After bursting onto the scene of critical Hollywood acclaim with his on-screen debutPrimal Fear(1996),Edward Nortonstarred in several hits in the following years, such asFight Club(1999). His success continued into the 2000s, but as that decade progressed, he began unraveling on film sets and showing up in critical duds.
The2010smarked his resurgence, as Edward Norton made a comeback of epic proportions by appearing in several well-acclaimed titles that also had great showings in theaters. The decade also marked the beginning of his long-standing partnership with American auteur Wes Anderson, who arguably saved his career. All that said, this is every Edward Norton movie of the 2010s, ranked.
12Collateral Beauty
Although it tries its heart out,Collateral Beauty(2016) comes up short pretty much across the board of quality. It’s without a doubt the worst film of Edward Norton’s run throughout the 2010s, and thus, as little time will be spent on it as possible.
Collateral Beautyby David Frankel featured other talented performers (on top of Norton) such as Will Smith (in the starring role), Keira Knightley, Michael Peña, Naomie Harries, and Kate Winslet. That amount of star power should have made for a much more intriguing flick about an advertising executivein New York Citywho experiences a great tragedy and thus becomes depressed. There’s not much more to the plot, and thus lands at the top of the list.
11The Guardian Brothers
An animated movie originally voiced by a Chinese cast,The Guardian Brothers(2016) — also calledLittle Door Godsoverseas — follows two of the titular guardians from the film’s spirit realm as they protect a family from a business competitor. And aside from its intriguing premise, perhaps the most prominent element of filmmaking worth noting herein would be the many names among its ensemble voice cast.
In the English version, on top of Edward Norton, thespians who lent their dulcet tones toThe Guardian Brothersinclude Meryl Streep, Bella Thorne, Nicole Kidman, and Mel Brooks. They’re all great to hear, but really, this film ends up missing its mark. It’s not quite as bad an execution as the prior pick on the list. But frankly, they’re fairly close in quality, with these two being undeniable opening picks.
Off the bat,Stone(2010) marks a relatively noticeable escalation in quality in terms of the overall list. But even then, it comes in at number ten for a reason, as this crime thriller from director John Curran missed most of its qualitative marks, even off the bat inthe film’s opening sceneas Robert De Niro’s protagonist becomes unhinged when his wife threatens to leave him.
De Niro’s character is a parole officer, while Norton shows up opposite him as a convicted arsonist, the titular character Gerald “Stone” Creeson. And the two share a surprisingly entertaining chemistry that rendersStonean overall decent outing for Norton from throughout the 2010s.
9The Bourne Legacy
The fourth entry in the famous action franchise,The Bourne Legacy(2012) was the first of its kind to not feature American actor Matt Damon in the lead role. Instead, that honor went to Jeremy Renner, while the actor of the hour portrays the film’s antagonist named Colonel Eric Buyer. And as the Director of the National Research Assay Group — a fictional government organization — he’s tasked with overseeing a particular super soldier program.
The result is far from the worst film you’ll read about today, as theBournefranchise featured a well-established tone well before this entry that rendered Tony Gilroy’s direction much more seamless in the end. But after three films in the prior decade, it was clear withThe Bourne Legacythat the franchise had run its course.
8Leaves of Grass
Although this technically was shown in the prior decade atthe Toronto International Film Festival, it’s worth noting thatLeaves of Grass(2010) didn’t receive a theatrical release until the following year. And it’s easily among the best Edward Norton performances of the 2010s, even if the overall product leaves a little too much to be desired. Its plot follows Bill Kincaid, a professor at Brown University who returns to his home in Oklahoma upon hearing that his twin brother has been killed. When he gets back, the plot is kicked into gear as his brother is still alive.
Related:6 Actors Who Played Multiple Roles in the Same Movie
There are two further things worth noting here, first being its direction by American actor Tim Blake Nelson, who also penned the script. It’s an admirable effort on his part, and totally unexpected given his past penchants. But of course, among the most impressive elements fromLeaves of Grasswould be Norton’s dual performance. It’s what renders his efforts so unique, driving the quality of the film from start to finish.
7Alita: Battle Angel
One of two blockbuster titles on the list — followingThe Bourne Legacy, which actually paled in commercial comparison to this stint from Robert Rodriguez —Alita: Battle Angel(2019) garnered adequate reviews from critics on top of its success within movie theaters. But still, what’s most prominently worth noting about this cyberpunk action film would be its results atthe worldwide box office.
Alita: Battle Angelraked in over $400 million off a budget of under $200 million, more than doubling its initial cost. And although Norton has only a cameo appearance as a character named Nova, the film as a whole comes in at number seven.
6Motherless Brooklyn
A neo-noir crime film,Motherless Brooklyn(2016) features a star-studded cast of performers like Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Willem Dafoe. And in the starring role is the man of the hour, Edward Norton. But what’s more is that, on top of his acting efforts that shined through and through, he actually wrote and directed the project, as well.
He plays the protagonist, a private investigator in New York City by the name of Lionel Essrog. A quirk is soon revealed in that he has Tourette syndrome, which produces an intriguing plot dynamic as he attempts to make sense of his mentor’s mysterious murder. And for those who don’t know, this isbased on the novelof the same name by Jonathan Lemme from 1999, and for the most part, it’s a great adaptation until its final stylistic frame.
5Sausage Party
The second animated film to appear on the list isSausage Party(2016), a comedy from the minds of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg — with those two being a famous screenwriting duo — along with American funny man Jonah Hill. Its plot follows several anthropomorphic pieces of food as they traverse the store in which they reside after learning they’ll all soon be consumed by humans.
Among its star-studded voice cast were both Rogen and Jonah, appearing in pretty prominent parts as Frank and Carl, a pair of sausages. And while his role is far less important, Norton nonetheless shows up as a Jewish bagel named, aptly, Sammy Bagel Jr. This is an absurd premise for a feature, obviously. But its writers achieve a tangible, adult-oriented tone from the start, and they see the final product into solid overall fruition.
4Moonrise Kingdom
Throughout his critically acclaimed career, Edward Norton has only collaborated with two directors on multiple occasions: himself, and Wes Anderson. At the turn of the century,Keeping the Faith(2000) marked Norton’s directorial debut, in which he was also the star. And the second time he directed himself was with the aforementionedMotherless Brooklyn, perhaps to a more impressive degree.
But regardingMoonrise Kingdom(2012): it wasdirected by Andersonfrom a script he cowrote with Roman Coppola, and it marked Norton’s first of five total collaborations with the American auteur. This is arguably his most impressive performance in an Anderson flick, and also his most appreciable role. He shows up as Scout Master Randy Ward, and he showed a tremendous rapport with the director off the bat. It’s no wonder they’ve worked together ever since.
3Isle of Dogs
A stop-motion Claymation project,Isle of Dogs(2018) was the third straight Wes Anderson film in which Norton was prominently featured. The plot of this one follows a group of canines on the titular, garbage-dump of an island as they traverse the intricacies of life outside their homes, without their owners, and completely bereft of proper resources.
Related:Wes Anderson’s Obsession With Dogs, Explained
And as one of the five dogs in the aforementioned group, Norton shines through and through as Rex. This is without a doubt the most impressive voice effortof the actor’s career, and the project as a whole was well-written, visually appealing, and poignant until the end. Even if he isn’t featured live action,Isle of Dogsis essential when discussing 2010s Norton.
