introduced the series’ iconic visual aesthetic, and kicked off the long-running franchise in style.

2 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Sean Connery as Henry Jones, Sr.

Thanks to his role as James Bond Steven Spielberg cast Sean Connery in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Connery played Indiana Jones’ father Professor Henry Jones Sr. in a light-hearted adventure that hit all the right notes. Starring opposite Harrison Ford, Connery was Indiana’s Holy Grail-obsessed father whose eccentric nature added a comic heart to Indiana’s third cinematic adventure. Spielberg reportedly wanted Connery to return to the role for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull but as Connery had already retired, he sadly turned the part down.

1 Goldfinger (1964)

Sean Connery as James Bond

The third installment in the James Bond series stood as Sean Connery’s crowning achievement as an actor and solidified the template for the franchise moving forward. Goldfinger was the first James Bond movie to receive a budget in line with its ambition and was the moment the character turned from simply a successful one into a true icon of pop culture. With over-the-top gadgetry, tongue-in-cheek humor, classic Bond girl Pussy Galore, and a wealth-obsessed villain, Goldfinger truly had it all. Goldfinger was peak Bond and the lens through which the series and the rest of Sean Connery’s career were continually measured.