For over a decade, fans perhaps knew Robert Pattinson best as Edward Cullen, the vampire from the Twilight movies – and in the years since he broke big at the box office as the co-lead of that franchise, he's used his star power to land fascinating roles in edgy, challenging independent films.
Now though…Pattinson is freakin' Batman.
And not just Batman, but a very well-recieved Batman in Matt Reeves' excellent, grim reboot of the Caped Crusader as a fledgling vigilante tracking down the Riddler while learning to transtion from a symbol of fear to a symbol of hope. With a new hit franchise in Pattinson's future, we've ranked the actor's best films, from the dreamboat daze of Twilight-mania to playing one of the darkest versions of the Dark Knight yet.
10. Twilight
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Peacock, Fubo, or rentable on most platforms
Though performances by the cast weren't exactly considered a highlight of Catherine Hardwicke's Twilight, as well as its subsequent blockbuster sequels, Pattinson became an instant movie star thanks to his role as 108-year-old vampire/high school student Edward Cullen. The success of these films also allowed Pattinson to explore acting and take risks in much smaller films for much of the last decade. Fan or not of the Twilight Saga, Pattinson was magnetic and showcased that all important "It Factor" charisma.
Read our review of Twilight.
9. The Devil All the Time
Where to Watch: Netflix
This Netflix generational thriller movie was headlined by Tom Holland but it also featured Pattinson, going dark and delusional, as a charismatic but morally corrupt preacher. Both Holland and Pattinson garnered praise for their parts, though it was Pattinson, not Spider-Man's Holland, who got to pour venomous spiders all over his head in the film.
Read our review of The Devil All the Time.
8. Cosmopolis
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Roku (w/ads), Vudu (w/ads), Pluto TV (w/ads), Tubi (w/ads), or rentable on most platforms
Robert Pattinson exploded his image as a steely sex symbol with David Cronenberg's challenging and twisted drama, about a young billionaire who wanders New York City in his top of the line limousine and over the course of one day falls desperately into self-destruction. Cronenberg's film is a damning treatise of soulless capitalism, and Pattinson's portrayal of a brilliant, tormented playboy is intriguingly despicable.
7. Tenet
Where to Watch: HBO, HBO Max, and rentable on most platforms
Christopher Nolan's Tenet may have stumbled and struggled due to its pandemic delays and ill-timed release (and a story which, even in Nolan terms, was abstruse), but Pattinson flexed his more traditional leading man chops as ground support for John David Washington's "protagonist," as they battled against a small army, funded by a future world intent on destroying the past, who can move backwards through time. It's a Christopher Nolan movie worth watching.
Read our review of Tenet.
6. The Rover
Where to Watch: Showtime & Showtime apps/add-ons, Fubo, and rentable on most platforms
David Michôd's dystopian thriller stars Robert Pattinson as Rey, a troubled American who falls in with a mysterious loner, played by Guy Pearce, who will stop at nothing to retrieve his stolen car against the lawless backdrop of the outback. Pattinson plays Rey like a sick puppy, dangerous and dependent, who seems likely to bite at any moment.
Read our review of The Rover.
5. The Lost City of Z
Where to Watch: Prime Video, Paramount+, Fubo, Hoopla, and rentable on some platforms
Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson explore the wilds of the Amazon in search of a mysterious, lost city in James Gray's acclaimed historical drama. Although it's Hunnam's film, and the actor reaped the accolades, Pattinson's turn in the film was transformative and further proof that the actor could transform into whatever was needed.
Read our review of The Lost City of Z.
4. High Life
Where to Watch: Showtime & Showtime apps/add-ons, Fubo, and rentable on most platforms
Robert Pattinson's third A24 film – after The Rover and Good Time — was an acclaimed sci-fi thriller from the incredible French filmmaker Claire Denis, about prisoners who are sent to the far reaches of space, towards a black hole, and subjected to scientific experiments. Pattinson's performance was once again praised as he exuded brooding intelligence and remarkable physical grace.
3. The Lighthouse
Where to Watch: Showtime & Showtime apps/add-ons, Fubo, and rentable on most platforms
Robert Eggers' follow up to his acclaimed debut, The Witch, was a shadowy surreal two-man show starring A24 darlings Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as two lighthouse keepers who get stuck on their island by a storm and descend into madness. The Lighthouse is equal parts horror, thriller, comedy, and maritime mystery. This gripping, lean fable opens itself up to many interpretations, anchored by two leads giving darkly exciting performances.
Read our review of The Lighthouse.
2. Good Time
Where to Watch: Showtime & Showtime apps/add-ons, Fubo, and rentable on most platforms
Robert Pattinson received some of the best reviews of his career for Josh and Benny Safdie's crime thriller, about a bank robber who goes on the lam with his brother, who is developmentally challenged. Good Time represents a critical career high for post-Twilight/pre-Batman Pattinson and the film itself still survives, years later, as a sharp, visually-distinctive, commanding crime drama.
1. The Batman
Where to Watch: HBO, HBO Max, or rentable on most platforms
Like most of the actors cast as Batman, Pattinson was pre-judged harshly by some fans, before they'd even seen him don the cape and cowl. Also like most actors cast as Batman, Pattinson delivered the goods as the Caped Crusader, giving us the most insanely-driven Bruce Wayne to date in Matt Reeves' The Batman. In a dour daze during his second year of trying to rid Gotham of crime as Batman, Pattinson's Bruce gets a wake up call in the form of The Riddler, who feels a kinship toward Batman as a fellow vigilante. It's one of the best Batman movies ever made and a key role for Pattinson.
Read our review of The Batman.
This article was originally published in 2019 and updated to include more recent films.