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List of the best Tom Waits movies, ranked best to worst with movie trailers when available. Tom Waits'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 Tom Waits movies is decided by how many votes they receive, so only highly rated Tom Waits movies will be at the top of the list. Tom Waits has been in a lot of films, so people often debate each other over what the greatest Tom Waits movie of all time is. If you and a friend are arguing about this then use this list of the most entertaining Tom Waits films to end the squabble once and for all.
If you think the best Tom Waits role isn't at the top, then upvote it so it has the chance to become number one. The greatest Tom Waits performances didn't necessarily come from the best movies, but in most cases they go hand in hand.
Items on this list include Paradise Alley and Cold Feet.
"This list answers the questions, "What are the best Tom Waits movies?" and "What are the greatest Tom Waits roles of all time?"list.itemsDescription
1609Seven Psychopaths
Colin Farrell, Olga KurylenkoReleased: 2012
Directed by: Martin McDonagh
Seven Psychopaths is a 2012 comedy film written and directed by Martin McDonagh.... more
27320Bram Stoker's Dracula
Monica Bellucci, Keanu ReevesReleased: 1992
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Bram Stoker's Dracula is a 1992 American horror film directed and produced by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1897 Gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker. Count Dracula (Gary Oldman), a 15th-century... more![]()
35013Wristcutters: A Love Story
Tom Waits, Leslie BibbReleased: 2006
Directed by: Goran Dukić
Wristcutters: A Love Story is a 2006 American black comedy romance road movie written and directed by Goran Dukić, starring Patrick Fugit, Shea Whigham, and Shannyn Sossamon. Its premise is set... more![]()
45117Down by Law
Tom Waits, Ellen BarkinReleased: 1986
Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
Down by Law is a 1986 black-and-white independent film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. It stars Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni. The film centers on the arrest, incarceration, and... more![]()
54013Ironweed
Jack Nicholson, Meryl StreepReleased: 1987
Directed by: Héctor Babenco
Ironweed is a 1987 American drama film directed by Héctor Babenco. It is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning homonymous novel by William Kennedy, who also wrote the screenplay. It stars Jack... more![]()
64317The Outsiders
Tom Cruise, Nicolas CageReleased: 1983
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
The Outsiders is a 1983 American drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, an adaptation of the novel of the same name by S. E. Hinton. The film was released on March 25, 1983. Jo Ellen Misakian,... more![]()
73313The Cotton Club
Nicolas Cage, Diane LaneReleased: 1984
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
The Cotton Club is a 1984 drama music film written by William Kennedy, Francis Ford Coppola, Mario Puzo and Jim Haskins and directed by Francis Ford Coppola.... more![]()
82610The Fisher King
Robin Williams, Jeff BridgesReleased: 1991
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
The Fisher King is a 1991 American comedy-drama film written by Richard LaGravenese and directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, with Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer, and... more![]()
93117Coffee and Cigarettes
Cate Blanchett, Bill MurrayReleased: 2003
Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
Coffee and Cigarettes is the title of three short films and a 2003 feature film by independent director Jim Jarmusch. The film consists of 11 short stories which share coffee and cigarettes as a... more![]()
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112311Short Cuts
Robert Downey Jr., Julianne MooreReleased: 1993
Directed by: Robert Altman
Short Cuts is a 1993 American drama film directed by Robert Altman. Filmed from a screenplay by Altman and Frank Barhydt, it is inspired by nine short stories and a poem by Raymond Carver.... more![]()
12196Rumble Fish
Nicolas Cage, Mickey RourkeReleased: 1983
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Rumble Fish is an American 1983 drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It is based on the novel Rumble Fish by S. E. Hinton, who also co-wrote the screenplay. The film centers on the... more![]()
132010Until the End of the World
Tom Waits, William HurtReleased: 1991
Directed by: Wim Wenders
Until the End of the World is a 1991 drama science fiction film by the German film director Wim Wenders; the screenplay was written by Wenders and Peter Carey, from a story by Wenders and Solveig... more![]()
14166Mystery Train
Steve Buscemi, Tom WaitsReleased: 1989
Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
Mystery Train is a 1989 independent anthology film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch and set in Memphis, Tennessee. The film comprises a triptych of stories involving foreign protagonists... more![]()
151810The Two Jakes
Jack Nicholson, Tom WaitsReleased: 1990
Directed by: Jack Nicholson
The Two Jakes is a 1990 American Neo-noir mystery film, and the sequel to the 1974 film Chinatown. Directed by and starring Jack Nicholson, it also features Harvey Keitel, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe,... more![]()
16157Big Time
Big Time is a 1988 documentary music film written by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan and directed by Chris Blum.... more![]()
172520The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Johnny Depp, Jude LawReleased: 2009
Directed by: Terry Gilliam
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a 2009 fantasy film directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam and Charles McKeown. The film follows a travelling theatre troupe whose leader, having made... more![]()
18Roy Orbison and Friends: A Black and White Night is a 1988 TV film directed by Tony Mitchell.... more![]()
19105Coffee and Cigarettes: Somewhere in California
Iggy Pop, Tom WaitsReleased: 1995
Directed by: Jim Jarmusch
Coffee and Cigarettes: Somewhere in California is a 1993 black-and-white short film directed by writer/director Jim Jarmusch shot in Northern California. The film consists primarily of a conversation... more![]()
201312The Book of Eli
Denzel Washington, Mila KunisReleased: 2010
Directed by: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
The Book of Eli is a 2010 American post-apocalyptic neo-Western and action film directed by the Hughes brothers. A lone man sets off to fight his way across America in order to protect a sacred book... more![]()
211617Mystery Men
Ben Stiller, Tom WaitsReleased: 1999
Directed by: Kinka Usher
Mystery Men is a 1999 American superhero comedy film directed by Kinka Usher and written by Neil Cuthbert and Bob Burden, loosely based on Burden's Flaming Carrot Comics, and starring Hank Azaria,... more![]()
22811At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Kathy Bates, John LithgowReleased: 1991
Directed by: Héctor Babenco
At Play in the Fields of the Lord is a 1991 adventure drama film directed by Héctor Babenco, adapted from the 1965 novel of the same name by American author Peter Matthiessen. The screenplay was... more![]()
2368The Monster of Nix
Tom Waits, Terry GilliamReleased: 2011
Directed by: Rosto
The Monster of Nix is a 2011 animated short film written and directed by Rosto.... more![]()
24Idiots and Angels is a 2008 animated film directed by Bill Plympton.... more![]()
25811Candy Mountain
Tom Waits, Jim JarmuschReleased: 1987
Directed by: Robert Frank, Rudolph Wurlitzer
Candy Mountain is a 1988 drama film directed by Robert Frank. It was shot in New York City and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.... more
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