The 4 Jack Nicholson Movies That Dominate The IMDb Top 250 List

Jack Nicholson was the epitome of the New Hollywood movie star. He broke through via the cultural earthquake that was “Easy Rider,” and quickly established himself as a guarantor of quality filmmaking thanks to his star turns in “Five Easy Pieces,” “Carnal Knowledge” and “The Last Detail.” As the revolutionary spirit of the New Hollywood movement faded, Nicholson found himself becoming more of a traditional leading man in more traditional films like “The Postman Always Rings Twice,” “Terms of Endearment” and “Prizzi’s Honor.” He worked in spurts, taking breaks here and there, but he was never gone for long — which is why his 14-year absence from our screens (save for the occasional Los Angeles Lakers game appearance) feels so notable. And sad.

While we let Nicholson enjoy his retirement, we’ve no shortage of classics, near-classics, and assorted oddities to remind us how great he could be when he was at the top of the game — which was just about all the time. Even outright misfires have “Ironweed,” “Man Trouble” and “Blood and Wine” have their virtues. But if your free time is too limited for a thorough Jack retrospective, there are the obvious go-tos. According to the Internet Movie Database, there are four movies that should never be far from your viewing queue.

You think you know Jack? Might I suggest that you can’t handle the Jack I’m about to lay down on you?

I’m just kidding. Mostly. Nicholson’s four films on the IMDb’s top 250 movies are generally accessible — though one of the titles is probably going to cause a significant loss of sleep if you’re not into horror movies.

Per IMDb users at present, Nicholson’s top rated movies are as follows:

• 18. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”
• 37. “The Departed”
• 67. “The Shining”
• 164. “Chinatown”

Okay, I’m going to quibble. While “The Departed” is undeniably entertaining (thanks in large part to Nicholson’s booming portrayal of mob boss Frank Costello), it’s lightweight stuff compared to Martin Scorsese’s other crime epics (“Goodfellas,” “Casino,” and “The Irishman”). Also, while Stanley Kubrick’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Shining” is one of the creepiest films ever made, Nicholson’s showboat performance isn’t as impressive as his more modulated work in “Five Easy Pieces,” “The King of Marvin Gardens” or “The Passenger.”

If you’re still reading after I’ve lightly dinged two of the most celebrated films in the Nicholson canon, I’d also recommend following up your viewing of “Chinatown” with its woefully underrated sequel “The Two Jakes.” Maybe give it a week to let the greatness of Roman Polanski’s masterpiece to wash away, but do not ignore it. Nicholson proves a fairly adept director, and the script has its own surprising twists and turns.

Just don’t, for the love of all god, watch “The Evening Star,” which does for the wonderful “Terms of Endearment” what 2024 Mike Tyson did for boxing. No one needs that in their life.