Unlike most world-renowned stars, Benedict Cumberbatch studied acting, even at several universities. The actor initially gained professional experience in theater. His roles in films are just as impressive. You will find only exemplary showcases of his acting talent in this collection of the 10 best films.
Content
- Sherlock
- 1917
- The Hollow Crown
- The Imitation Game
- Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
- Doctor Strange
- The Mauritanian
- Parade's End
- Hawking
- The Courier
Sherlock
IMDb: 9.1/10
2010, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
UK, TV-14
Director: Mark Gatiss, Steven Moffat
Top Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs
This is a series with four seasons. The first season introduces us to the characters. Dr. Watson is a veteran of Afghanistan with health problems, who, when he returns to the UK, meets a peculiar yet brilliant person — Sherlock. The eccentric detective becomes his apartment neighbor, and together they must solve a series of inexplicable murders. In the second season, the detectives unravel a case involving the blackmail of the royal family and confront Sherlock's arch-nemesis, Jim Moriarty. The next two seasons show the development of the characters, their journey without each other, and the price they must pay for the mistakes they have already made.
1917
IMDb: 8.2/10
2019, Action, Drama, History, War
UK, USA, India, Spain, Canada, R
Director: Sam Mendes
Top Cast: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
As the title suggests, the film 1917 tells the story of World War I. The narrative follows two young soldiers, Schofield and Blake. They face certain death, as their commanders send them on an impossible mission — to infiltrate enemy territory and deliver a crucial message that could prevent a deadly attack, one that could claim the lives of hundreds of soldiers.
The Hollow Crown
IMDb: 8.2/10
2012, Drama, History, War
UK, USA, TV-14
Director: Rupert Goold, Richard Eyre, Thea Sharrock, Dominic Cooke
Top Cast: Anton Lesser, Simon Russell Beale, Tom Georgeson
Benedict Cumberbatch is a star of television shows. The Hollow Crown is one of them. It is a series of adaptations of William Shakespeare’s historical plays, produced by BBC Two, and collectively titled The Hollow Crown. The series includes the films Richard II, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry IV, Part 2, and Henry V. Each episode tells the story of family, politics, and power, the rise and fall of kings, and how they influenced both local and world history.
The Imitation Game
IMDb: 8/10
1999, Biography, Drama, Thriller, War
UK, USA, PG-13
Director: Morten Tyldum
Top Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode
The Imitation Game tells the story of the English mathematician Alan Turing. During World War II, in 1941, British intelligence tasked him with decrypting the secret code of the Third Reich — Enigma. Turing would not have to work alone; a team of talented scientists was assembled to help him create the world’s first computer.
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
IMDb: 7/10
2016, Crime, Drama, Mystery
UK, TV-14
Director: Douglas Mackinnon
Top Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Martin Freeman
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride is a special episode of the TV series Sherlock. Unlike the main storyline, this episode takes place in an alternate time, specifically in Victorian-era London. Furthermore, the setting is an adaptation of the original stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. The title of the episode directly references a case that Holmes mentioned in one of the series' episodes.
Doctor Strange
IMDb: 7.5/10
2016, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
USA, PG-13
Director: Scott Derrickson
Top Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams
Stephen Strange is a skilled surgeon with narcissistic personality disorder. He is overly passionate about his work, incredibly confident, and shows great disdain for those around him. One day, Stephen is involved in a car accident in which, because of his own actions, his pregnant wife dies, and one of his hands loses its sensation. Surgery and family, his only purposes in life, are now in the past. Therefore, he embarks on a journey to find a cure for both his body and soul, eventually becoming one of the Earth’s most powerful sorcerers.
The Mauritanian
IMDb: 7.5/10
2021, Biography, Crime, Drama, History, Thriller, War
UK, USA, R
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Top Cast: Tahar Rahim, Nouhe Hamady Bari, Saadna Hamoud
The Mauritanian tells the story of a real prisoner at Guantanamo Bay. He became the prime suspect in a horrific terrorist attack. However, he was never officially charged, which meant he was denied the opportunity to defend himself in court. Mohamedou Ould Slahi spent more than six years at Guantanamo Bay. It was only after six years that he was granted the right to a lawyer, and together they had to fight against the government’s machinery.
Parade’s End
IMDb: 7.5/10
2012, Action, Drama, Romance, War
UK, Belgium, USA, TV-MA
Director: Susanna White
Top Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rebecca Hall, Roger Allam
Parade’s End is an adaptation of the tetralogy by Ford Madox Ford, which tells the story of the ideal English gentleman, Christopher Tietjens. History has seen many such men. He is conservative to the core and views progress as nothing but the collapse and destruction of the age-old foundations on which the glory and prosperity of the British Empire were built. However, his conservative views, along with his role as a faithful husband and caring father, did not prevent him from falling in love with a young suffragette.
Hawking
IMDb: 7.4/10
2004, Biography, Drama
UK, TV-G
Director: Philip Martin
Top Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Brandon, Tom Hodgkins
Another television series in Benedict Cumberbatch’s cinematic collection is Hawking, which tells the story of the university years of the renowned British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking. The news of his incurable disease reached him when he was 21. Neurological disorders gradually interfered with his normal life, and he tried to fight the illness as best he could. However, troubles did not prevent him from making an important scientific discovery.
The Courier
IMDb: 7.2/10
2020, Drama, History, Mystery, Thriller
UK, USA, PG-13
Director: Dominic Cooke
Top Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Merab Ninidze, Rachel Brosnahan
The Courier is the story of two spies on opposite sides of the Cold War. On one side is Oleg Penkovsky, a colonel in the GRU, the Soviet military intelligence. On the other side is Greville Wynne, a British businessman and spy. Both are interested in making contact with each other, and together they aim to put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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