Michael Caine is one of those old actors that has lived a very long and interesting life to say the least. He served in the British Army, was knighted by the queen, and has been nominated every decade for an Academy award along with Jack Nicholson. To say that he’s led an impressive life is kind of selling him short but it’s also summing it up in a very simplistic manner. The movies he’s been in stretch way back to when he was a much younger man, but those that have come in the last few decades have been just as good and in fact, some of them have been even better as age and experience have taught him many things and only made him that much greater of an actor. In fact in deference to Mr. Caine it seems possible that referencing his more recent movies would be a better judge of just how good he is since he’s retained the edge that makes him so great even into his current 80s.
Here are some of his best movies of his career in recent times.
5. The Dark Knight
Let’s be honest, Michael Gough was a hard person to beat when it came to acting out the part of Alfred Pennyworth, but beating him wasn’t the point. Instead it became far more necessary to pay homage to his role and to do that it was necessary to find someone that had just the right amount of attitude and could keep Bruce Wayne in check while still being seen as the kindly old man that had cared for him for so long. Caine fits the bill perfectly since it’s quite obvious from the way he speaks that he has a past, but he’s also highly devoted to Bruce and is even protective of the man despite the fact that Batman is in fact a rather capable individual.
4. Harry Brown
Having been in the British Army in the past it’s very easy to see where Caine can fit into roles such as Harry Brown that require him to be something of a tough guy. With his neighborhood being dominated by gangs and his best friend having been killed, Harry, who is a former Royal Marine, decides to take justice into his own hands and dispense it as he will. His vigilantism is noticed by the police but is ignored overall until someone on the force that runs the gangs takes note and decides to deal with the problem. Thankfully Harry is resourceful enough, as are the police, to eliminate the threat in their ranks. More to the point, Harry is never implicated in the gangs’ downfall and gets to go on living a peaceful existence.
3. Secondhand Lions
Garth and Hub are old bachelors that don’t want to be bothered and are fitting to kick off at any time. However when their great-nephew Walter is unceremoniously dumped on them by their niece they find that they don’t have much of a choice but to stomach the intrusion. After a while though it becomes obvious that the kid isn’t all that bad, though Garth is the first one to warm up to him as he begins to tell Walter the tale of where the two of them were for so long and what happened. While the rest of the town make up stories and rumors about the brothers Walter gets to hear the truth, and then figure it out for himself.
2. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Con men are typically not fond of other con men coming into their turf and trying to ply their trade, and when Caine and Martin meet up in this hilarious comedy it becomes a challenge to see just who can outdo the other until they finally team up to try and scam whoever they can. Caine becomes the teacher while Martin is the unwitting student that eventually tries to outdo him and pull off one of the biggest scams he’s ever done. The trick is however that the woman they’re both vying for is an even bigger scam artist that has been leading them both on a great chase and eventually takes them both for as much as she can.
1. Austin Powers in Goldmember
This one was just a fun film to see him in since it was a hilarious spoof that has been ongoing since Austin Powers came on the scene. Of course the sexiest spy in the world would have a father that was every bit as flamboyant and as dashing as he is. Nigel Powers is the kind of guy that doesn’t mess around unless he’s having a good time, as the slap on Frau’s behind in this clip would indicate, despite the fact that he’s being held captive by Dr. Evil. He does play a nice counter to Austin’s character since he’s not the best father in the world, but he is one of the most entertaining.
Michael Caine is simply a great actor, period.
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