“The Man Who Would Be King” (1975)
Directed and co-written by John Huston, this film (based on the Rudyard Kipling short story) went through multiple rounds of potential actors over the years (Clark Gable and Humphrey Bogart, Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, Richard Burton and Peter O’Toole, Robert Redford and Paul Newman). It was during the last round that Newman suggested Sean Connery and Michael Caine, and Huston went on to cast them in the two lead roles. As Danny Dravot and Peachy Carnehan respectively, Connery and Caine play two British soldiers who leave the army and become imperial-era Alexander the Greats in Kafiristan (modern-day Afghanistan). To give you a taste without ruining the adventure and plot, Danny tells a group of native recruits that, “A soldier does not think. He only obeys. Do you really think that if a soldier thought twice he’d give his life for queen and country? Not bloody likely. “ It’s a rip-roaring, old-fashioned adventure, but one that Huston gives a sort of post-colonial subtext, perhaps not intended by Kipling (it’s hard not to see a sense of ‘end of empire’ in the characters’ eventual fates). Caine and Connery have such great, immediately iconic chemistry that it’s a shame they never teamed up again. Biographical detail fans should note that Caine met his wife, Shakira Baksh Caine, while she was playing Sean Connery’s character’s local bride.
“Hannah And Her Sisters” (1986)
Back before Woody Allen’s Grand European Tour, when he still made films in New York, “Hannah and Her Sisters” was one of his finest, telling the story of three tightly knit sisters and their extended family in Manhattan. Caine and Allen might not seem like an obvious combination, but his storming turn as Elliot, husband to Mia Farrow’s Hannah, won him his first Oscar. A bespectacled middle-aged accountant, Elliot pursues his wife’s vivacious younger sister Lee (Barbara Hershey). As the affair commences, Elliot is not only a philanderer, but also caddishly blames his wife’s self-sufficiency and emotional strength for his wandering eye. Playing another character we should hate, Michael Caine makes us believe in Elliot and the earnestness of his torn feelings between Hannah and her sister. Elliot lacks the panache of Alfie and the dignity of Caine’s later roles, but we are forced to feel for Elliot as he searches for what he thinks is the answer (“For all my education, accomplishments and so-called wisdom, I can’t fathom my own heart”) rather than viewing him merely as a middle-aged lech (“She looks so sexy in that sweater. I just want to be alone with her and hold her and kiss her…”). Almost thirty years later, Elliot still resonates with audiences, as Peter Bradshaw wrote in his Guardian review, “Caine’s performance, so fervent, so agonisingly dedicated, actually gains in force and touching sincerity with the years.”
“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” (1988)
An unofficial remake of “Bedtime Story” starring David Niven and Marlon Brando, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” follows two very different conmen on the French Riviera as they are wined and dined by rich female tourists. Unlike others on this list, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” is strictly a comedy (and one that makes you wonder why he doesn’t go broad more often), but like in the other films, Caine plays a real cad. Lawrence Jamieson (Caine) is a suave and sophisticated con artist who seduces gullible but not wholly innocent women and relieves them of their wealth. Lawrence’s modus operandi involves convincing these women of a certain age that he is an exiled prince who needs funds to rally his troops and reclaim his birthright. In Caine’s portrayal, Lawrence is catnip for these bored, too-rich-for-their-own-good women with his dashing looks and classic charisma – stealing their hearts and their wallets. Lawrence’s financial future is threatened by the appearance of Freddy Benson (Steve Martin), a small-time crook who has taken an interest in the very same women Lawrence is after – “A poacher who shoots at rabbits may scare big game away.” Whether battling over an American soap queen or teaming up to get rid of a mark, Caine and Martin are a laugh riot. In the end, it turns out that Lawrence’s heart is as golden as his bank account, and we have fallen in love with Michael Caine all over again, even as a thief, liar, and con man. Martin might get the most uproariously funny scenes (particularly in his moments as Prince Ruprecht), but Caine’s the perfect, ultra-suave foil for him, and gets almost as many laughs.
Nobody remembers "Noises off". I think the movie is amazing, and he was super funny.
Sorry but his best role has been completely missed. When I say his best he even said it was in his autobiography. It\’s playing the Kaptain in James Clavells The Last Valley (1971). His performance is terrific
Secondhand Lions is an underrated performance that deserves mention but Little Voice should probably be in the Top Ten.
Great choices. And I concur with those who mention Little Voice, Educating Rita and A Shock to the System. Those are both in my Top 10…Honorable mentions to Dressed to Kill and The Hand. That's right, I said it. It's a guilty pleasure but Caine gives a gripping and intense performance in that early Oliver Stone movie.
MONA LISA
EDUCATING RITA
SLEUTH remake
A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM
DEATHTRAP
I enjoyed him with Elizabeth Taylor in X, Y and Z… certainly not a very good movie, but they were good.
Zulu and Second Hand Lions are both great examples of his talent!
A good call re Blood and Wine but i must stick up for the often overlooked Honorary Consul,,not the Film but caine'e perfromance. Faultless. A case could be made that it's his best perfromance in a Graham Greene adaption above the excellant Quiet American which was a far better movie. The less said about Richard Gere's English Doctor the better!! But Caine ( Bafta nominated for it remember) is sublime..
One of my favorites is Second Hand Lions.
I'd put "Gambit" and "the Italian Job" on the main list here. Two great movies and Caine performances.
I loved Michael Caine in The Trip
It's perfectly justifiable to omit his Oscar-winning work in The Cider House Rules. I love Caine, but his in-and-out, wandering New England accent certainly didn't help the hatchet job that John Irving did on his own great novel. While he's very good in The Dark Knight Rises, there are many better choices for his 10 best performances. I'd swap Sleuth out for something else as well. Two lead possibilities: his work in 1982's Deathrap or 1990's A Shock to the System. Two great supporting turns (and kudos for bringing up Children of Men because I would have if you didn't) as possible substutitions: His hysterical turn in 1998's Little Voice (which actually nabbed him a Golden Globe for which, as always, he gave a great speech while accepting) and 1996's Blood and Wine, a mixed bag of a movie but which Caine, Nicholson and Judy Davis were all great in.
Definitely one of the greatest actors alive. I think "Muppet Christmas Carol" deserves at least an honorable mention–he's such a good Scrooge, and gives a completely human, believable, honest, committed performances against a supporting cast of puppets. It's incredible to watch.
I am wondering why "Children Of Men" is on that list, because Caine has just a minor role in that zynical film.
Instead of "Children Of Men" I would put "Jack The Ripper" on that list. Well, just a miniseries made for TV where Caine plays Chief Inspector Fred Abberline, but in my opinion one of the most impressive performance in TV-history!
Little Voice is cute little neglected movie. Caine was great in it.
When I saw the headline, the first role that came to mind was the heavy in Mona Lisa. He lost all of his charm and pulled out a lizard of a man in his most frightening performance. There is a scene in which he is furiously berating Bob Hoskins' character and yet he lets you know he is restraining an even more explosive nature boiling under the surface. It is an electrifying performance in which he has never been more shamelessly vile.
WHAT ABOUT "THE HAND"???
I think his performance in The Prestige is the best one he gave for Nolan (and probably Nolan's best too) and one of his finest performances in general. It nicely plays on his personas from previous films and his performance is nicely nuanced so that you never know too much in terms of his true motivation. That comes mostly from his performance rather than the writing I think.
Little Voice, 1998
A Shock to the System, 1990
Mona Lisa, 1986
Let's not forget:
An interesting role in "Blood and Wine" (1996)
The father in a strangely very believable father-son couple in "The Weather Man"
and almost better father-son couple in "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (the real winner from 2002, let's be honest)…..not but really the two other roles I listed should be appreciated.
Great post. I'd say the biggest omission here would be his underrated/under-seen performance in the black comedy A Shock to the System from 1990. Always loved that one. Cheers!
Michael Caine did not meet his wife Shakira while making "The Man Who Would Me King" with her, he met her earlier. The story is quite famous. He saw her in a coffee commercial directed by Ridley Scott and thought she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He contacted the people who did the commercial, got her info, and wooed her and they fell in love and remain married to this day. 🙂 Sweet story.