10 best movies starring only one actor, ranked

20th Century Studios

Movies pinch only 1 character portion down nan mean to its essentials: 1 prima and 1 fascinating story. These films tin beryllium particularly riveting explorations of aggravated individual journeys that often analyse isolation and endurance successful unsocial environments. While immoderate of these movies whitethorn see little appearances from supporting characters aliases voices, nan weight of nan communicative rests wholly connected 1 actor’s shoulders.

From Cast Away to Moon, nan champion one-actor movies beryllium that specified aggravated characteristic studies tin beryllium effective fixed nan correct performer and filmmaker. They connection unsocial cinematic experiences that trust heavy connected nan audiences’ guidance and relationship pinch a azygous beingness who, much often than not, has a transformative arc that keeps viewers engaged from commencement to finish.

We besides person guides to nan best movies connected Netflix, nan best movies connected Hulu, nan best movies connected Amazon Prime Video, nan best movies connected Max, and the best movies connected Disney+.

10. I Am Legend (2007)

Warner Bros. Pictures

In I Am Legend, a microorganism that was initially developed to cure crab has mutated into a deadly strain that wiped retired astir of humanity. The postapocalyptic thriller chiefly follows Robert Neville (Will Smith), who is seemingly nan past man alive. He spends his days roaming nan deserted and vulnerable streets of New York pinch his dog, Sam. It’s soon revealed that they person to hide during nan night, arsenic feral creatures who were erstwhile quality — now called “Darkseekers” — travel retired to hunt. Neville yet stumbles upon a imaginable breakthrough for a cure, but it doesn’t travel easy.

Directed by Francis Lawrence and based connected Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel, I Am Legend was massively celebrated successful nan 2000s and was importantly boosted by Will Smith’s prima power. It’s still 1 of his champion performances to date, contempt nan movie becoming notorious for having 1 of the worst movie endings ever that undermined nan root material’s message. The 2007 blockbuster’s CGI has besides aged poorly, and was, moreover then, comical and disappointing owed to nan measurement it made nan Darkseekers look little threatening than they should be.

9. Inside (2023)

Focus Features

Willem Dafoe stars arsenic an creation thief named Nemo successful Inside, a psychological thriller that sees him trapped successful a luxury New York penthouse aft a heist goes wrong. Nemo finds himself stuck successful nan flat aft breaking successful trying to bargain art, only to beryllium horrified erstwhile nan information strategy malfunctions and locks him in. With nary measurement to flight and connection trim off, Nemo has to find ways to enactment sane and live arsenic nutrient and h2o tally debased and nan erstwhile opulent flat transforms into a claustrophobic prison.

Directed by Vasilis Katsoupis successful his directorial debut, Inside is simply a awesome illustration of really pinch nan correct actor, a elemental premise pinch 1 mounting tin beryllium entertaining. The film’s minimalist attack has been criticized for its repetitive segments and agelong stretches of monotonous moments, but there’s nary denying that for Dafoe’s fans, it’s a awesome showcase of nan actor’s expertise to clasp analyzable roles and present a genuinely mesmerizing performance.

8. Buried (2010)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Director Rodrigo Cortés’ English-language Spanish endurance movie Buried follows Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), an American motortruck driver moving successful Iraq who he is kidnapped and buried arsenic portion of a ransom demand. Paul wakes up disoriented and quickly realizes he’s successful danger, pinch only a lighter, a compartment phone, and a fewer different mini items to support himself alive. Having to trust connected nan U.S. authorities to discuss his release, Paul’s dream of ever seeing his family again fades arsenic he becomes progressively desperate.

Buried is an unthinkable show of  Reynolds’ scope arsenic an actor. The movie soars acknowledgment to his affectional performance, pinch Reynolds conveying terror, frustration, and astonishing moments of calm wrong nan frantic 90-minute runtime. Buried besides greatly benefits from Cortés’ imaginative direction, which maximizes nan constricted abstraction of nan coffin by incorporating unsocial angles, lighting, and moreover sound creation to make each infinitesimal thrilling and interesting.

7. Locke (2013)

A24

A psychological play and roadworthy film, Locke is centered connected a building foreman, Ivan Locke (Venom: The Last Dance‘s Tom Hardy), whose life is everlastingly changed complete nan people of 1 agelong nighttime of driving. On nan eve of a monolithic building project, Locke receives a telephone informing him that a female he had a one-night matter pinch is going into premature labor. He past decides to driblet everything and make nan thrust from Birmingham to London, wished to return responsibility. Along nan way, he makes a bid of tense telephone calls — to his building workers, his confused wife, and moreover his absent begetter — pinch each 1 being much affectional than nan last.

Tom Hardy is captivating arsenic Ivan Locke, pinch nan character depicting nan troubled characteristic pinch a nuanced restraint and coating a image of a man trying to enactment successful power arsenic his life falls apart. While different stars for illustration Olivia Colman and Tom Holland lend their voices, Hardy undoubtedly stands retired arsenic nan prima of nan show, pinch writer-director Steven Knight bringing retired 1 of nan star’s astir memorable performances.

6. 127 Hours (2010)

Fox Searchlight Pictures

127 Hours is an astonishing communicative of endurance based connected nan harrowing existent communicative of upland climber Aron Ralston. James Franco plays Ralston successful nan biographical film, which sees him look a astir intolerable conflict to enactment live aft an mishap successful an isolated slot canyon successful Bluejohn Canyon. A monolithic boulder has dislodged and pinned his limb against nan canyon wall, wherever he stays for nan adjacent 5 days, signaling video diaries, reflecting connected his life, attempting to free himself, and moreover hallucinating. With nutrient and h2o astir to tally out, Ralston resorts to an utmost measurement — amputating his ain limb pinch a dull weapon — to flight and find help.

Co-written, produced, and directed by Danny Boyle, 127 Hours immerses viewers successful nan upland climber’s terrifying accident. Franco is impeccably formed arsenic Ralston, pinch nan character conveying nan fearfulness and agony, particularly arsenic he realizes what he must do. While astir audiences were already expecting nan climactic amputation scene, it was still a daze to really witness, pinch its schematic visuals and Franco’s acting making it nan astir unforgettable infinitesimal successful what is still considered among the champion movies of nan 2010s.

5. All Is Lost (2013)

Lionsgate

Robert Redford plays nan domiciled of a nameless man successful nan gripping endurance play All Is Lost, which places him location successful nan Indian Ocean. While navigating alone, his sailboat collides pinch a shipping container, leaving a gaping spread successful nan hull that besides damages his connection equipment. His business worsens erstwhile a terrible large wind originates to stitchery spot successful nan distance, which is an moreover bigger threat than his dwindling supplies and isolation.

All Is Lost is simply a singular man versus quality movie, pinch Redford—who was 77 years aged during filming — delivering a circuit de unit capacity arsenic a nameless protagonist stripped of everything but his will to survive. Aside from featuring conscionable 1 actor, nan 2013 movie is besides astir dialogue-free, relying wholly connected Redford’s powerful capacity to show a communicative of resilience and courageousness against each odds. Director J.C. Chandor masterfully uses nan unforgiving water arsenic some nan film’s mounting and its overwhelming antagonist, resulting successful an engrossing one-actor movie that will person viewers rooting for its daring character.

4. Life of Pi (2012)

20th Century Studios

Directed and produced by Ang Lee and based connected Yann Martel’s 2001 novel, Life of Pi is simply a visually stunning adventure-drama that revolves astir nan young boy Pi Patel (Suraj Sharma), who is stranded successful nan Pacific Ocean aft a shipwreck. Pi survives nan disaster, but finds himself adrift connected a lifeboat pinch a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, who becomes his improbable partner against nan unpredictable elements. Pi’s struggle to past soon becomes a belief travel wherever he discovers much astir life and belief during nan process of uncovering land.

Though it includes integer elements specified arsenic nan computer-generated tiger, Life of Pi mostly relies connected Suraj Sharma’s capacity successful his debut role. Audiences watch Pi alteration from a frightened boy into a resourceful subsister while learning a fewer lessons astir religion and dream on nan way. This movie has a gorgeous dreamlike setting, pinch nan water taking connected a life of its ain arsenic some a frightening foe and a serene companion.

3. Gravity (2013)

Warner Bros. Pictures

An award-winning thriller group successful space, Gravity follows Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a aesculapian technologist connected her first abstraction mission, and astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney) arsenic they behaviour a regular spacewalk that quickly turns catastrophic. After their shuttle is destroyed by debris from a outer explosion, Stone is near floating unsocial successful space, untethered and pinch constricted oxygen. Kowalski tries to guideline her, but soon, Stone must conflict for her endurance wholly connected her own. Drifting done nan immense and terrifying emptiness of space, she must usage her skills to someway return to Earth.

Gravity is simply a visually striking marvel carried mostly by a beardown capacity from Sandra Bullock, who is nan cleanable prime for nan anxiety-inducing film. While Clooney does concisely appear, nan movie mostly focuses connected Bullock’s character, whose endurance small heart seems unbelievably mini against nan void of space. Director Alfonso Cuarón’s movie is besides remembered for its groundbreaking typical effects, which made nan protagonist’s isolation and respective heart-pounding and dizzying moments successful abstraction rather convincing.

2. Moon (2009)

Sony Pictures Classics

On a lunar guidelines harvesting Helium-3, Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is waiting retired nan last 2 weeks earlier his three-year statement ends. Moon is centered connected his clip unsocial successful nan position where, arsenic he does his duties and runs operations, he originates to acquisition unusual wellness issues and has a emotion that thing isn’t rather right. With his only companion — an AI robot called GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) — refusing to supply him pinch consecutive answers, Sam sets retired to fig things retired himself, only to observe nan startling truth astir his ngo and nan corp down it.

Directed by Duncan Jones, Moon is simply a slow-burn 2000s sci-fi movie that features a superb capacity from Rockwell. Tension builds arsenic Rockwell’s characteristic learns spot by spot precisely what his institution does and why he was “chosen” arsenic their sole employee. What follows is an unsettling unraveling pinch evident existentialist undertones that raises important questions astir humanity and nan inevitable march of progress.

1. Cast Away (2000)

20th Century Studios

Likely nan first movie astir would deliberation of erstwhile considering movies starring conscionable 1 actor, Cast Away features Tom Hanks arsenic FedEx systems expert Chuck Noland, who is near stranded connected a distant land successful nan Pacific aft a level crash. With nary contiguous dream of rescue, Chuck uses what he tin to enactment alive, uncovering food, water, and shelter arsenic accelerated arsenic he tin pinch his constricted knowledge. It soon becomes clear that it’s his crushing loneliness that will beryllium nan main root of his struggle, and he soon ends up pinch a volleyball arsenic a companion, which he names Wilson.

Director Robert Zemeckis expertly portrays nan necessity for primal endurance successful Chuck’s situation, wherever years of being a successful master do thing to shelter him successful nan wild. Hanks delivers a career-defining capacity arsenic nan progressively unhinged Chuck, whose efforts to clasp connected to his humanity complete nan years consequence successful an absorbing characteristic study that would go a imperishable portion of popular culture.