The bestRami Malekmovies and TV shows reveal how versatile theMr. Robotstar truly is, and demonstrate his unique ability to stand out in ensemble casts no matter how well-known those he’s sharing a screen with are. Whether it’s appearing alongside Joaquin Phoenix, Robbie Williams, or Denzel Washington, Malek has proved time and time again that he simply cannot fade into the background, and this has ensured his career has gone from strength to strength.
Born in 1981 in California, Rami Malek’s career began in 2004 when he appeared inan episode ofGilmore Girls.From there, he had single-episode appearances in the likes ofOver ThereandMedium,with his first prominent appearance being a recurring role in the sitcomThe War At Home.However, everything changed when Malek landed the part of Pharoah Ahkmenrah in 2006’sNight at the Museum.Since then, the actor has steadily cemented himself as a household name, and the best Rami Malek movies and TV shows make it easy to see why.
Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
Cast
Da Sweet Blood of Jesus is a film directed by Spike Lee, where Dr. Hess Green is afflicted by an ancient African artifact, leading to an insatiable thirst for blood. Concurrently, he embarks on a perilous romance with Ganja Hightower, exploring themes of love, addiction, and the interplay of power dynamics.
Spike Lee is one of the most interesting American directors of all time, always exploring various genres in his films with a lens often focused on social issues.Da Sweet Blood of Jesusis another intriguing addition to his filmography, as it is a horror movie focusing on a wealthy anthropologist who is stabbed by an Ancient African dagger and turned into a vampire. The movie deals with issues of addiction, class, and race, all against a backdrop of unnerving tension that feels like a mood piece more than a coherent film at times.
Rami Malek does an admirable job fitting in with the rest of the eclectic cast ofDa Sweet Blood of Jesusas he plays Seneschal Higginbottom, the devoted butler to Stephen Tyrone Williams' Dr. Hess Greene. His performance in the film is actually one of the funniest, channeling a lot of his energy fromA Night at the Museum, where he got his first big breakthrough as an actor.Malek understood what Spike Lee was going for and nailed it.
The Legend of Korra
The Legend of Korra is an animated series set in the Avatar universe, following Avatar Korra’s journey as she strives to master the elements and fulfill her role as a fully realized Avatar. Released in 2012, the series explores her challenges against traditional norms and her internal quest for balance.
Having to follow upAvatar: The Last Airbenderis no easy task, butThe Legend of Korradoes a pretty great job of taking the franchise in a much-needed, interesting new direction. This time around, the series focuses on the hot-headed Korra, the Avatar who has air-bending left to master. While it isn’t as focused on a single end-point throughout the series asThe Last Airbenderdid with Aang and Ozai,The Legend of Korraintroduces some pretty incredible new benders and villains, making it a worthy addition to that universe.
Sure, Avatar: The Last Airbender Is Better Than Korra, But The Sequel Has It Beat In One Way
While The Last Airbender is a better written story than its sequel, there is one big area it doesn’t quite match up to it.
Rami Malek doesn’t have a massive role in the series as he only appears for a few episodes to voice Tahno, a professional bender who is the captain of the White Falls Wolfbats, the four-time reigning champs.Arrogant and slimy, Tahno made a worthy antagonist for the episodes he appeared in, especially during their bending matches, where he would often cheat to win games. Rami Malek’s voice work as Tahno is perfect.
Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is a film by Christopher Nolan, which follows the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man behind the atomic bomb. Cillian Murphy will play the titular role, with the story based on the book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.
Director Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimerwas one of the cinematic highlights of 2023, and featured one of the most star-studded casts in recent memory. The biopic focused on the life of Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist widely credited with developing the world’s first nuclear weapon. Among the many famous faces intheOppenheimercastwas Rami Malek, who played real-life physicist David L. Hill.
David L. Hill was one of the principal collaborators with Oppenheimer during the Manhattan Project, which meant that Malek got plenty of screen time compared to several other known actors in the widerOppenheimercast. While far from his most prominent role,Oppenheimerstill stands among the best Rami Malek movies, andhis involvement is an important milestone that demonstrates just how far his career has come since he first appeared on-screen in a single episode ofGilmore Girlsin 2004.
The Pacific
A companion piece to the WWII miniseries Band of Brother, The Pacific chronicles the lives of three Marines in the 1st Marine Division and their actions in the Pacific Theater of the Second World War. Based on the lives of real men who fought in the war, The Pacific focuses on some of the war’s most well-known battles, such as Guadalcanal and the Battle of Iwo Jima. James Badge Dale, Jon Seda, and Joseph Mazzello star as the three main focuses of the series.
The 2020 miniseriesThe Pacificis an important one among the best Rami Malek movies and TV shows for several reasons. Firstly, it demonstrates his skills when playing real historical figures, as his character, Merriel Shelton, was (like the majority of those inThe Pacific), a real soldier who served in WW2. More importantly, though, Malek’s performance inThe Pacificperfectly illustrates his ability to shine through even when part of an ensemble cast stacked with other incredibly talented actors
Despite being part of a case that includes the likes of Jon Bernthal, James Badge Dale, Annie Parisse, and other small-screen veterans known for their performance skills, Rami Malek still stands out in the wide ensemble of names inThe Pacific.He brings an intensity to the role of Merriel Shelton that many of his other best movies and TV shows don’t have too, making it essential viewing for Rami Malek fanswho have yet to see Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ follow-up to the universally acclaimed Band of Brothers.
Following a washed-up sitcom star who happens to be an anthropomorphic horse,BoJack Horsemanis one of the best modern animated shows out there, and considered by many to be one of the best of all time. The series is brilliant from start to finish, as it balances so many contrasting emotions by often being hilarious but heartbreaking and melancholic, all at the same time. It’s a strange premise that uses it fully to its advantage and excels in virtually every way, especially when it comes to its character work.
Rami Malek gets a few more episodes to shine and show off his voice-acting talent compared to his limited role inThe Legend of Korra, and he takes full advantage of it as Flip McVicker, an eccentric and pretentious writer and director, who is often at odds with BoJack Horseman, and even abuses him at times on the set.Rami Malek doesn’t have a ton of voice-acting roles to his name, but every time he does, he is incredible in them, understanding how to perfectly use his voice to make his characters distinct from others in the show.
Written and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Shang-Chi, Spider-Man: Brand New Day), based on his own experiences,Short Term 12is a masterful film that revolves around a young supervisor and her daily duties at a group home for troubled teens. What makesShort Term 12so great is the empathy it has for every one of its characters, as it tenderly explores who they are. It’s profound, emotionally resonant, and a statement from a then-up-and-coming filmmaker that still remains one of Cretton’s best projects.
While Brie Larson is the true star ofShort Term 12, Rami Malek is also great in the movie as Nate, a new worker at the group home, who finds himself way over his head about what the job would actually entail.It’s a rather small role in the grand scheme of the movie, but Malek still gives Nate a lot of depth through his physical acting, one of the more underrated aspects of him as an actor.
The Master
Freddie Quell, a Navy veteran who suffered psychological trauma during World War II, struggles to readjust to civilian life post-war. When he meets Lancaster Dodd, leader of a philosophical movement known as The Cause, he believes he has found his place — but some think his new home may be a cult.
2012’sThe Masteris a psychological thriller from director Paul Thomas Anderson, and while it’s not the most widely known title among the best Rami Malek movies, it contains one of the strongest performances of his filmography. Set during the aftermath of WW2,The Masterfollows a struggling Navy veteran who finds himself indoctrinated in a cult known as The Cause. Rami Malek plays Clark Massey, one of the followers of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Lancaster Dodd, the cult leader.
As always seems to be the case when the actor appears in ensemble casts featuring actors who (especially at the time) were much more widely recognized, Rami Malek never fades into the background during his scenes inThe Master.Even though he shares a screen with the likes of Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Laura Dern, or fellow up-and-comers of the time like Jesse Plemons, Malek’s performance ensures Massey is a memorable character.The energy he brings to Massey is extraordinary, and it’s easy to see howThe Masterhelped pave the way for his more recent films in which he had more prominent roles.
Buster’s Mal Heart
Buster’s Mal Heart explores the life of a former family man turned fugitive, played by Rami Malek. As an eccentric mountain man evading the local sheriff, he reflects on the peculiar circumstances that led to his current state, revealing connections to a series of mysterious events.
Buster’s Mal Hearthas a significant place among the best Rami Malek movies, as it’s one of the first feature films in which he led the cast. The 2016 mystery thriller comes from writer-director Sarah Adina Smith, and tells the story of a hotel concierge who suffers a psychological breakdown and leaves his former life to become a mountain man. This character is Malek’s Jonah, who in his new life has become the titular Buster.
It’s a complex and nuanced role in an equally complex and nuanced film, and suits Rami Malek’s unique talents incredibly well.Buster’s Mal Heartwas perhaps the first example of a Malek after the debut ofMr. Robotin 2015 that proved just how capable an actor he truly is, and demonstrated that his ability to lead a cast stretched to the big screen just as well as the small.While it’s not the most well-known film starring Rami Malek, its place among his best movies and TV shows is impossible to deny thanks to the strength of his performance.
Papillon
Papillon is a 2017 film that chronicles the life of Henri “Papillon” Charrière, portrayed as a skilled safecracker wrongfully convicted and sent to a penal colony in French Guiana. There, he forms a significant alliance with fellow inmate Louis Dega, a counterfeiter seeking his protection, amidst their struggle for freedom.
Several of the best Rami Malek find the actor playing real-life individuals, and one of the strongest performances he’s delivered in biopics comes in 2017’sPapillon.The crime-drama biographic comes from director Michael Noer, and adapts the true story of two French criminals - Malek’s Louis Dega and Charlie Hunnam’s Henri “Papillon” Charriere - who managed to escape the infamous Devil’s Island Penal Colony in 1941.
As well as being a gripping and tense film in its own right,Papillonstands out as one of the best Rami Malek movies thanks to his incredible performance as Louis Dega. Sharing so much screen time with Charlie Hunnam was no easy task, asHunnam has more than proved himselfas a scene-stealing presence thanks to his own catalog of outstanding movies and shows. This wasn’t a problem for Rami Malek, however, andhe managed to not only hold his own inPapillon,but managed to match Hunnam’s dramatic intensity and elevate Dega’s character to be just as much of a focus as his co-star’s titular escapee.
The Little Things
When Kern County Deputy Sheriff Joe Deacon goes to Los Angeles to gather evidence for an assignment, he becomes heavily invested in a serial killer case in the city. Denzel Washington stars as Joe ‘Deke’ Deacon in the John Lee Hancock directed film alongside Academy Award winners Rami Malek and Jared Leto.
By the 2020s, Rami Malek had cemented his reputation as a dependable and solid performer, and was landing roles that placed him in lead roles. Among his more recent projects,2021’sThe Little Thingseasily stands out as one of the best Rami Malek movies. The gritty neo-noir thriller from director John Lee Hancock sees Malek co-starring alongside the legendary Denzel Washington. The pair play detectives Deke Deacon (Washington) and Jimmy Baxter (Malek), two officers from different organizations who must work together to solve a series of serial murders.
Rami Malek and Denzel Washington have an incredible level of chemistry inThe Little Things.Malek brings the over-enthusiasm of a cop recently promoted to lead detective, with Baxter eager to crack his first big case. This works incredibly well with Washington’s Deacon, a grizzled and disillusioned veteran.It’s an incredibly gripping movie overall, and also features one of the best performances in Rami Malek’s career so far.
