10 Best Charlton Heston Movies, Ranked (2024)

Charlton Heston was one of the leading Hollywood figures of the 1950s and '60s—a movie star back in an era when that term carried more heft than it does now. After starting out in the theater in the '40s, he rose to fame with roles in epic films such as The Ten Commandments and Ben-Hur, the latter earning him an Academy Award for Best Actor. These parts demonstrate his knack for larger-than-life characters. With his booming voice and statuesque posture, he remains a symbol of classic Hollywood grandeur.

But Heston also possessed surprising range and a willingness to undertake a variety of roles, from aging cowboys to astronauts stranded on alien worlds. As a result, he had an impressively long career, continuing to work in a host of genres across six decades. This means he has a vivid and weighty filmography to explore, including some of the defining films of the mid-20th century. Here are Heston's best movies.

10 'Tombstone' (1993)

Directed by George P. Cosmatos

"Looks like somebody just walked over your grave." Tombstone is an entertainingly sensationalized take on the story of legendary lawman Wyatt Earp (Kurt Russell). The aging gunslinger hopes to leave his law-enforcing days behind. However, the town of Tombstone is under the ruthless control of a gang called the Cowboys, led by the cunning and violent Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe). Tensions escalate when Wyatt’s friend, the enigmatic Doc Holliday (Val Kilmer), joins him, quickly becoming explosive. Heston has a cameo as rancher Henry Hooker, who shelters the heroes when they need it most. It's a nice meta bit of casting, drawing on his cinematic legacy.

The story is well-worn (there are some 40-odd movies featuring the Earp character), but director George P. Comastos enlivens it with stylish visuals and fittingly intense performances from his cast. Indeed, the dynamic between Russell and Kilmer is a consistent highlight. As a result, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral, one of the most overdone events in Western history, becomes thrilling once again. Tombstone has since become a cult film; Kilmer's performance, in particular, is beloved by many fans.

Tombstone

R

Western

Biography

Drama

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Release Date

December 25, 1993

Director

George P. Cosmatos , Kevin Jarre

Cast

Bill Paxton , Charlton Heston , Sam Elliott , Powers Boothe , Val Kilmer , Kurt Russell , Michael Biehn , Jason Priestley

Runtime

130 minutes

Writers

Kevin Jarre

Main Genre

Western

Studio

Hollywood Pictures

9 'Midway' (1976)

Directed by Jack Smight

"If you're wrong, Admiral [...] the entire west coast and Hawaiian islands will be wide open for invasion." Midway dramatizes the crucial naval battle during World War II, a turning point in the Pacific Theater. The film intricately weaves together the perspectives of both American and Japanese forces, offering a comprehensive view of the conflict. Heston is Matt Garth, a captain stationed at Pearl Harbor.

Heston is joined by a sprawling ensemble cast, including Henry Fonda, Robert Mitchum, and Kurosawa collaborator Toshirō Mifune. Fundamentally, Midway is a popcorn blockbuster, but it does deserve credit for bringing in some actual archival footage, even if not all the details are accurate and realistic. Likewise, the attempt to get into the heads of the soldiers on both sides of the conflict is commendable. Finally, the score was handled by John Williams, so it's naturally superb. The only real weakness is the undercooked script, which features a notoriously unpopular romantic subplot that should not have made it past the first draft.

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8 'Will Penny' (1968)

Directed by Tom Gries

"It's just a case of too soon old and too late smart." Heston leads this Western as the title character, an old cowboy who finds himself at a crossroads. After being injured in a skirmish with a gang of outlaws, Will stumbles upon a remote cabin occupied by Catherine (Joan Hackett), a woman traveling with her young son. Despite his solitary nature, Will is drawn into their lives, protecting them from the harsh realities of the frontier and the lingering outlaw threat.

Heston acted in some truly epic and iconic movies, but he has said that Will Penny was his favorite of all his projects. His layered performance certainly demonstrates a lot of care and effort. The result is a quiet and more pensive Western, with a focus on character over action. It's also notable for not examining its era through rose-tinted lenses; the film looks at the challenges of the frontier as well as the freedoms.

Will Penny

Approved

Western

Drama

Romance

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Release Date

April 10, 1968

Director

Tom Gries

Cast

Charlton Heston , Joan Hackett , Donald Pleasence , Lee Majors

Runtime

108 minutes

Writers

Tom Gries

7 'Soylent Green' (1973)

Directed by Richard Fleischer

"People were always lousy... But there was a world, once." Soylent Green is a classic dystopian sci-fi set in an overpopulated and polluted future that hits a little too close to home. In this bleak environment, Detective Thorn (Heston) is investigating the murder of a wealthy businessman. In the process, he uncovers the dark secret behind the world’s food supply, placing him in grave danger.

This is a solid mixture of sci-fi, eco-thriller, and murder mystery. Though melodramatic at times, its vision of the 21st century is a lot more realistic than most sci-fi from its era. Rather than flying cars and lightsabers, Soylent Green shows the viewer an overheated world, ravaged by the greenhouse effect, where homeless masses crowd apartment blocks and food riots are commonplace. Heston is believable as a denizen of this hard-scrabble world. He's a decent man, but even he has to resort to theft and deception in order to get by.

6 'The Agony and the Ecstasy' (1965)

Directed by Carol Reed

"What you have painted here, my son, is not a portrait of God. It's a proof of faith." The Agony and the Ecstasy chronicles the tumultuous relationship between Renaissance artist Michelangelo (Heston) and Pope Julius II (Rex Harrison) during the painting of the Sistine Chapel ceiling. It delves into the artistic process, highlighting Michelangelo’s internal conflicts, his dedication to his craft, and the immense physical and emotional toll it takes.

The film attempts to strike a balance between informative and entertaining, which it doesn't always manage. For example, it opens with a 12-minute historical overview of Michelangelo's life, which is dense with facts but kind of dull. That said, as a portrait of an artist, it's solid and clearly has a lot of reverence for its subject. It's yet another example of Heston's willingness to experiment with roles and take on projects that may, at first glance, seem to be outside his wheelhouse.

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5 'El Cid' (1961)

Directed by Anthony Mann

"There is no place hidden for a man like you." Although Heston dabbled in many genres, historical dramas were his specialty, and that's very much on display in El Cid. Here, Heston plays Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, known as El Cid, a military leader in medieval Spain. He unites Christians and Moors to defend his homeland against foreign invaders, but his rise to power puts him at odds with the Spanish monarchy.

Anthony Mann assembles hordes of extras and several impressive battle scenes that may be dated now but which would have been topnotch at the time. Some contemporary critics have been a little more lukewarm toward the acting, both from Heston and co-star Sophia Loren, but Martin Scorsese is a huge admirer of the film. "El Cid is one of the greatest epic films ever made," he said, specifically praising "Mann's sense of composition, his use of space, and his graceful camera movements."

4 'The Ten Commandments' (1956)

Directed by Cecil B. DeMille

"A policeman's job is only easy in a police state." This noir thriller begins with a car bomb explosion on the U.S.-Mexico border. Heston plays drug enforcement official Mike Vargas, who becomes embroiled in the investigation while on his honeymoon. Orson Welles, who also directed the film, is Hank Quinlan, a corrupt American police captain whose methods and motives come under scrutiny.

Touch of Evil is widely regarded as one of the great film noirs, boasting an engaging cast, exceptional visual style, and a terrific extended opening sequence. This is Welles's technical wizardry on full blast, with inventive angles and camera moves at every turn. Welles shoots the characters with skill, using the imagery to bolster the story rather than distract from it. This is important, given that the plot is memorably convoluted, laden with dead ends and surprise twists in the best way. Heston's performance is perfectly suited to the subject matter—intense, over-the-top, but fun and compelling.

The Ten Commandments

G

Drama

History

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Release Date

October 5, 1956

Director

Cecil B. DeMille

Cast

Charlton Heston , Yul Brynner , Anne Baxter , Edward G. Robinson , Yvonne De Carlo , Debra Paget , John Derek , Cedric Hardwicke , Nina Foch , Martha Scott , Judith Anderson , Vincent Price , John Carradine , Olive Deering , Douglass Dumbrille , Frank De Kova , Henry Wilcoxon , Eduard Franz , Donald Curtis , Lawrence Dobkin , H.B. Warner , Julia Faye , Lisa Mitchell

Runtime

220 Minutes

Writers

Jeanie Macpherson , Dorothy Clarke Wilson , A.E. Southon , Æneas MacKenzie , Jesse Lasky Jr. , Jack Gariss

Main Genre

Drama

3 'Touch of Evil' (1958)

Directed by Orson Welles

"A policeman's job is only easy in a police state." This noir thriller begins with a car bomb explosion on the U.S.-Mexico border. Heston plays drug enforcement official Mike Vargas, who becomes embroiled in the investigation while on his honeymoon. Orson Welles, who also directed the film, is Hank Quinlan, a corrupt American police captain whose methods and motives come under scrutiny.

Touch of Evil is widely regarded as one of the great film noirs, boasting an engaging cast, exceptional visual style, and a terrific extended opening sequence. This is Welles's technical wizardry on full blast, with inventive angles and camera moves at every turn. Welles shoots the characters with skill, using the imagery to bolster the story rather than distract from it. This is important, given that the plot is memorably convoluted, laden with dead ends and surprise twists in the best way. Heston's performance is perfectly suited to the subject matter—intense, over-the-top, but fun and compelling.

Touch of Evil

PG-13

Crime

Drama

Release Date

March 30, 1958

Director

Orson Welles

Cast

Charlton Heston , Janet Leigh , Orson Welles , Joseph Calleia

Runtime

95 minutes

Writers

Orson Welles , Whit Masterson

Main Genre

Crime

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2 'Planet of the Apes' (1968)

Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner

"Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" The latest Planet of the Apes movie is great, but fans should go back and revisit the original, in which Heston plays astronaut George Taylor. He crash-lands on a mysterious planet ruled by intelligent Simians, where humans are the subjugated underclass. The film’s social commentary becomes evident as Taylor confronts the apes’ rigid caste system and their treatment of humans.

This is easily one of Heston's most famous characters, and his signature line is known all over the world. More than that, Taylor is believable—cynical and frustrated, ill at ease in his new surroundings. The premise is pretty wacky, but Heston's performance and the impressive makeup help with the suspension of disbelief. For these reasons, Planet of the Apes is one of the most vivid and charming sci-fi movies of the 1960s. There's a reason the franchise continues to pull in large audiences more than 50 years later.

Planet of the Apes (1968)

G

Sci-Fi

Adventure

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Release Date

April 3, 1968

Director

Franklin J. Schaffner

Cast

Charlton Heston , Roddy McDowall , Kim Hunter , Maurice Evans , James Whitmore , James Daly , Linda Harrison , Robert Gunner

Runtime

112 Minutes

Writers

Michael Wilson , Rod Serling , Pierre Boulle , John T. Kelley

Main Genre

Sci-Fi

1 'Ben-Hur' (1959)

Directed by William Wyler

"Look to the West, Judah!" Heston clearly felt at home in historical epics, and his finest work in the genre—indeed, of his entire filmography—is his starring turn here as Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish prince betrayed by his Roman friend Messala (Stephen Boyd). He endures slavery, betrayal, and personal tragedy, and embarks on a journey of redemption and revenge. Along the way, Ben-Hur’s story intersects with the life of Jesus Christ (Claude Heater), adding a spiritual dimension to the tale.

In short, Ben-Hur is the archetypal epic. It's got it all: gladiatorial combat, battle scenes, drama, romance, elaborate costumes, grandiose sets, legions of extras, and sweeping cinematography. And yet Heston's performance towers at the center of it all, refusing to be overwhelmed by the grand scale of everything around it. No film demonstrates his star power more than Ben-Hur. It may be spectacle filmmaking that places style over substance, but what style!

Ben-Hur

PG-13

Drama

History

Adventure

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Release Date

April 19, 2016

Director

Timur Bekmambetov

Cast

Jack Huston , Toby Kebbell , Rodrigo Santoro , Morgan Freeman , Nazanin Boniadi

Runtime

123 Minutes

Writers

Keith R. Clarke , John Ridley , Lew Wallace

Main Genre

Adventure

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