The Best Peter Lorre Movies

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Updated October 1, 2023 9.5K votes 1.2K voters 22.7K views
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List of the best Peter Lorre movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Peter Lorre'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 Peter Lorre movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Peter Lorre movies will be at the top of the list. Peter Lorre has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Peter Lorre movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Peter Lorre films to end the squabble once and for all.

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

List films range from Hotel Berlin to Five Weeks in a Balloon.

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

If you're a fan of Peter Lorre, then check out our lists of the best Charles Laughton and Edward G. Robinson movies as well.

Most divisive: The Patsy
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  • M
    1

    M

    Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut
    87 votes
    • Released: 1931
    • Directed by: Fritz Lang
    In this classic German thriller, Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre), a serial killer who preys on children, becomes the focus of a massive Berlin police manhunt. Beckert's heinous crimes are so repellant and disruptive to city life that he is even targeted by others in the seedy underworld network. With both cops and criminals in pursuit, the murderer soon realizes that people are on his trail, sending him into a tense, panicked attempt to escape justice.

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  • Arsenic and Old Lace
    2

    Arsenic and Old Lace

    Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Priscilla Lane
    64 votes
    • Released: 1944
    • Directed by: Frank Capra
    Writer and notorious marriage detractor Mortimer Brewster (Cary Grant) falls for girl-next-door Elaine Harper (Priscilla Lane), and they tie the knot on Halloween. When the newlyweds return to their respective family homes to deliver the news, Brewster finds a corpse hidden in a window seat. With his eccentric aunts (Josephine Hull, Jean Adair), disturbed uncle (John Alexander), and homicidal brother (Raymond Massey), he starts to realize that his family is even crazier than he thought.

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  • The Maltese Falcon
    3

    The Maltese Falcon

    Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Peter Lorre
    99 votes
    • Released: 1941
    • Directed by: John Huston
    In the intricate web of The Maltese Falcon, private detective Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) finds himself entangled in a dark mystery. A femme fatale, Brigid O'Shaughnessy (Mary Astor), hires him for what appears to be a simple case. But when his partner is murdered, things take a sinister turn. The plot thickens as an elusive artifact - the titular Maltese Falcon - comes into play. John Huston directs this noir classic, which was nominated for three Academy Awards in 1942. Amidst shadowy allies and treacherous enemies, Spade navigates deception and danger in this gripping tale of greed and betrayal.
  • Hollywood Canteen
    4

    Hollywood Canteen

    Robert Hutton, Joan Leslie, Dane Clark
    67 votes
    • Released: 1944
    • Directed by: Delmer Daves
    On medical leave in Los Angeles to recover from injuries sustained on the Pacific front, Cpl. Slim Green (Robert Hutton) and Sgt. Nolan (Dane Clark) discover the Hollywood Canteen, a USO-inspired club staffed entirely by Hollywood stars. The Canteen's co-founder, the legendary Bette Davis, learns of Corporal Green's crush on actress Joan Leslie and conspires to introduce them. When Green becomes the Canteen's lucky 1 millionth visitor, he's surprised by a date with Leslie and a night of luxury.

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  • The Man Who Knew Too Much
    5

    The Man Who Knew Too Much

    Peter Lorre, Edna Best, Pierre Fresnay
    42 votes
    • Released: 1934
    • Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
    The Man Who Knew Too Much is a British suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, featuring Peter Lorre, and released by Gaumont British. It was one of the most successful and critically acclaimed films of Hitchcock's British period. Hitchcock remade the film with James Stewart and Doris Day in 1956 for Paramount Pictures. The two films are, however, very different in tone, in setting, and in many plot details. The film has nothing except the title in common with G. K. Chesterton's 1922 book of detective stories of the same name. Hitchcock decided to use the title as he had the rights for some of the stories in the novel.

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  • Casablanca
    6

    Casablanca

    Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid
    90 votes
    • Released: 1942
    • Directed by: Michael Curtiz
    In the classic 1942 film, Casablanca, Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart), an American expatriate and nightclub owner, navigates a complex web of love and politics in Vichy-controlled Casablanca. His life takes a dramatic turn when Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman), his former lover, walks into his club seeking help for her husband, Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid), a Czech Resistance leader. As they grapple with their past and face harsh realities, the trio becomes entangled in a high-stakes struggle against time and tyranny. This timeless drama, which won three Academy Awards including Best Picture, is renowned for its unforgettable characters and iconic dialogues.

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