The Best Ian McShane Movies

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Updated June 23, 2023 468 votes 75 voters
Over 70 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Ian McShane Movies
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List of the best Ian McShane movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Ian McShane's highest grossing movies have received a lot of accolades over the years, earning millions upon millions around the world. The order of these top Ian McShane movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Ian McShane movies will be at the top of the list. Ian McShane has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Ian McShane movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Ian McShane films to end the squabble once and for all.

If you think the best Ian McShane role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Ian McShane performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.

Torchlight and Nemesis Game are only the beginning of the films on this list.

"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Ian McShane movies?" and "What are the greatest Ian McShane roles of all time?"

Joseph McGinty Nichol and Woody Allen are among those who have directed Ian McShane at one point or another during their careers in the film industry.

Most divisive: Shrek the Third
Ranked by
  • Sexy Beast
    1

    Sexy Beast

    Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane
    20 votes
    • Released: 2000
    • Directed by: Jonathan Glazer
    Ex-villain Gal Dove (Ray Winstone) has served his time behind bars and is blissfully retired to a Spanish villa paradise with a wife he adores. The idyll is shattered by the arrival of his nemesis Don Logan (Ben Kingsley), intent on persuading Gal to return to London for one last big job. Desperate not to sacrifice his enchanted existence, Dove is drawn into a shocking battle of wills with Logan, and takes part in a sensational underwater heist, risking everything to protect the woman he loves.

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  • If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium
    2

    If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium

    Suzanne Pleshette, Ian McShane, Mildred Natwick
    7 votes
    • Released: 1969
    • Directed by: Mel Stuart
    The ebullient and seductive Charlie Cartwright (Ian McShane) is a tour guide taking a busload of American tourists across Europe. The group of travelers includes a World War II veteran, a wife and her cynical husband (Murray Hamilton), young lovers, an Italian-American meeting his relatives for the first time, and Samantha Perkins (Suzanne Pleshette), the beautiful but old-fashioned department store buyer traveling on her own, whom the womanizing Cartwright inevitably falls for.
  • The Last of Sheila
    3

    The Last of Sheila

    Raquel Welch, James Coburn, Ian McShane
    7 votes
    • Released: 1973
    • Directed by: Herbert Ross
    The Last of Sheila is a 1973 mystery film that was directed by Herbert Ross and written directly for the screen by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim, It starred Richard Benjamin, Dyan Cannon, James Coburn, Joan Hackett, James Mason, Ian McShane, and Raquel Welch. The original music score was composed by Billy Goldenberg. The song "Friends," sung by Bette Midler, can be heard during the final scene of the film and the end credits.

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  • Sky West and Crooked
    4

    Sky West and Crooked

    Ian McShane, Hayley Mills, Annette Crosbie
    7 votes
    • Released: 1966
    • Directed by: John Mills
    Sky West and Crooked is a 1965 film, starring Hayley Mills, directed by her father John Mills, and co-written by her mother Mary Hayley Bell. It was released in the US as Gypsy Girl.
  • The Wild and the Willing
    5

    The Wild and the Willing

    John Hurt, Ian McShane, Samantha Eggar
    6 votes
    • Released: 1962
    • Directed by: Ralph Thomas
    The Wild and the Willing is a 1962 British romantic drama film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Virginia Maskell, Paul Rogers, Ian McShane, Samantha Eggar and John Hurt. It marked the film debuts of 20-year old McShane and 22 year-old Hurt. It depicts a group of students at university.
  • Battle of Britain
    6

    Battle of Britain

    Laurence Olivier, Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer
    8 votes
    • Released: 1969
    • Directed by: Guy Hamilton
    At a seminal moment in World War II, British Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Dowding (Laurence Olivier) must rally his outnumbered pilots against Hitler's feared Luftwaffe. Besieged by German bombing runs, the Brits counter with an aggressive air campaign of their own. Within months, the Nazis find themselves on the run, thanks to Dowding's tactical genius and the work of talented squadron leaders (Michael Caine, Christopher Plummer) and other brave patriots.

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