35 Fresh Christopher Plummer Movies

(Photo by Lionsgate/ courtesy Everett Collection)

Christopher Plummer, who rose to international fame as Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music, began his screen career with an “and introducing” credit on Sidney Lumet’s 1958 Stage Struck. By 1965 he would be known everywhere as papa Trapp, but Sound of Music was lighter fare for Plummer, a movie that punctuated a career building around military epics and classic-style adventures like The Fall of the Roman Empire, Battle of Britain, Waterloo, and The Man Who Would Be King.

The Silent Partner, Murder by Decree, Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country, and 12 Monkeys were among his movie highlights until a career resurgence with 1999’s The Insider, the Michael Mann big-tobacco expose with Al Pacino and Russell Crowe. This opened to a string of critical and commerical hits, including Best Picture-winner A Beautiful Mind, Inside Man, and Up.

At 80, he recieved his first Oscar nomination for The Last Station. He won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Beginners, as a man finding a new lease on life in his later years, at age 82, becoming the oldest to ever win an acting Oscar. He also became the oldest to be nominated for an acting Oscar at age 88 for his last-minute casting to Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World.

Among Plummer’s final roles were as Ebenezer Scrooge in The Man Who Invented Christmas, and as Harlan Thrombey in Rian Johnson’s whodunit Knives Out. And now we look back on Plummer’s career with 35 Fresh Christopher Plummer movies.

#35

Adjusted Score: 100.229%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Though Fall of the Roman Empire is now infamous as the epic which destroyed the cinematic «empire» of producer Samuel… [More]

#34

Adjusted Score: 107.957%

Critics Consensus: An exciting, funny, and poignant adventure, Up offers an impeccably crafted story told with wit and arranged with depth, as well as yet another visual Pixar treat.

Synopsis: A feisty septuagenarian teams with a fearless wilderness ranger to do battle with a vicious band of beasts and villains… [More]

#33

Adjusted Score: 117.398%

Critics Consensus: Knives Out sharpens old murder-mystery tropes with a keenly assembled suspense outing that makes brilliant use of writer-director Rian Johnson’s stellar ensemble.

Synopsis: Acclaimed writer and director Rian Johnson (Brick, Looper, Star Wars: The Last Jedi) pays tribute to mystery mastermind Agatha Christie… [More]

#32

Adjusted Score: 99.654%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A late-career masterpiece from legendary director/adventurer Huston and adapted from a Rudyard Kipling story, it stars Sir Sean and Michael… [More]

#31

Adjusted Score: 102.008%

Critics Consensus: Intelligent, compelling, and packed with strong performances, The Insider is a potent corporate thriller.

Synopsis: The Insider tells the true story of a man who decided to tell the world what the seven major tobacco… [More]

#30

Adjusted Score: 91.072%

Critics Consensus: A beautifully animated diversion, My Dog Tulip is as comforting and delightful as cuddling with your own canine companion.

Synopsis: A bittersweet account of the author’s 14-year relationship with his adopted Alsatian, MY DOG TULIP was written, directed and animated… [More]

#29

Adjusted Score: 93.346%

Critics Consensus: The plot’s a bit of a jumble, but excellent performances and mind-blowing plot twists make 12 Monkeys a kooky, effective experience.

Synopsis: An intense film about time travel, this sci-fi entry was directed by Terry Gilliam, a member of the comedy troupe… [More]

#28

Adjusted Score: 95.055%

Critics Consensus: Brutal yet captivating, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is the result of David Fincher working at his lurid best with total role commitment from star Rooney Mara.

Synopsis: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is the first film in Columbia Pictures’ three-picture adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s literary blockbuster… [More]

#27

Adjusted Score: 93.073%

Critics Consensus: Spike Lee’s energetic and clever bank-heist thriller is a smart genre film that is not only rewarding on its own terms, but manages to subvert its pulpy trappings with wit and skill.

Synopsis: The volatile showdown between a determined cop and a perfectionist bank robber is sent spiraling toward disaster when a scheming… [More]

#26

Adjusted Score: 89.762%

Critics Consensus: Wearing its twee heart on its sleeve, Beginners explores the depths of modern, multi-generational romance with wit and depth.

Synopsis: Beginners imaginatively explores the hilarity, confusion, and surprises of love through the evolving consciousness of Oliver (Ewan McGregor). Oliver meets… [More]

#25

Adjusted Score: 86.36%

Critics Consensus: Post-Misery Kathy Bates proves to be another wonderful conduit for Stephen King’s novels in this patient, gradually terrifying thriller.

Synopsis: A daughter who has come to imagine the worst about her mother learns the facts are quite different — and… [More]

#24

Adjusted Score: 85.314%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In this sequel, it looks as though wizard cat-burglar Sir Charles Litton is back in business. Dispatched to the Swiss… [More]

#23

Adjusted Score: 92.338%

Critics Consensus: Unapologetically sweet and maybe even a little corny, The Sound of Music will win over all but the most cynical filmgoers with its classic songs and irresistible warmth.

Synopsis: One of the most popular movie musicals of all time, The Sound of Music is based on the true story… [More]

#22

Adjusted Score: 32.034%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: This biographical drama from HBO recounts the rise and fall of Walter Winchell, a gossip columnist and reporter who changed… [More]

#21

Adjusted Score: 85.978%

Critics Consensus: The Undiscovered Country is a strong cinematic send-off for the original Trek crew, featuring some remarkable visuals and an intriguing, character-driven mystery plot.

Synopsis: In this last film centering on the original television series’ stars, an ecological disaster forces the Klingons to seek peace… [More]

#20

Adjusted Score: 90.729%

Critics Consensus: All the Money in the World offers an absorbing portrayal of a true story, brought compellingly to life by a powerful performance from Christopher Plummer.

Synopsis: ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate… [More]

#19

Adjusted Score: 80.015%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes is once again on the case, this time looking into the murder spree committed by Jack the Ripper…. [More]

#18

Adjusted Score: 85.927%

Critics Consensus: The Man Who Invented Christmas adds holiday magic to the writing of A Christmas Carol, putting a sweetly revisionist spin on the story behind a classic yuletide tale.

Synopsis: The Man Who Invented Christmas tells of the magical journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer),… [More]

#17

Adjusted Score: 81.255%

Critics Consensus: Thanks to a strong cast of experienced actors and director Douglas McGrath’s steady hand, Nicholas Nickleby is a worthy and respectful adaptation of the Dickens novel.

Synopsis: One of Charles Dickens’ best-loved (and most complex) stories receives its fourth feature film adaptation in this lively historical comedy-drama…. [More]

#16

Adjusted Score: 81.576%

Critics Consensus: Thanks to Al Pacino’s stirring central performance – and excellent work from an esteemed supporting cast — Danny Collins manages to overcome its more predictable and heavy-handed moments to deliver a heartfelt tale of redemption.

Synopsis: Al Pacino stars as aging 1970s rocker Danny Collins, who can’t give up his hard-living ways. But when his manager… [More]

#15

Adjusted Score: 78.865%

Critics Consensus: Dreamscape mixes several genres — horror, sci-fi, action — and always maintains a sense of adventure and humor.

Synopsis: In an attempt to help people who experience recurring nightmares, a research program is using psychics to enter the patients’… [More]

#14

Adjusted Score: 75.114%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Peter Yates’ thriller stars William Hurt as Daryll, a maintenance man obsessed with TV newswoman Tony Sokolow (Sigourney Weaver). When… [More]

#13

Adjusted Score: 81.209%

Critics Consensus: The well-acted A Beautiful Mind is both a moving love story and a revealing look at mental illness.

Synopsis: From the heights of notoriety to the depths of depravity, John Forbes Nash, Jr. experiences it all. A mathematical genius,… [More]

#12

Adjusted Score: 74.749%

Critics Consensus: The Exception (The Kaiser’s Last Kiss) elegantly blends well-dressed period romance and war drama into a solidly crafted story further elevated by Christopher Plummer’s excellent work and the efforts of a talented supporting cast.

Synopsis: A riveting World War II thriller that is filled with espionage and romance in equal measure, The Exception follows German… [More]

#11

Adjusted Score: 72.96%

Critics Consensus: Exquisitely animated, An American Tail is a sweet, melancholy, immigrants story.

Synopsis: An American Tail is a beautifully rendered animated flim that tells an overly familiar story in terms children can easily… [More]

#10

Adjusted Score: 75.145%

Critics Consensus: Michael Hoffman’s script doesn’t quite live up to its famous subject, but this Tolstoy biopic benefits from a spellbinding tour de force performance by Helen Mirren.

Synopsis: Set in the last tumultuous years of famed Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s life, centers on the battle for his soul… [More]

Adjusted Score: 67.265%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Barrymore, set in 1942, follows acclaimed American actor John Barrymore (Christopher Plummer), a member of one of Hollywood’s most well-known… [More]

Adjusted Score: 73.103%

Critics Consensus: Remember risks wandering into exploitative territory, but it’s bolstered by some of Egoyan’s best latter-day directing and a typically stellar performance from Christopher Plummer.

Synopsis: Remember tells the story of Zev Guttman (Academy Award (R) Winner Christopher Plummer), a 90-year-old struggling with memory loss who… [More]

Adjusted Score: 48.213%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: The Canadian «sleeper» The Silent Partner stars Elliott Gould as a teller, Miles Cullen, who figures out psycho Harry Reikle’s… [More]

Adjusted Score: 67.284%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: In this episodic, all-star film, no one star dominates the proceedings, though Sir Laurence Olivier, as flight commander Sir Hugh… [More]

Adjusted Score: 13.472%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: A young girl still saddened by the decision of her best friend’s family to move away learns an important life… [More]

Adjusted Score: 48.969%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Based on a play by Barry England, the British Conduct Unbecoming revolves around a sexual violation–which may or may not… [More]

Adjusted Score: 70.243%

Critics Consensus: Terry Gilliam remains as indulgent as ever, but The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus represents a return to the intoxicatingly imaginative, darkly beautiful power of his earlier work, with fine performances to match all the visual spectacle.

Synopsis: «The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus» is a fantastical morality tale, set in the present-day. It tells the story of Dr…. [More]

Adjusted Score: 69.244%

Critics Consensus: Despite arresting visuals and strong lead performances, The New World suffers from an unfocused narrative that will challenge viewers’ attention spans over its 2 1/2 hours.

Synopsis: This epic adventure is set amid the encounter of European and Native American cultures during the founding of the Jamestown… [More]

Adjusted Score: 61.873%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Christopher Reeve got away from Superman and related costume roles in this dramatic fantasy film, adapted from Richard Matheson’s 1960s… [More]

—
Rotten Tomatoes