A respected stage actor throughout the 2000s,Benedict Cumberbatchexperienced an explosion in popularity within the film and TV world starting in the early 2010s, and he’s been a prominent and widely known figure ever since. The TV seriesSherlockis a pretty big reason for this, playing the titular Sherlock Holmes in 13 episodes aired between 2010 and 2017 (and, to be fair, those episodes do feel cinematic in terms of production and runtime, with each clocking in at about 90 minutes each).
To focus solely on the movies Benedict Cumberbatch has appeared in, the following represents the best of the best, all demonstrating his range and capacity to appear in films both large-scale and small. Across his entire filmography,Cumberbatch has played lead roles, supporting parts, and villains with ease, and the best works of his career (so far) are ranked below, starting with the good and ending with the great.
10’Doctor Strange' (2016)
Director: Scott Derrickson
It might not quite rank asan all-time great superhero movie, but 2016’sDoctor Strangeis still a pretty good one overall, and only really stumbles because it feels a tad formulaic. It’s unapologetically an origin story for its titular character through and through, and so it hits the same beats that various introductory films had before it, feeling like it owes a particularly large debt to 2008’sIron Man.
Still, there’s enough spice added to things thanks to a great cast that, alongside Cumberbatch, also includesTilda Swinton,Chiwetel Ejiofor, and (a slightly under-utilized)Mads Mikkelsen, and some visually distinctive mind-bending sequences, owing to the film’s heavy incorporation of fantasy elements.Doctor Strangemight be another MCU movie in the overall scheme of things,but it’s still a good deal of fun and marked a good starting point for the character who’d go on to become a staple of the ongoing cinematic series.
Doctor Strange
Watch on Disney+
9’Star Trek Into Darkness' (2013)
Director: J.J. Abrams
Okay,Star Trek Into Darknesshas its detractors, and it does pale in comparison to thesomewhat comparableThe Wrath of Khanfrom 1982, but it is a slick and engaging sci-fi movie that pushesStar Trek– for better or worse – further into action movie territory than ever before. It was also vital for Benedict Cumberbatch’s career trajectory, as this was probably the first big (and mostly successful) blockbuster he appeared in after gaining popularity fromSherlock.
Cumberbatch plays thegenerically named John Harrison who turns out to be a legacy character fromStar Trekin a somewhat divisive twist of sorts. It might try a little hard to raise the stakes following 2009’sStar Trek, and it’s probably not quite as good either, butInto Darknessremains a solid sequel that has its moments – perhaps even more than a few – and might well even be a little over-hated.
Star Trek Into Darkness
Watch on Paramount+
8’Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy' (2011)
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Benedict Cumberbatch is one part of a large cast inTinker Tailor Soldier Spy, withthis slow-burn mystery/thriller movie having a huge number of well-established English actors. This impressive cast includes – but is not limited to – names likeGary Oldman,Colin Firth,Tom Hardy,John Hurt, andMark Strong, with Cumberbatch ultimately showing up here in a smaller role than people today might be used to seeing him in.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spytakes its time, as far as thrillers go, but will prove rewarding to fans of spy movies that don’t mind things being understated and slow-burn in nature. Oldman stars as an espionage veteran assigned to uncover the identity of a mole during the Cold War, with Cumberbatch playing a trusted associate of this protagonist who still manages to shine, even while being surrounded by so many other notable actors.
Rent on Apple TV
7’Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021)
Director: Jon Watts
Spider-Man: No Way Homecapped offa trilogy of MCUSpider-Manmoviesthat could well become something more than a trilogy in time, but for now, there are three. 2017’sSpider-Man: Homecomingdealt with Peter Parker taking steps toward becoming a true superhero, 2019’sFar from Homefollowed him dealing with the dramatic aftermath ofAvengers: Endgame, and then 2021’sNo Way Homesaw him go to dramatic lengths to regain some privacy in his life after the world learned he was Spider-Man.
Doctor Strange gets involved with this whole scheme to undo the damage caused by this secret identity going public, yet it has severeconsequences when it causes a multiversal rift. Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange isa supporting character here, but a plot-relevant and entertaining one nonetheless, and the dynamic he has with Peter is engaging while feeling different enough from the interactions Peter had with Tony Stark in earlier MCU movies.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
6’Atonement' (2007)
Director: Joe Wright
Benedict Cumberbatch had been in a handful of lesser-known films prior to 2007, but it was that year’sAtonementwhich was arguably the first big movie he had some kind of noteworthy role in. Granted, this is a bit likeTinker Tailor Soldier Spyagain, in terms of how high Cumberbatch’s name is within the credits, but he’s still in it enough to make an impact, alongside other well-regarded actors likeJames McAvoy,Keira Knightley,Saoirse Ronan,Vanessa Redgrave, andBrenda Blethyn.
Atonementis afairly heavy war/romance/drama film,and tells the story of a young man and woman’s lives being drastically upended when the latter’s younger sister accuses the former of something he didn’t actually do. Cumberbatchplays one of the more detestable characters he’s played yet, effectively being slimy and ultimately playing a role in some of the story’s more tragic/bleak occurrences.
Watch on Peacock
5’The Imitation Game' (2014)
Director: Morten Tyldum
Arguably up there withthe best biographical moviesof the 2010s,The Imitation Gamedoes stick to its fair share of conventions as far as the biopic genre goes, but it’s bolstered by strong performances and a fascinating central figure inAlan Turing. Turing was a mathematician/computer scientist whose work proved pivotal as far as computer sciences go, and, as the film shows, he also played a key role in breaking ciphers Nazi Germany used during World War II.
Cumberbatch plays Turing here in what was one of the earliest films to give him a leading role to fully explore, and he makes the most of it and then some, with Cumberbatch earning his first Oscar nomination in the process.The rest ofThe Imitation Gameis solid, and it does have a somewhat snappier pace to it– and some more tension – than the average biopic, even if it inevitably plays things relatively safely as far as the narrative goes.
The Imitation Game
The Imitation Game stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, the real-life British mathematician and computer scientist who was instrumental in decoding the German spy code machine Enigma during WWII. The film focuses on Turing’s work during the war and his personal life during that time, as well as the tragic story of his life after the war and his death in 1954. Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, and Mark Strong also star.
Watch on Netflix
4'1917' (2019)
Director: Sam Mendes
Rather than taking place during World War II likeThe Imitation Game,1917goes all the way back to the titular year, obviously being about World War I. It’s alsoan entirely different kind of war movie, emphasizing tension and a near-constant sense of danger throughout, owing to the way it plays out as though it were filmed in one take while showing two young soldiersmaking a perilous journey across No Man’s Land to deliver a vital message, with time being of the essence.
Cumberbatch’s role is minor yet still important, playing Colonel Mackenzie, whom both the main characters spend much of the film trying to reach.1917is the sort of movie where the technical qualities tend to shine even brighter than the performances, but the leads –George MacKayandDean-Charles Chapman– are both very good, as the various well-known actors – like Mark Strong,Andrew Scott,Richard Madden, and Colin Firth – who show up in smaller roles.
April 6th, 1917. As an infantry battalion assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.
3’Avengers: Infinity War' (2018)
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Part 1 of a duologythat represents the MCU at its peak,Avengers: Infinity Warstands out for the fact that it includes almost every prominent hero who’d appeared in an MCU movie up until that point in its cast. The fate of the universe very much hangs in the balance and necessitates everyone getting involved, though, seeing asInfinity Waris all about the much-hyped Thanos finally making good on his plans to eradicate half of all life in the universe.
Doctor Strange is one of the many characters to play a part inInfinity War, and though he also shows up in Endgame, he has a great more to do in this first half of the grand finale to the MCU’s first three phases.It’s an overall gargantuan and surprising movie, but feels well-balancedin that it gives everyone a chance to shine, and delivers a genuinely intense narrative with a game-changing ending.
Avengers: Infinity War
2'12 Years a Slave' (2013)
Director: Steve McQueen
12 Years a Slavewas ahistorical drama/biographical film that won Best Pictureat the Academy Awards, and remains one of the most devastating movies to even win that top prize on Oscar night. The central figure isSolomon Northup, and the film is based on his memoir of the same name, which retells his harrowing life story and details his experiences with being sold into slavery around the middle of the 19th century.
Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a career-best performance in the lead role, with supporting performances from the likes ofLupita Nyong’oanda villainousMichael Fassbenderalso being worthy of praise. Cumberbatch’s role is a little less significant, playingWilliam Ford, the plantation owner who first had Northup as a slave. He doesn’t have the flashiest role, but Cumberbatch still makes an impression here, and12 Years a Slaveisoverall definitely one of the best films he’s appeared in so far.
Watch on Hulu
1’The Power of the Dog' (2021)
Director: Jane Campion
Earning Benedict Cumberbatch a second Oscar nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role,The Power of the Dogisa strange, challenging, and absorbing Westernthat’s arguably the best film the actor’s appeared in to date. He plays an enigmatic and disturbed individual in the film, but one who ends up feeling vulnerable after he meets his brother’s wife and her son, both of whom reveal long repressed layers to his character.
The Power of the Dogis a difficult film to sell using words, as the “narrative,” in a sense, is relatively straightforward, with the exploration of its characters being what gives it depth and makes it distinct. It’s an alienating and slow movie at times, but it provides an experience that’s hard to shake, and Cumberbatch has probably never been any better in a lead role than he is in this film.
