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| Brad Pitt at the NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC in 2019. Photo by NASA HQ Photo. |
Brad Pitt is the rare movie star who seems determined to prove he is more than just a movie star. He spent the 90s fighting his "Sexiest Man Alive" label by taking roles where he was bruised, battered, or completely unhinged. Whether he is eating in every scene of Ocean's Eleven or speaking unintelligible gibberish in Snatch, he brings a relaxed, effortless cool that few can match. He is a character actor trapped in a leading man’s body.
POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!
My favorite Movies/TV Shows he has been in:
Inglourious Basterds (2009)
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 89%
- IMDB rating: 8.3/10
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
This role was made for Brad Pitt. He plays Lt. Aldo Raine, the neck-scarred leader of a squad of Jewish-American soldiers hunting Nazis in WWII France. Pitt leans fully into the absurdity of the character, delivering lines like "Nat-zis" with a thick, cartoonish Southern drawl that somehow works perfectly within Quentin Tarantino’s heightened reality.
While Christoph Waltz (Hans Landa) arguably steals the show, Pitt provides the film's swagger. He is hilarious, violent, and oddly charming as a man who demands "100 Nazi scalps." The scene where he tries to speak Italian ("Gorlami") at the movie premiere is one of the funniest moments in his entire career, proving that he is just as gifted at comedy as he is at drama.
Se7en (1995)
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 83%
- IMDB rating: 8.6/10
- Where to watch: Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
This is the movie that proved Pitt could handle dark, gritty material. He plays Detective David Mills, an arrogant, impulsive rookie partnered with the weary veteran Morgan Freeman to hunt a serial killer who uses the Seven Deadly Sins as his motif.
Pitt is the emotional heart of the film. While Freeman is the brain, Pitt is the raw nerve, reacting with the same horror and disgust that the audience feels. The film is relentlessly bleak, rain-soaked, and terrifying, building toward one of the most famous (and devastating) endings in cinema history. Pitt’s performance in those final minutes is gut-wrenching, cementing his status as a serious actor who wasn't afraid to go to dark places.
My favorite Movie/TV Show he has been in that you may not have seen:
Fury (2014)
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 76%
- IMDB rating: 7.5/10
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
While Inglourious Basterds is a WWII fantasy, Fury is a WWII nightmare. This film was a box office hit, but it often gets overlooked when discussing Pitt's "essential" films. He plays "Wardaddy," a battle-hardened tank commander leading a crew deep into Germany during the final days of the war.
This isn't a glorious war movie; it is claustrophobic, dirty, and brutal. Pitt strips away all his usual charm to play a man who has had his humanity eroded by violence. The tank battles are visceral and terrifying, but the film is really about the dysfunctional family dynamic inside the tank. If you missed this one because you thought it was "just another war movie," you missed one of Pitt’s most intense and physically demanding performances.
Don’t waste your time with this Movie/TV Show:
Cool World (1992)
- Rotten Tomatoes rating: 4%
- IMDB rating: 4.8/10
- Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV
Before he was a superstar, Pitt starred in this bizarre attempt to create an "adult" version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit. He plays a detective transported into a cartoon world, but the result is a mess of bad animation, nonsensical plotting, and awkward acting.
The movie tries to be edgy and gritty but just ends up feeling sleazy and confusing. Pitt looks visibly lost acting against the animated characters, and the script is nearly incoherent. It’s a fascinating disaster from the early 90s that proves even the biggest stars have skeletons in their closet. Unless you are a die-hard fan of weird animation history, this is an easy skip.
Honorable Mentions to check out:
Brad Pitt’s filmography is stacked with hits. If you want more, check these out:
- Moneyball: A quiet, brilliant performance where he plays a GM obsessed with baseball stats. It's arguably his best "acting" role.
- Fight Club: The role that defined "cool" for an entire generation. A psychological trip that demands a rewatch.
- Ocean’s Eleven: The ultimate hangout movie. Pitt eating in every scene became a meme, but his chemistry with Clooney is the real draw.
- Snatch: He plays a bare-knuckle boxer with an unintelligible Irish traveler accent. It is arguably his funniest performance.
- World War Z: A surprisingly tense zombie thriller that features some of the best large-scale chaos ever filmed.
- Bullet Train: A stylish, neon-soaked action comedy where Pitt plays an unlucky assassin. It’s pure popcorn fun.
- F1: From the director of Top Gun: Maverick, this racing epic features some of the most visceral driving sequences ever filmed. Pitt is fantastic as the veteran driver Sonny Hayes.
- Allied: A sweeping, old-school romantic thriller set during WWII where he stars alongside Marion Cotillard.
- 12 Monkeys: The role that earned him his first Oscar nomination. He is absolutely electric (and bonkers) as a mental patient with a manifesto.