Marlon Brando, the legendary method actor with a penchant for mumbling and a knack for making even the most mundane roles iconic. Known for his rebellious attitude and disdain for the conventional, Brando could famously deliver lines with such unintelligible intensity that even his co-stars needed subtitles. Off-screen, he was equally eccentric, raising eyebrows by bringing his pet raccoon to film sets and using his Oscar as a doorstop.
Despite his quirks, Brando’s influence on acting is undeniable, much like his ability to make entire scenes riveting by simply muttering under his breath. His method acting approach transformed the industry, and his performances left a lasting impact on the viewers. Even after decades his performances are still refreshing and highly talked about by cinema goers worldwide. In the later stage of his career the troubled actor didn’t work much and preferred to spend his life out of media attention. Here is a look at his greatest movies of all time.
10 Greatest Marlon Brando Movies
10. THE FRESHMAN (1990) – Directed by Andrew Bergman, in this comedy drama Brando spoofed his own Godfather persona, playing Carmine Sabatini, a lovable mobster. Clark Kellogg (Matthew Broderick) is a New York Film school student who gets robbed on his arrival at Grand Central Terminal. Victor Ray, the cab driver/ a small time thief, takes away Clark’s luggage and spends the money on gambling. 
One day Clark encounters Victor on his way and tracks him down. Scared of police investigation Victor offers to payback Clark’s money through a shady job. He introduces Clark to his uncle Carmine Sabatini (Marlon Brando), the guy who inspired Vito Corleone in “The Godfather”. Carmine offers Clark to run an errand for him which is quite simple. Clark has to pick a parcel (real life Komodo Dragon) from JFK airport and transport it to a specific address. Ka-Ching!
Clark gets smitten by Carmine’s charisma and he instantly takes up the offer. Along the way Clark and Carmine’s friendship grows and he is introduced to Carmine’s daughter Tina played by the gorgeous Penelope Ann Miller. The climax of the movie is hilarious and it showcases Brando’s funny side which is a rare phenomena.
9. VIVA ZAPATA (1952) – Directed by Elia Kazan, this story is based on the life on Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata. Starring Marlon Brando in the leading role along with Jean Peters as Josefa Zapata and Anthony Quinn as Eufemio Zapata, this high intense drama shows the true acting caliber of Brando. 
The peasant community in the village Anenecuilco are struggling under the dictatorship of Porforio Diaz. Tired of the injustice and the increasing repression they decide to address their concern directly to the President. However, when Emiliano Zapata, who is leader of the peasant community meets the President he is insulted and shunned away. Enraged by this incident Zapata and his brother Eufemio unite with the revolutionary Pancho Villa and they topple Diaz’s regime.
New leader Francisco Madero takes up the position after Diaz’s fall but nothing seems to change. The new regime and its leaders are corrupt, greedy and they have no interest in the welfare of peasants. Zapata and his revolutionaries are disheartened and they loose faith in the leadership. In spite of all this Zapata keeps fighting for peasants rights and till his last breath he remains incorruptible.
8. THE MEN (1950) – Directed by Fred Zinnemann, this is a story of Ken Wilocek (Marlon Brando) who gets injured in war and becomes paralyzed.
During World War II, Ken Wilocek gets shot by a sniper in his spine and he gets paralyzed from down below. During his rehab he meets similar patients where he gradually learns to live with his injury. With the help of Dr. Brock and other patients Ken comes out of depression but internally he still suffers from inferiority complex.
He meets a beautiful woman Ellen (Teresa Wright) and they get married. But hey it ain’t all sunshine in this heavy drama. After the marriage Ken has doubts about the life that he can offer and Teresa is also struck with responsibilities and the adjustments she will have to make. Ken goes into self loathing and he leaves Teresa. Ken finds his way back to Teresa after spending some time at the hospital with Dr. Brock, and he finally accepts his new life.
This is high intense drama about the mental struggle the soldiers face after returning from battle. It talks about therapy, mental trauma, anger issues and sexual relations which is quite a feat for a movie from 1950’s. Also, considering this is Marlon Brando’s debut film, I was blown away by his performance.
7- JULIUS CESAR (1953) -Based on William Shakespeare’s play Brando takes up the role of Mark Antony. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz this movie stars Louis Calhern as Julius Caesar, James Mason as Brutus, Greer Garson as Calpurnia, John Gielgud as Cassius and Deborah Kerr as Portia. 
After defeating Pompey in civil war Caesar returns to Rome and his country men choose him counsel for the fourth consecutive time. The greed for power leads Caesar to dictatorship and thus creating enemies within his fellow countrymen. To stop Caesar and his rising tyranny; Brutus, Cassius and other elite Roman officers plan to assassinate him.
Post Caesar’s death, his right hand man Mark Antony takes over the center stage and drives the perpetrators out of Rome. One part of the army is in support of the Caesar’s execution and the other wants to punish the conspirators. Brando delivers a powerful performance and boy he executes it to perfection. His voice, physical transformation, and intensity is fiery on screen. He brings alive Shakespeare’s words and fills it with charisma. No doubt this role marked his third consecutive Best Actor Oscar Nomination.
6- LAST TANGO IN PARIS (1972) – Directed by Italian filmmaker Bernardo Bertolucci this is romantic drama which is dark and unsettling. Paul (Marlon Brando) is a middle aged man who is going through a depression after his wife commits a suicide. While searching for an apartment in Paris he meets a beautiful young girl Jeanne (Maria Schneider) and he is instantly drawn to her. This accidental encounter leads to a steamy affair between the two which has no personal connection.
On one hand Jeanne is about to get married to this young guy named Tom and at the same time she is having a secret affair with Paul. Even though her affair with Paul is strictly physical she feels a sense of strong attraction with him. One day Paul gets into an ugly fight with Jeanne and forces her for a sexual act. Post this incident Paul leaves Jeanne forever and disappears from her life without any explanation.
Few months later Paul meets Jeanne, who is now suffering from the bad effects of her relationship with Paul. Paul desperately tries to win her back but Jeanne rejects him bluntly. The movie ends on a shocking note and it is Brando’s most vulnerable performance till date.
5 -SAYONARA (1957) – Directed by Joshua Logan this cross cultural love saga won four Oscars. Major Lloyd Gruver (Marlon Brando), AKA “Ace” is a United States Air Force pilot, stationed near Japan. Ace is in a relationship with his long time girlfriend Eileen and they plan to get married. However,their relationship hits rock bottom and Ace has second thoughts about marrying Eileen.
In Japan Ace’s colleague, Airman Joe Kelly is about to marry a Japanese woman, Katsumi. This is a time period where interracial marriage is strictly banned in U.S. Ace tries to convince his friend and tell him about the consequences of going against the law and military but he doesn’t agree. Cut to few months later, Ace finds himself in a similar situation, where he falls in love with a local woman Hana-Ogi, who works as a lead performed in a theater company.
As the higher military officers get to know about Joe and Ace’s marriage plan they try to stop them using all powers. Things turn ugly when Joe and Katsumi commit suicide due to the mental pressure from the army. This incident leads to a hostile environment and Hana-Ogi decides to part away from Ace for good. With this film Brando selects a highly debatable social issue and gives it human touch with his performance.
4. APOLCALYPSE NOW (1979) – Brando reunites with director Francis Ford Coppola for the second time in this war drama. This film is loosely based on a novel “Heart of Darkness” by Joseph Conrad and it talks about the reality and horrors of war in Vietnam. The year is 1969, the peak of Vietnam war. Colonel Walter Kurtz (Marlon Brando) U.S. Army Special Force officer has turned rogue and his commanding officers aren’t happy with his act.
Kurtz is hiding in a remote Cambodian jungle where he is running his own war against the Vietnamese. 
Captain Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen) is assigned the deadly mission to find Colonel Kurtz and kill him. This begins the journey of Captain Willard into a territory that’s filled with terror. Coppola takes this story to an epic level with his direction and cinematography. Yes there have been many movies on Vietnam war, but this one takes the center stage with it’s direction, psychological approach and brilliant act.
3. A STREET CAR NAMED DESIRE (1951) – Based on Tennessee Williams play this film is considered one of the greatest movie in the history of Hollywood. Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) is an English teacher who comes from an upper class. Recently she has lost her family home and she decides to live with her sister and her brother in law, Stella (Kim Hunter) and Stanley Kowalski (Marlon Brando). Stella and Stanley live in small apartment which Blanche doesn’t like right from the first day of her arrival. 
After living with Stella and Stanley for few days, Blanche is surprised and shocked with their relationship. Stanley is rough, loud, hyper and physically abusive but Stella seems to be okay with this sort of behavior. Overtime the friction between Stanley and Blanche grows stronger and they start disliking each other. In the meantime Blanche finds comfort in one Stanley’s friend Mitch and Stella is in her early stage of pregnancy.
As the story comes to an end Stanley confronts Blanche with her past and he destroys her friendship with Mitch. In the final act as Blanche leaves Kowalski’s place she is heartbroken and scarred for life. Brando takes up a controversial role and plays it with full sincerity. This is a must watch movie for cinephiles and Brando fans.
2. ON THE WATERFRONT – (1954) – Terry Malloy (Brando) is an ex-prize fighter who works as a longshoreman in New Jersey. Terry’s elder brother Charley Malloy (Rod Steiger) works for union mafia Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb) who runs multiple shady business in the neighborhood. Terry is happy living a carefree life under the wings of his brother and Johnny. On one night a guy named Joey is killed by Johnny’s henchmen and Terry is indirectly part of this incident. 
Joey sister, Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint) is going through a hard time after her brother’s death. This is when she meets Terry and they strike a friendship instantly. Slowly Terry realizes his mistake and he decides to go against Johnny. However, before he can revolt he must confront his elder brother Charley who is
a loyal friend of Johnny’s. Directed by Elia Kazan, On The Waterfront, is a classic tale of brothers who are stuck between morals and loyalty.
For his portrayal of Terry Malloy, Brando won his first Oscar in a leading role and on that night this movie won eight Oscars all together.
1. THE GODFATHER (1972) – Based on Mario Puzo’s novel “The Godfather”, director Francis Ford Coppola took up the mighty job of making this epic crime drama. Ranked as one of the top movie in U.S. film history, “The Godfather” is a kind of film which is made once in a lifetime. Even though this film has two sequels I think the director couldn’t recreate the magic of part one. 
Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) is head of mafia family in New York and he runs his empire with his elder son Sonny (James Cann). Don Vito is a highly respected guy in the crime world and he is feared by everyone. His younger son Michael (Al Pacino) is a war hero, who isn’t interested in family business. On one occasion a rival gang member approaches Don Vito to help him sell drugs and make an investment. But when Don Vito rejects his offer this leads to a rivalry.
In the ongoing clash Don Vito gets attacked by the rival gang members but he miraculously survives the deadly attack. Michael is forced into the family drama after his father is attacked and by the end he finds himself completely drawn into the crime world to save his family. This movie is so damn iconic that it’s forever ingrained into my memory. Every character, scene and dialogue are as popular as the entire film.
For his portrayal of Don Vito Corleone Brando took home his second Oscar in a leading role.
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