The 71 years old Michael Douglas was once one of the most prominent figures in Hollywood. Not only was he successful as an actor but as a producer too. He won two Oscars and 44 other film awards. He was lucky enough to perform in so many movies, which would be unimaginable for a contemporary, young actor.
Michael Douglas has over forty years of experience in acting, two Oscars and lots of other awards and nominations, check them out on his IMDB page
Michael Kirk Douglas is the son of Kirk Douglas and Diana Dill, the actor couple. To learn some discipline, his parents enrolled him at Black Fox Military Academy, but he was always waiting for the holiday time because during the holidays he spent much time with his father, whom he accompanied on the shootings as well.
He got acquainted with filming at that time and he liked it more and more. So instead of Yale University, he enrolled at the drama department of the University of California, where he became the roommate of Danny DeVito.
He debuted in “Hail, Hero!”, where he played the role of a pacifist hippie who decided to go to fight in Vietnam. He appeared in a number of small roles, then in 1972 he performed the fierce, young inspector, Steve Keller on the side of Karl Malden in the television series The Streets of San Francisco.
Here is a solid review about Streets of San Francisco just so you know what to expect from this popular series
He won the first Oscar as the producer of the 1975 drama, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. As an actor, he was not really respected, but the leading role of Romancing the Stone brought him popularity. Danny DeVito, Kathleen Turner, and Douglas Pearls appeared together again and in the black comedy The War of the Roses (directed by DeVito) all of them got the opportunity to prove their acting talents.
For his performance in Oliver Stone’s Wall Street Michael was awarded by the Best Actor Oscar, received a Golden Globe award, and the critics award as well. Emerging from the shadow of his father was not an easy task for Michael Douglas. Especially so that he did not inherit the charisma and talent of his father. But he succeeded: now he has many awards.
Read more about Oliver Stone and his films in this Wiki article
It is true that some believe that he is a mediocre actor who only knows to choose his roles cleverly and married well, but probably this is subjective. The audience still has not forgotten him, but sometimes he needs to draw up something surprising and fresh to maintain his status which he fought out with blood, sweat, and tears.
His movies are basically not milestones in film history, but they are quite entertaining, romantic and humorous pieces, it feels good to watch them on TV. Michael Douglas has become a star with Disclosure and Traffic, which kicked up dust.
Let’s now have a look at the top 6 movies of this exciting and famous Hollywood movie star:
5. Falling down (Joel Schumacher, 1993)
William Foster, the simple officer simply goes mad one day, when he gets stuck in the middle of a traffic jam. He would like to get out of his car and go home to his daughter’s birthday. Things turn rough: he answers to the obstacles getting in his way with aggression. The number of the dead suddenly becomes to increase in the city. This is an exciting thriller which is neither short of dramatic elements. Douglas provides us a good performance.
As the film continues, you begin to have more personal insight into Douglas’ life situation and personality and learn about his failed marriages and the high number of jobs he had. We start to sympathize with him because he seems to hold court for the oppressed ones, and he revenges the principals at all levels.
He storms at the rich old WASP golf course in the exclusive Surrounding residents who have a barbed wire fence, as well as on-the-workers who spend tax dollars to provide a fat budget surplus next year. A number of people got a critical undertone for the film being racist because the positive character is white while the criminals, the scum are all from the minorities and white trash.
4. Fatal Attraction (Adrian Lyne, 1987)
Don Gallagher (Michael Douglas) is a married man, a successful lawyer from New York, who is too weak to resist the temptation. The charming Alex (Glenn Close) heaves in sight, while Don’s wife is away, and he begins to take her out. Don does not take the affair really seriously, however, Alex thinks about the occurring situation otherwise.
She does everything to get back the beloved husband. Even the destruction of his family does not seem to be a too high price. Fatal Attraction was well ahead of its time, the psychopath character shaped by Glenn Close appeared only much later in movies. And it seems that the message is still actual today.
3. Basic Instinct (Paul Verhoeven, 1992)
This one of Michael Douglas’s most famous movies of which certainly entered into film history. Joe Eszterhas immortalized himself with this piece, just as Sharon Stone, who in fact never succeeded to reproduce this degree of success.
Check out this interview by The Guardian where Sharon Stone talks about her films and of course mentions her famous scene from Basic Instinct
However, in these days the movie may seem a little bit outdated (in spite of the magnificent sex scenes, which are enjoyable even from today’s standpoint). I suppose that everybody knows this movie and it’s story. Its ambiance is inimitable and the actor’s performance is impeccable.
The unpredictability of the story ruffles our nerves in a good sense. In so far as this can happen in a good sense. In fact, we become totally confused and uncertain because of the cop who screws the suspects and the police interrogations. Johnny Boz, the owner of a San Francisco-based nightclub is found dead in his bed.
Detective Nick Curran receives the case, who is now squeaky clean however, alcohol and drugs played a huge part in his past. The prime suspect is a mysterious and provocative novelist, Catherine Tramell, who was the lover of Boz. When it turns out that the murder is the exact replica of the murder described in a book of Catherine, Nick still can not resist the woman’s charm.
2. Traffic (Steven Soderbergh, 2000)
Producers Steven Soderbergh and Benicio del Toro received an Oscar for this gripping movie. Robert Wakefield (Douglas), the judge of Ohio state becomes the leader of the struggle against drugs, he has to cooperate with the Mexican police. This situation is uncomfortable for the two cops and good friends.
Mexican cops Javier Rodriguez and Manolo Sanchez are in an uncomfortable situation since they have to confront corruption and the temptation of money day to day and they have to resist.
Unfortunately, Wakefield also has to face the drugs in his private life, Caroline, his daughter becomes an addict. Montel Gordon and Ray Castro are taking pains to fight against the notorious Obregon drug mafia. Their prisoner, the mid-level drug dealer Eduardo Ruiz is willing to witness against the rich drug baron, Carlos Ayala.
Carlos’s sudden imprisonment is a staggering news for his wife, Helena, who is pregnant. She gets between two fires in just a few moments: from one side she is bullied by the accomplices of her husband, while from the other side she is monitored by the DEA agents.
1. Wall Street (Oliver Stone, 1987)
Only three things float before the eyes of the rich banker, Gordon Gekko: success, success, and success. But one day he discovers his own former self and introduces him to the business. At the beginning, Bud worships his master and does everything to take over the tricks of the triumphing stock exchange magician, but when Gordon fools him badly, his opinion immediately changes!
This movie is Michael Douglas’s biggest success, he deserved well the Oscar and the Golden Globe award. The critics loved him, he really could prove here that he comes up to his father. Even the feared Roger Ebert liked it, and this means a big deal to him. Oliver Stone’s weighty movie matured to be a true classic.
Roger Ebert had a highly successful career as an American film critic, he was actually the first one who won the Pulitzer Price for Criticism. Read more about him in this Wikipedia article
Thank you for reading our article about the top six movies of this hotshot from Hollywood. We hope that you stay interested because our next article will be about the best movies of Meg Ryan, the lovely blond beauty.