List of the best John Huston movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. John Huston's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top John Huston movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated John Huston movies will be at the top of the list. John Huston has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest John Huston movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining John Huston films to end the squabble once and for all.
If you think the best John Huston role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest John Huston performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.
Items on this list include Candy and Chinatown.
"This list answers the questions, "What are the best John Huston movies?" and "What are the greatest John Huston roles of all time?"John Huston was no stranger to working with popular directors, including Orson Welles, Roman Polanski and John Ford. Is John Huston your favorite person to watch on the big screen? You might also want to vote on our best Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock films lists too.
Most divisive: Casino Royale
Over 100 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The 30+ Best John Huston Movies
1In the heart of Los Angeles, private investigator Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) is immersed in a web of deceit and corruption in the neo-noir classic Chinatown. Directed by Roman Polanski, this 1974 film delves into the city's grim underbelly, exposing water supply conspiracies and shocking family secrets. With Evelyn Mulwray (Faye Dunaway) at the center of the mystery, Gittes navigates treacherous waters to uncover the truth. The film clinched an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay while earning eleven nominations. Chinatown remains an enduring testament to masterful storytelling in cinema.- Released: 1974
- Directed by: Roman Polanski
2Saved from near death by a young Mexican girl, a former outlaw sets himself up as sole arbiter of the law in a small town. The town prospers as Judge Bean robs and hangs anyone with money that comes through it, but his haven becomes less secure when his Mexican companion dies and the townsfolk begin to turn against him.- Released: 1972
- Directed by: John Huston
3Inspired by the conspiracy theories surrounding John F. Kennedy's assassination, this comic thriller follows Nick Kegan (Jeff Bridges), the younger brother of a U.S. president killed 19 years earlier. After finding a man claiming to be his brother's second assassin, Nick begins an intricate investigation into the secrets behind the murder. But Nick runs into trouble when his controlling father (John Huston) tries to keep him from uncovering the truth.- Released: 1979
- Directed by: William Richert
4After years of exile in Europe, a maverick director returns to Hollywood to finish his comeback movie, "The Other Side of the Wind."- Released: 2018
- Directed by: Orson Welles
5When an expedition of early 1800s fur trappers in the American Northwest encounters a bear while hunting, their scout, Zach (Richard Harris), is unfortunately mauled. Although Zach's wounds are treated by the medic, the leader of the troop, Henry (John Huston), believes he will die and orders the troop to continue on while Zach is left behind. But Henry has underestimated Zach's will to live -- he survives and manages to regain his strength, in order to track the troop and exact revenge.- Released: 1971
- Directed by: Allen Smithee
6After returning home from World War II, uneducated and irreligious U.S. Army veteran Hazel Motes (Brad Dourif) decides to make his way in the world by impersonating a priest and starting his own religion. Motes soon attracts a follower -- a manic potato peeler named Enoch Emery (Dan Shor) -- but things get complicated when he encounters fellow sidewalk charlatans Asa Hawks (Harry Dean Stanton) and his waif-like young daughter, Sabbath Lilly Hawks (Amy Wright).- Released: 1979
- Directed by: John Huston
7The Hobbit is a 1977 animated musical television special created by Rankin/Bass, a studio known for their holiday specials, and animated by Topcraft, a precursor to Studio Ghibli, using lyrics adapted from the book. The film is an adaptation of the 1937 book of the same name by J. R. R. Tolkien and was first broadcast on NBC in the United States on Sunday, November 27, 1977.- Released: 1977
- Directed by: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
8John Milius fictionalizes the historical story of President Roosevelt's attempts to deal with the kidnapping of an American citizen by a Moroccan Sheikh. Leaving cynicism way behind, Milius veers away from conspiracy theories and turns instead to adventure with plenty of action.- Released: 1975
- Directed by: John Milius
9British army Col. Anthony Gethryn (George C. Scott) is contacted by his old friend, Adrian Messenger (John Merivale), to investigate 11 men, whose names Messenger provides. After a plane carrying Messenger is blown up by a mysterious perpetrator, Gethryn determines that the men on the list had been prisoners of war in Burma during World War II -- and that someone connected to a minor British aristocrat (Clive Brook) is methodically murdering each man on the list.- Released: 1963
- Directed by: John Huston
10The Return of the King, is a 1980 animated musical television film created by Rankin/Bass and Topcraft. The film is an adaptation of the The Return of the King, the third book in The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. Due to marketing by Warner Bros., the film is often credited by fans as the unofficial sequel to Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, which is based on the first two volumes of the book. According to rumors, Rankin/Bass decided to do the project upon hearing that Bakshi's sequel finishing The Lord of the Rings was going to be left unmade. However, Rankin/Bass had always planned on making a sequel based on The Return of the King as their follow-up project to The Hobbit. The special aired on ABC on Sunday, May 11, 1980. Critical and fan reaction to The Return of the King was lukewarm.- Released: 1980
- Directed by: Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules Bass
11Candy is a 1968 farce film directed by Christian Marquand based on the 1958 novel by Terry Southern and Mason Hoffenberg, from a screenplay by Buck Henry.- Released: 1968
- Directed by: Christian Marquand
12This wacky send-up of James Bond films stars David Niven as the iconic debonair spy, now retired and living a peaceful existence. Bond is called back into duty when the mysterious organization SMERSH begins assassinating British secret agents. Ridiculous circumstances lead to the involvement of a colorful cast of characters, including the villainous Le Chiffre (Orson Welles), seasoned gambler Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers) and Bond's bumbling nephew, Jimmy Bond (Woody Allen).- Released: 1967
- Directed by: Val Guest, Ken Hughes, John Huston, Joe McGrath, Robert Parrish
13In the heart of a magical land, The Black Cauldron unfolds. Here, Taran (Grant Bardsley), an assistant pig-keeper turned unlikely hero, embarks on a quest to prevent the villainous Horned King (John Hurt) from obtaining the mystical black cauldron and unleashing its malevolent power upon the world. Joined by Princess Eilonwy (Susan Sheridan), Fflewddur Fflam (Nigel Hawthorne), and a creature named Gurgi (John Byner), Taran navigates through dangers untold in this 1985 Disney animated fantasy-adventure film. The movie is a thrilling blend of magic, danger, and courage, underpinned by its memorable characters and looming threat of dark forces.- Released: 1985
- Directed by: Ted Berman, Richard Rich
14The Bible: In the Beginning... is a 1966 American-Italian religious epic film produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Huston. It recounts the first 22 chapters of the biblical Book of Genesis, covering the stories from Adam and Eve to the binding of Isaac. Released by 20th Century Fox, the film was photographed by Giuseppe Rotunno in Dimension 150, a variant of the 70mm Todd-AO format. It stars Michael Parks as Adam, Ulla Bergryd as Eve, Richard Harris as Cain, John Huston as Noah, Stephen Boyd as Nimrod, George C. Scott as Abraham, Ava Gardner as Sarah, and Peter O'Toole as the Three Angels. In 1967, the film's score by Toshiro Mayuzumi was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score. The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures included the film in its "Top Ten Films" list of 1966. De Laurentiis and Huston won David di Donatello Awards for Best Producer and Best Foreign Director, respectively.- Released: 1966
- Directed by: John Huston
15"Battle for the Planet of the Apes" is the final chapter in the sci-fi movie series. In this chapter, a tribute of human atomic bomb mutations are out to make life miserable for the peaceful ape tribe. The story is told primarily in flashback with the opening and closing taking place in the year 2670.- Released: 1973
- Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
16On his path to the College of Cardinals, Stephen Fermoyle (Tom Tryon), a newly ordained Catholic priest, is confronted with family, personal and social crises that cause him spiritual turmoil. First, his sister (Carol Lynley) conceives a child out of wedlock; then he is tempted away from the Church by a woman (Romy Schneider) ; later he contends with racial bigotry within the Church and encounters Nazism in Austria. Will Stephen overcome his trials and reach the rank of cardinal?- Released: 1963
- Directed by: Otto Preminger
17A woman (Jill Ireland) hires a bush pilot (Charles Bronson) to free her husband (Robert Duvall), framed for a murder, from a Mexican prison.- Released: 1975
- Directed by: Tom Gries
18Myron Breckinridge (Rex Reed) flies to Europe to get a sex-change operation and is transformed into the beautiful Myra (Raquel Welch). She travels to Hollywood, meets up with her rich Uncle Buck (John Huston) and, claiming to be Myron's widow, demands money. Instead, Buck gives Myra a job in his acting school. There, Myra meets aspiring actor Rusty (Roger Herren) and his girlfriend, Mary Ann (Farrah Fawcett). With Myra as catalyst, the trio begin to outrageously expand their sexual horizons.- Released: 1970
- Directed by: Michael Sarne
19Attempting to evade the turmoil of France's Hundred Years' War, Parisian student Heron of Foix (Assaf Dayan) decides to journey to the sea. En route, he meets the pretty aristocrat Lady Claudia (Anjelica Huston), and the couple begin a romance amid the intense conflict. As the struggle between peasants and noblemen rages on, Heron and Claudia take shelter at a monastery -- but even their newfound love can't completely keep the horrors of war at bay.- Released: 1969
- Directed by: John Huston
20Rocky Road to Dublin
John Huston, Conor Cruise O'BrienRocky Road to Dublin is a 1967 documentary film by Irish-born journalist Peter Lennon and French cinematographer Raoul Coutard, examining the contemporary state of the Republic of Ireland, posing the question, "what do you do with your revolution once you've got it?" It argues that Ireland was dominated by cultural isolationism, Gaelic and clerical traditionalism at the time of its making.- Released: 1967
- Directed by: Peter Lennon
21Series looking at the evidence that supports some of the world's most notorious conspiracy theories.- Released: 1983
- Directed by: Marshall Brickman
22An ancient intergalactic warrior arrives on Earth to put a stop to a demonic child's plot to reproduce Satan's next generation of evil.- Released: 1979
- Directed by: Giulio Paradisi
23When numerous people go missing in a seaside resort town, reporter Ned Turner (John Huston) helps to uncover the reason -- a gigantic rampaging octopus. As the eight-legged monster continues to terrorize the coast, marine biologist Will Gleason (Bo Hopkins) attempts to devise a way to stop the octopus before more tourists fall victim to the creature. Meanwhile, it appears that a corporation headed by Mr. Whitehead (Henry Fonda) may be connected to the cephalopod's violent behavior.- Released: 1977
- Directed by: Ovidio G. Assonitis
24The Deserter is a 1971 Italian-American Western film by Dino De Laurentiis. It was directed by Burt Kennedy, known for his penchant in directing westerns, including The War Wagon, Support Your Local Sheriff! and The Train Robbers. Scripted in the style of The Dirty Dozen, and designed as a vehicle for Yugoslavian theater and film matinee idol Bekim Fehmiu, the film featured an ensemble cast of well-known American actors. Noted for Shane, actor Brandon deWilde appears in his last Western film before his death the following year. The film was shot largely on location in Italy, Spain and Yugoslavia. Many exterior scenes were filmed at the Fort Bowie set built in the Province of Almería, Spain, where the desert landscape and climate that characterizes part of the province have made it a much utilized setting for Western films, among those A Fistful of Dollars, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly and later 800 Bullets. This same set was also used in the films Blindman with Ringo Starr and A Reason to Live, a Reason to Die.- Released: 1971
- Directed by: Burt Kennedy, Niksa Fulgosi
25Angela
Sophia Loren, John Huston, John VernonAngela is a 1978 film directed by Boris Sagal. It stars Sophia Loren and Steve Railsback.- Released: 1978
- Directed by: Boris Sagal
26Jaguar Lives! is a 1979 Spanish-American action film directed by Ernest Pintoff and starring Joe Lewis, Christopher Lee, Donald Pleasence and Barbara Bach. Its plot follows a secret agent who battles an international drugs ring.- Released: 1979
- Directed by: Ernest Pintoff
27An ex-ballplayer (Nick Nolte) studies marine biology and a bordello girl (Debra Winger) in his run-down town.- Released: 1982
- Directed by: David S. Ward
28The Greatest Battle
Orson Welles, Henry Fonda, John HustonThe Greatest Battle, also known as Battle Force and The Biggest Battle, is a 1978 Italian Macaroni war movie.- Released: 1978
- Directed by: Umberto Lenzi
29The Bermuda Triangle is a 1978 horror, sci-fi, mystery film written by René Cardona Jr., Stephen Lord and Carlos Valdemar and directed by René Cardona Jr.- Released: 1978
- Directed by: René Cardona Jr.
30Hell's Heroes
Charles Bickford, Raymond Hatton, Fred KohlerAfter a foursome rob a bank, killing a clerk and losing a crew member in the act, they flee into the desert. While wandering, they stumble upon a woman in labor. Before she dies giving birth, she makes them promise to bring the baby to its father -- the man they killed at the bank. Robert (Charles Bickford), after he loses his other two accomplices, is determined to uphold his vow and save the child, but with limited resources and the law on his back, his odds of success aren't good.- Released: 1929
- Directed by: William Wyler
31The Bridge in the Jungle
John Huston, Katy Jurado, Chano UruetaThe Bridge in the Jungle is a 1971 American adventure film written and directed by Pancho Kohner. The film stars John Huston, Katy Jurado, Elizabeth Guadalupe Chauvet, José Ángel Espinosa 'Ferrusquilla', Enrique Lucero and Jorge Martínez de Hoyos. The film was released in January 1971, by United Artists.- Released: 1970
- Directed by: Pancho Kohner
