Robert Pattinson has become one of the biggest movie stars on the planet. That is due, of course, partly to his casting as pop cultural icon Bruce Wayne in Matt Reeves’ “The Batman.” It is also thanks to Pattinson’s willingness to take risks and push himself. Over the years, he has managed to outgrow his work in the “Harry Potter” and “Twilight” franchises and establish himself as an actor whose films are not only worth taking seriously but actively seeking out.
In his latest film, writer-director Bong Joon-ho‘s “Mickey 17,” Pattinson plays over a dozen different versions of the same poor sap. It is a fearless swing from an actor who has built his career by always aiming for the fences. So, without further do, here are Pattinson’s seven best films, ranked.
7. “Tenet” (2020)
Christopher Nolan’s most divisive movie, 2020’s “Tenet,” is a sci-fi thriller that runs on the power of its psychedelic vibes and evocative imagery. A blockbuster about special agents who have the ability to travel backward through time, the film’s plot is confusing and the mechanics of its time travel are difficult to wrap one’s head around. That matters little when “Tenet” is as propulsive and visually stunning as it is, and no member of the film’s cast is more locked into its vibes-first, plot-second energy than Robert Pattinson.
Playing Neil, the handler of John David Washington’s Protagonist, Pattinson is swashbuckling and effortlessly commanding. His performance is one of charming smiles, knowing glances and star-level athleticism. He is Cary Grant in the middle of a heady, convoluted sci-fi film. The fact that Pattinson seemed to understand Nolan’s intent better than most of the film’s critics only makes his unassuming performance in “Tenet” all the more impressive.
“Tenet” is available to rent now on all major digital platforms.
6. “High Life” (2018)
Pattinson’s performance in “Tenet” could not be any more different from his turn in writer-director Claire Denis’ polarizing sci-fi drama, “High Life.” Set on a spaceship occupied largely by criminals, the film is anchored by Pattinson, who plays Monte, a man of few words. Pattinson, for his part, channels an entirely different energy in “High Life” than fans of his are used to seeing. He is quiet and reserved but nonetheless magnetic.
He communicates the kind of bone-deep loneliness and debilitating demoralization that “High Life” needs to evoke in order to justify its biggest and most deranged swings. To say that the film is not widely appealing would be an understatement but those who do find themselves caught up in its spell will likely find it rewarding and uniquely haunting. For the purposes of this list, it is also a showcase of Pattinson’s range and natural, powerful screen presence.
“High Life” is available to rent now on all major digital platforms.
5. “The Lost City of Z” (2017)
“The Lost City of Z” is one of the only films on this list that is not led by Pattinson. The actor has a supporting role in the film, which follows real-life British adventurer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) as he travels multiple times to Brazil and attempts to find a rumored ancient, lost city in the Amazon. Pattinson stars in the film as one of Fawcett’s fellow explorers and crew members, Henry Costin, and he is, at points, unrecognizable underneath his character’s bushy beard, glasses and soft voice.
Pattinson nonetheless steals several scenes in the film — doing a lot with a little. His character’s slow arc toward frustration and disillusionment with Fawcett’s unending quest registers more powerfully than it should, given how little “The Lost City of Z” actually shifts its gaze away from its protagonist. Costin’s journey quietly reinforces the film’s story and its ideas about the eroding, destructive power of obsession. Even more importantly, it proves that Pattinson can make an impact no matter what film he is in or how large of a role he has.
“The Lost City of Z” is streaming now on Amazon’s Prime Video.
4. “The Batman” (2022)
When “The Batman” director Matt Reeves cast Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, the decision was met with a lot of skepticism from fans. Few could have predicted then that Reeves would deliver the most visually accomplished Batman movie to date, and even fewer could have guessed that Pattinson would give the best live-action take on Bruce Wayne. The brilliance of Pattinson’s performance is on full display in “The Batman,” though. Even when he’s being positioned to fit Reeves and cinematographer Greig Fraser’s meticulously crafted frames, Pattinson’s hold on “The Batman” and its viewers never slackens.
He strikes a formidable yet wounded presence, communicating his character’s lingering pain over his parents’ murders without the film needing to constantly reiterate his childhood trauma. No other actor has ever brought the interior, tortured psyche of Bruce Wayne to the surface as subtly or believably as Pattinson. He pulls off a rare feat in “The Batman.” He makes an outsized pop cultural figure feel like a living, breathing man, without also sacrificing any of the character’s iconic visual power.
“The Batman” is streaming now on Max.
3. “The Lighthouse” (2019)
In “The Lighthouse” writer-director Robert Eggers, Pattinson found an artist who could let him run straight to the edge of the cliff without falling off. The result is a transformative, against-type performance from Pattinson that sees him sacrifice his Movie Star good looks and usual likability in favor of frustrating paranoia and madness. The actor stars in “The Lighthouse” as a young lighthouse keeper who finds himself stationed on a remote island off the coast of New England in the 19th century with a cantankerous older lighthouse veteran (Willem Dafoe).
As a wild storm only makes them feel more isolated and unreachable, the two end up caught in a psychological battle of identity and will that drives them both to insanity. Eggers is a notorious stickler for authenticity, and despite his global recognizability, Pattinson fully disappears into the world and turbulent psychic landscape of “The Lighthouse.” His face, thanks to Eggers and cinematographer Jarin Blaschke’s black-and-white cinematography, becomes a sweaty map of pure mania, which just makes it that much easier for Pattinson to pull you straight into the abyss right along with him.
“The Lighthouse” is streaming now on Max.
2. “Mickey 17” (2025)
On paper, Pattinson and filmmaker Bong Joon-ho just feel like kindred creative spirits. Few artists working in and outside of Hollywood right now seem to delight as much as them in throwing audiences off-kilter. Their first film together, this year’s “Mickey 17,” proves that to be true. Pattinson leads the film as Mickey Barnes, an on-the-run goofball who unknowingly signs up to be an “expendable” on a space colonization mission to a distant planet. Pattinson ultimately plays 18 different versions of Mickey, who is killed from a number of scientific tests and reprinted afterward each time.
The actor, in other words, is given an overflowing plate of work in “Mickey 17,” but he handles all of the demands of the film with the same, astonishing levels of fun, intensity and heart. In a film about how cutthroat capitalism gradually erodes one’s self-worth, Pattinson makes you see the everyman and, therefore, yourself in Mickey, even through his cartoonish voice and unique sci-fi circumstances. You care deeply for the character — flaws and all — and find yourself desperately wanting him to realize that he is worthy of, well, a happy life. That may seem like a simple thing, but engendering genuine affection in viewers for a character is something that only the best actors can do. “Mickey 17” proves that Pattinson is one of them.
“Mickey 17” is playing now in theaters.
1. “Good Time” (2017)
When someone looks at Robert Pattinson, they do not think “small-time criminal born and raised in New York.” You believe him every second he’s onscreen in “Good Time,” though. The 2017 crime thriller from writer-directors Josh and Benny Safdie follows Pattinson’s Connie Nikas as he races through New York trying to free his disabled brother from police custody without getting arrested himself. For many cinephiles, “Good Time” is best remembered as the film that announced the Safdies as formidable creative forces.
But it also cemented and marked the turning point in Pattinson’s evolution from reluctant Hollywood heartthrob into one of the most interesting actors of his generation. Eight years later, he’s one of the biggest stars on the planet, and “Good Time,” of all of his films, still feels like the best example of his potential as both a movie star and an actor capable of completely transforming himself right in front of your eyes. He is manic, wild-eyed and completely unstoppable in “Good Time” — a force of nature that you can not and do not want to ever look away from. There’s a reason why Reeves announced Pattinson’s casting as Bruce Wayne with a GIF of his “Good Time” performance.
“Good Time” is available to rent now on all major digital platforms.
