Following a troubled and drug riddled adolescence, Mark Wahlberg has gone on to have one heck of a career. Whilst definitely not a patch on his brother Donnie and his illustrious music career with New Kids on The Block, Mark (known at the time as Marky Mark), at one point, was a semi successful popstar. With Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, he achieved a number one hit in 1991 with the ‘Good Vibrations’ and a platinum certification for the album ‘Music for the People’. It wasn’t long though, before he would step out of from his brother’s shadow and become a worldwide international superstar in his own right.His acting debut was in 1994’s Renaisance Man, but his first starring role was in 1996’s Fear alongside Reese Witherspoon, to whom he was romantically attached at the time. The pair quickly became young 90s heartthrobs. The following year, Wahlberg flexed his impressive acting chops in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights. It was here that he broke away from being a mere heartthrob and become respected as a serious and versatile actor in his own right. Since then, he’s gone on to appear in dozens of films from big budget action blockbusters including Planet of the Apes, The Perfect Storm and two Transformers movies to successful comedy franchises including Daddy’s Home and Ted. In 2017, he was even reported as being Hollywood’s highest paid actor. His newest film Uncharted, in which Wahlberg stars alongside Tom Holland, brings to live-action the world of the famous video game of the same name. With this in mind, here are the best Mark Wahlberg movies, ranked.Related: Uncharted Scores $21.5 Million at International Box Office

8 The Other Guys

The Other Guys, Columbia Pictures
 Columbia Pictures

The Other Guys is a 2010 buddy cop action-comedy film directed by Adam McKay. Historically, there have been some absolute classic buddy cop movies, but there have also been some absolute stinkers, and a lot of the time it’s down to the chemistry of the leads. Fortunately, The Other Guys gives the audience plenty of laugh-out-loud moments thanks to the assured comic chemistry between Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg. Serving as much as an homage to the genre as a parody, the movie also benefits from impressive action set pieces and a strong supporting cast including Steve Coogan, Eva Mendes, Dwayne Johnson, and Samuel L Jackson.

7 Deepwater Horizon

Deepwater Horizon Lionsgate
Lionsgate

Deepwater Horizon is an interesting entry; it would have been easy to leave off as it is regarded as one of the biggest box office flops in history. But the truth of the matter is, it is actually a very good movie. Based on the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, perhaps audiences were looking for an all-out action disaster flick, but what they got was a smart, well-acted, and a somewhat nuanced yet gripping thriller. The movie was a hit with critics, who also praised the special effects and cinematography. Mark Wahlberg brings an uncharacteristically restrained approach to the lead role, which adds a level of depth not often seen in his movies. A fantastic supporting cast starring John Malkovich, Kate Hudson and Kurt Russell all do a good job portraying the horrors of the tragedy that resulted in the loss of 11 lives and untold damage to the planet.

6 Fear

Fear, Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures

1996’s Fear, also starring Reese Witherspoon, is the movie that catapulted the pair into superstardom. The movie itself isn’t anything massively originally, it tells the story of a woman who falls for a handsome and mysterious young man. As the story unfolds it transpires that the man is far more dangerous than the woman could have ever realized. These types of movies about dangerous obsession had been done before with the likes of Fatal Attraction and Sleeping with The Enemy, but Fear was more stylized, more…cool, if that’s the word. The cast were younger, and Mark Wahlberg exuded charisma from the moment he stepped on screen. It’s an over-the-top affair for sure, but when needed to be, Wahlberg was genuinely menacing and frightening. A thoroughly enjoyable film that doesn’t require a lot of brainpower to sit through.

5 Ted

Ted, Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures

Ted is the directorial debut from Family Guy creator Seth Macfarlane. It tells the story of John Bennett (Wahlberg), a Boston native whose childhood wish brings his teddy bear friend Ted (voiced by Macfarlane) to life. As he grows into adulthood, however, Ted stays by his side. The pair drink and smoke together and watch sports just as you would with your best pal. Things become difficult as John’s girlfriend (Mila Kunis) wants to progress their relationship but feels that his relationship with Ted is getting in the way. The plot is quite commonplace in movies, apart from the fact the friend is a living teddy bear, but it's MacFarlane's razor sharp wit that really makes this movie a pleasure to watch. The high concept is fun, and the jokes and gags never fail to seem to miss in this. While a lot of the humor is rude and crude, in the vein of Family Guy, there’s also a lot of genuine emotion and pathos to be found here. Also, Liam Neeson’s hilarious cameo is enough to land this movie on this list alone.

4 The Fighter

The Fighter Paramount
Paramount Pitcures

It was recently revealed by Wahlberg that The Fighter is the movie he’d most like to do a sequel for, and it’s not hard to see why. This 2010 biographical sports drama film, directed by David O. Russell, is based on the true story of the lives of professional boxing half-brothers Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) and Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale). Micky is overshadowed by his older brother Dicky who, while being more well known, is also a troubled drug addict. The story follows the continued family drama as each of the brothers follow their own journeys and the sacrifices they must make to overcome their demons and the hurdles in front of them. This taut and engaging drama was recognized by The Academy and nominated for an impressive 7 awards at the 2011 Oscars.

Related: Father Stu Starring Marl Wahlberg & Mel Gibson Set For Spring Release

3 Three Kings

three-kings-mark-wahlberg-movies
Village Roadshow Pictures

Released in 1999 with George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze as four American soldiers on a gold heist that takes place during the 1991 uprisings in Iraq against Saddam Hussein following the end of the Gulf War, Three Kings has gone on to be considered a stone-cold classic. It successfully manages to combine drama, action and political satire into a thought-provoking caper. The film was not just a huge hit with both critics and audiences worldwide, it is even reported that then-incumbent President Bill Clinton liked the film so much that he had it screened for his staff, friends, and advisors at the White House.

2 Boogie Nights

Boogie Nights
New Line Cinema

If Fear was the movie that catapulted Wahlberg into superstardom, Boogie Nights was the movie that showed the world what Wahlberg was really capable of. More than ever, his charisma shines through in this comedy drama. The movie follows Mark Wahlberg’s character Eddie Adams (later to become Dirk Diggler), a young nightclub dishwasher as he becomes a popular star of pornographic films during the Golden Age of porn of the 1970s finally succumbing to the excesses of the 1980s. This Paul Thomas Anderson directed masterpiece cleverly combines comedy with drama and some good old fashion drugs and violence in a way which would make Tarantino proud. While Wahlberg is the standout star of the piece, he is supported by an extremely impressive array of talent from Julianne Moore, Burt Reynolds, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heather Graham.

1 The Departed

The Departed, Warner Bros
Warner Bros.

Not only is The Departed, the best Wahlberg movie, it’s also one of the greatest movies of all time. Scorsese returned behind the camera for this 2006 epic gangster crime thriller film. Everything about this movie works, the clever and engaging twisty-turny epic gangster plot, the robust soundtrack, the ensemble cast (Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, and Alec Baldwin) and top-notch direction. It’s also the only time Wahlberg has been nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars. While he didn’t win, the film itself did go onto scoop Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Film Editing at the same ceremony.