English actor Benedict Cumberbatch is best known for playing Sherlock Holmes in the BBC series Sherlock and the titular magical superhero in the MCU's Doctor Strange. However, he is an actor with a diverse range of great films on his resume. Cumberbatch's filmography includes computer-animated family comedies such as The Grinch, the biographical period-drama 12 Years a Slave, and thrillers such as The Fifth Estate.Updated February 23, 2022: If you're a Cumberbatch fan, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with more of his best films, including updates on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home.Cumberbatch has been critically praised for his work, having received a Primetime Emmy Award, Laurence Olivier Award, British Academy Television Award, and multiple nominations for Screen Actors Guild, BAFTA, Academy, and Golden Globe Awards. Over two decades, he has shown that he is an incredibly versatile and talented actor. Here are Benedict Cumberbatch's best movies, ranked.

12 Black Mass (2015)

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Warner Bros. Pictures

Based on a true story of James "Whitey" Bulger (Johnny Depp), an Irish Mob godfather and a FBI informant who had a "secret trading" deal with his brother, State Sen. William "Billy" Bulger (Cumberbatch), and FBI agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton). They planned to take down theft Italian mob and mafia in Boston, which went awry and things turned massively violent. Black Mass features an ensemble cast that also includes Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Peter Sarsgaard, Dakota Johnson, and Corey Stoll. It received generally positive reviews and grossed $99 million on a $53 million budget. Cumberbatch, reliably superb, pulls off a flawless Boston accent that's enough of a reason alone to check out Black Mass.

Related: These Are The Best Johnny Depp Performances Of All Time

11 The Mauritanian (2020)

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STX Films

The Mauritanian tells a harrowing account of injustice, brutality, and moral reckoning in the aftermath of the tragic 9/11 terrorist attacks. Based on the book "Guantanamo Diary", the film is the true story of Mohamedou Ould Salahi, who was taken clandestinely via rendition to the prison camp in Cuba. His interrogation, tactics used, and the efforts to free him are explored in a well-acted, but overly procedural narrative. The Mauritanian makes a compelling case for introspection. We must hold the perpetrators of this heinous crime to account, but cannot trample on our bedrock values or succumb to unfettered vengeance.

Cumberbatch plays the conflicted Marine prosecutor Stuart Couch in the film. While we primarily follow Salahi's tragic journey in The Mauritanian, it is Couch's supporting character arc that effectively carries the story, as his view on prisoner see-saws in a heavily emotional journey.

10 Star Trek Into Darkness

Star Trek Into Darkness IMAX Preview Photo

Cumberbatch stars as the iconic Star Trek villain, Khan, in the sequel to J.J. Abrams' Star Trek reboot Star Trek Into Darkness. Like its predecessor, Into Darkness is fast-paced and plenty of fun. The film is stamped with the lens flares J.J. Abrams is well-known for and includes plenty of action set pieces.

Star Trek is a franchise known for its signature themes of space exploration and exploring alien civilizations. While Into Darkness focuses more on action than going where "no man has gone before," it is an entertaining film that succeeds in thrilling audiences.

Related: Star Trek Movie from WandaVision Director Gets Shifted to December 2023

9 Doctor Strange

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Director Scott Derrickson's 2016 film Doctor Strange is arguably one of the best and most important films in the MCU. The film introduces Doctor Stephen Strange and the mystic world of sorcerers to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It tells a strong origin story, where Cumberbatch's character is an arrogant doctor that is quickly humbled after a serious car accident when he loses control of his hands. Stephen realizes that there is so much that he does not know.

Joined by a fantastic cast in Benedict Wong, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, and Chiwetel Ejiofor, the film combines mind-bending visuals with the spectacle of the MCU, kickstarting the story of one of Marvel Studios' greatest characters.

A new trailer for the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, was released during the Super Bowl, and it's unleashed a whole new level of meticulous analysis upon the internet as legions of fans dissect every frame for clues about what might transpire in the Sam Raimi-directed flick. There are rumors of Spider-Man 2099 appearing in the film, as well as suggests that along with the X-Men's Professor X, the beloved antihero Wolverine will feature in the sequel, but will not be played by Hugh Jackman. Only time will tell!

Related: Multiverse of Madness: Here's Every Doctor Strange Variant, Explained

8 Atonement

Atonement Benedict Cumberbatch

A 2007 romantic war drama, Atonement is an impactful and tragic film about two lovers where the misinterpretations and lies of third parties run rampant. Resultantly, chaos ensues and causes massive disruption to people's lives. Years later, Joe Wright's dramatic film continues to impress with great performances and surprising emotional depth.

Atonement features a Cumberbatch before he became BBC's Sherlock and entered more of the public spotlight. Nevertheless, his role in Atonement, while small, is no less captivating, chilling, and entrancing.

7 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Benedict Cumberbatch in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
StudioCanal

Set during the Cold War, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is a fantastic spy thriller about the search for a Soviet double-agent within MI6. Although Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy sometimes suffers from a slow pace, the film offers a gritty story in the world of espionage that is both gripping and complex.

From concept alone, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy already features an engaging premise. The film, however, executes its premise perfectly, inviting the fears and feelings of paranoia that would naturally arise when one does not know who they can trust.

6 Avengers: Infinity War

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Marvel Studios, Disney

The third appearance of Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange in the MCU after Doctor Strange and Thor: Ragnarok, his character quickly became a fan-favorite Avengers: Infinity War. Doctor Strange works well in an ensemble film, playing a unique role as the snarky, powerful sorcerer. Strange is responsible for helping set the course in Infinity War for the Avengers' ultimate pathway to victory in Avengers: Endgame.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo succeed in creating a film that performs the Herculean task of juggling countless Marvel characters and giving each a moment to shine. The Russo brothers accomplish this while still telling a high-stakes story, challenging Marvel's heroes, and creating emotional beats that command engagement from the audience.

Related: Benedict Cumberbatch Improvised One Key Moment in Avengers: Endgame

5 1917

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Dreamworks Pictures

1917 presents a race against time as two British soldiers, Schofield and Blake, are tasked with delivering a message to Colonel Mackenzie (Cumberbatch) that will save thousands of lives. The film's portrayal of trench warfare and a spectacular sequence as Schofield runs across the battlefield will be remembered for many years to come.

1917 is a tense, large-scale, ambitious World War I film. Along with incredible performances, a stellar cast, and an incredible screenplay, cinematographer Roger Deakins shot 1917 so that it appears as if the film were shot in a single take. The result is an immersive cinematic experience that is surely not to be missed by film fans with an interest in a World War I epic.

Related: 1917 Review: An Astonishingly Cinematic Masterpiece

4 The Imitation Game

Imitation Game Keira Benedict

Starring Keira Knightley and Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game is a historical drama loosely based on a biography published in the 80s called Alan Turing: The Enigma. Cumberbatch plays Alan Turing, a British mathematician, computer scientist, and codebreaker. Alan Turing worked for the British government during the Second World War, decoding the encryption of messages from German intelligence. While the film is based on a real-life historical figure, The Imitation Game deviates from history with several historical inaccuracies and compresses history into a two-hour film. Turing is also represented as a gay man but the film does not deeply delve into the real-life Alan Turing's struggle with sexuality and the injustice he experienced. Nonetheless, The Imitation Game is a dramatic biopic that entertains with great performances and tells the incredible story of a real-life historical figure.

3 12 Years a Slave

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Fox Searchlight Pictures

12 Years a Slave is not the easiest film to watch due to its subject matter, portraying the slavery that is part of America's history. The film is based on Twelve Years a Slave, the memoir by Solomon Northup in 1853. Solomon Northup was an African-American man born in the New York State who was drugged, kidnapped, and sold into slavery. Twelve years of Northup's life was spent working on plantations in Louisiana before he was freed. The film based on the memoir assembles an impressive cast with the likes of Lupita Nyong'o, Michael Fassbender, Alfre Woodard, Michael Kenneth Williams, Brad Pitt, Adepero Oduye, and Paul Dano.

Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange co-star, Chiwetel Ejiofor, stars as Solomon Northup. Receiving nine Academy Award nominations and winning for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress (Lupita Nyong'o), 12 Years a Slave is critically acclaimed and among Benedict Cumberbatch's best films. It is intense and powerful, its portrayal of the brutality and injustice slaves experienced in the nineteenth-century disturbing.

2 Spider-Man: No Way Home

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Fans are loving Spider-Man: No Way Home and a consensus is being formed that Tom Holland's third solo Spider-Man film is one of the best Spider-Man films yet. Benedict Cumberbatch joins the Spider-Man cast as Peter Parker seeks Doctor Strange's help in making the world forget Spider-Man's secret identity. The film presents Tom Holland's Spider-Man with the greatest challenges he has ever faced, forcing him to always be on his toes and ask himself what it means to truly be a hero.

No Way Home provides more insight into the characters of Stephen Strange and Peter Parker. Strong themes of consequence, power, and responsibility capture not only the core of Spider-Man but the core of a hero. The rich character development and character exploration in No Way Home elevates the film to being one of the films Cumberbatch will be best recognized for.

Despite being one of the best-reviewed movies on Rotten Tomatoes, climbing up the box office chart to become the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time, and the third-highest in the domestic box office, the Academy chose to exclude the Marvel epic from all the major categories in this year's Oscars. However, a new fan-selected award has renewed hopes of small consolation for the record-breaking movie that really defines the term “fan-favorite.”

Related: Explained: What is the Oscars' Fan Favorite Award?

1 The Power of the Dog

Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog
Transmission Films, Netflix

The 2021 film, The Power of the Dog, presents one of Benedict Cumberbatch's best performances in his career. The Power of the Dog may be for a more niche audience than Cumberbatch's other films, but the film is an excellent Western drama about a stubborn character who refuses to change with the times. It is not a film about a heroic cowboy but a more psychological film that provides a deep, insightful look into the flawed Phil Burbank (Cumberbatch).

Jane Campion, who directed and wrote the film, showcases her mastery in filmmaking with The Power of the Dog. She is able to utilize all of Benedict Cumberbatch's talent, giving Cumberbatch the opportunities and material he needs to truly give an outstanding performance.