The 15 Best Robert Downey Jr. Movies and Where to Watch Them

Published on

If you’re a Robert Downey Jr. fan and are looking to watch his best movies, check out our guide below to discover his 15 best films and where to watch them.

Robert Downey Jr. is one of Hollywood’s best and truest redemption stories. The son of director Robert Downey Sr., the actor hit the scene in the late ‘80s and rose to fame in the early ‘90s, even earning his first Oscar nomination for 1992’s Chaplin.

But a drug addiction was hindering Downey Jr.’s career and throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s he was arrested and jailed numerous times for drug-related offenses. Because of this, the actor spent years either starring in small indie films or holding only minor parts in mainstream movies.

His return to prominence is usually cited as 2006’s A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints. The indie film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and focused on a young man’s life growing up in New York’s borough of Queens. Thanks to compelling performances, the movie was a hit at Sundance and went on to be nominated for numerous awards.

From there, Downey Jr.’s career quickly skyrocketed. The following year he starred in the serial killer thriller Zodiac, and in 2008 he became one of the biggest names in Hollywood. That year, Downey Jr. starred in both Iron Man and Tropic Thunder (a movie that earned him his second Oscar nomination). Since then, Downey Jr. has become almost synonymous with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, reprising his role as Tony Stark numerous times in The Avengers series and films like Captain America: Civil War.

Most recently, Downey Jr. starred in the biopic Oppenheimer, about the creation of the atomic bomb and its lasting consequences. For his role in the film, he’s already won a Golden Globe and has been nominated for his third Oscar.

With such a wide and varied filmography and a tumultuous and triumphant career that spans decades, there’s tons of excellent Robert Downey Jr. movies to watch. Check out our guide below to discover his 15 best movies and where to watch them.

  1. Oppenheimer

    Oppenheimer

    2023

    IMDB 8.3 (723k)

    #1

    The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

  2. Iron Man

    Iron Man

    2008

    IMDB 7.9 (1m)

    #2

    After being held captive in an Afghan cave, billionaire engineer Tony Stark creates a unique weaponized suit of armor to fight evil.

  3. Tropic Thunder

    Tropic Thunder

    2008

    IMDB 7.1 (447k)

    #3

    A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the most expensive war film ever. After ballooning costs force the studio to cancel the movie, the frustrated director refuses to stop shooting, leading his cast into the jungles of Southeast Asia, where they encounter real bad guys.

  4. Chaplin

    Chaplin

    1992

    IMDB 7.5 (62k)

    #4

    An aged Charlie Chaplin narrates his life to his autobiography's editor, including his rise to wealth and comedic fame from poverty, his turbulent personal life and his run-ins with the FBI.

  5. The Avengers

    The Avengers

    2012

    IMDB 8.0 (1m)

    #5

    When an unexpected enemy emerges and threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins!

  6. Sherlock Holmes

    Sherlock Holmes

    2009

    IMDB 7.6 (670k)

    #6

    Eccentric consulting detective Sherlock Holmes and Doctor John Watson battle to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy England.

  7. Captain America: Civil War

    #7

    Following the events of Age of Ultron, the collective governments of the world pass an act designed to regulate all superhuman activity. This polarizes opinion amongst the Avengers, causing two factions to side with Iron Man or Captain America, which causes an epic battle between former allies.

  8. Good Night, and Good Luck.

    #8

    The story of journalist Edward R. Murrow's stand against Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist witch-hunts in the early 1950s.

  9. Natural Born Killers

    Natural Born Killers

    1994

    IMDB 7.2 (249k)

    #9

    Two victims of traumatized childhoods become lovers and serial murderers irresponsibly glorified by the mass media.

  10. A Scanner Darkly

    A Scanner Darkly

    2006

    IMDB 7.0 (117k)

    #10

    An undercover cop in a not-too-distant future becomes involved with a dangerous new drug and begins to lose his own identity as a result.

  11. A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

    #11

    Dito Montiel, a successful author, receives a call from his long-suffering mother, asking him to return home and visit his ailing father. Dito recalls his childhood growing up in a violent neighborhood in Queens, N.Y., with friends Antonio, Giuseppe, Nerf and Mike.

  12. Zodiac

    Zodiac

    2007

    IMDB 7.7 (597k)

    #12

    A cartoonist teams up with an ace reporter and a law enforcement officer to track down an elusive serial killer.

  13. The Judge

    The Judge

    2014

    IMDB 7.4 (201k)

    #13

    A successful lawyer returns to his hometown for his mother's funeral only to discover that his estranged father, the town's judge, is suspected of murder.

  14. U.S. Marshals

    U.S. Marshals

    1998

    IMDB 6.6 (113k)

    #14

    U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard is accompanying a plane load of convicts from Chicago to New York. The plane crashes spectacularly, and Mark Sheridan escapes. But when Diplomatic Security Agent John Royce is assigned to help Gerard recapture Sheridan, it becomes clear that Sheridan is more than just another murderer.

  15. Soapdish

    Soapdish

    1991

    IMDB 6.6 (17k)

    #15

    Celeste Talbert is the star of the long-running soap opera "The Sun Also Sets." With the show's ratings down, Celeste's ruthlessly ambitious co-star, Montana Moorehead, and the show's arrogant producer, David Seton Barnes, plot to aggravate her into leaving the show by bringing back her old flame, Jeffrey Anderson, and hiring her beautiful young niece, Lori Craven.