Milo Forman directed One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a 1975 American psychological comedy-drama film[4] based on Ken Kesey's 1962 novel of the same name. The film stars Jack Nicholson as Randle McMurphy, a new patient in a mental institution, and also stars Louise Fletcher, Will Sampson, Danny DeVito, Sydney Lassick, William Redfield, Christopher Lloyd, and Brad Dourif, all of whom are making their film debuts.

As McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Nicholson won his first Academy Award and developed one of his most memorable roles. Nicholson portrays a guy who, in order to escape going to prison, pleads illness and ends up in a mental facility, where he becomes the head of a strange gang of inmates. The picture has a superb cast, led by Nicholson, and is hilarious, poignant, and powerful. He is the ideal rebel for this narrative, an immature and egotistical man who still becomes a defender for the misfits.

Detailed information:

Directed by: Miloš Forman

Release date: November 19, 1975

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073486

Martin Scorsese directed and William Monahan wrote The Departed, a 2006 American epic criminal thriller film. It's a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, and it's also based on the real-life Boston Winter Hill Gang; Colin Sullivan is based on corrupt FBI agent John Connolly, while Frank Costello is based on Irish-American mobster Whitey Bulger.

For the current gangster drama The Departed, Nicholson teamed together with another cinema icon, Martin Scorsese, as well as an all-star ensemble. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon as rival spies seeking to learn the other's identity while working undercover in the mafia and the police force, respectively. Frank Costello, played by Nicholson, is a brutal and menacing mob leader. The film is a violent and powerful epic with a gripping narrative that will have you on the edge of your seat. The entire cast is fantastic, and they all provide outstanding performances.

Detailed information:

Directed by: Martin Scorsese

Release date: September 26, 2006

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887

The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick and co-written with novelist Diane Johnson. The film is based on Stephen King's 1977 novel of the same name and stars Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, Scatman Crothers, and Danny Lloyd.

Stephen King's writing has recently witnessed a comeback on the big screen, but Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is undoubtedly the most celebrated film based on his work. Nicholson plays an alcoholic writer who spends the winter as a caretaker with his family at a remote resort. The resort's terrible history soon leads him on a path to lunacy. Although King was reportedly dissatisfied with the picture, it has been acclaimed as one of the best horror films of all time by critics and moviegoers alike. Kubrick creates a creepy mood throughout the film, while Nicholson plays a terrible villain.

Detailed information:

Directed by: Stanley Kubrick

Release date: May 23, 1980

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081505

Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery criminal thriller film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway, based on a screenplay by Robert Towne. The California water wars, a series of fights over southern California water around the turn of the twentieth century in which Los Angeles interests acquired water rights in the Owens Valley, served as inspiration for the film.

With his performance in Chinatown, Nicholson solidified his reputation as one of Hollywood's most intriguing performers. In this noir detective novel, Nicholson portrays a sleazy but loyal private eye who becomes embroiled in a massive corruption scandal and other terrible secrets. The film is a superbly constructed plot that keeps you guessing throughout while startling you with unexpected developments. Nicholson once again demonstrates his willingness to play a difficult-to-like but fascinating-to-watch figure.

Detailed information:

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Release date: June 20, 1974

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071315

Based on Aaron Sorkin's 1989 play, A Few Good Men is a 1992 American courtroom drama film. Sorkin wrote it, Rob Reiner directed it, and Reiner, David Brown, and Andrew Scheinman produced it. Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Bacon, Kevin Pollak, J. T. Walsh, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Kiefer Sutherland feature in the film. The narrative covers the court-martial of two US Marines accused of murdering a fellow Marine, as well as their lawyers' struggles to construct a case.

As proven by the all-star courtroom drama A Few Good Men, Nicholson can absolutely dominate the screen no matter who he's sharing a scene with. In the film, Tom Cruise plays a military lawyer who defends two soldiers convicted of murder who claim they were acting on instructions. In the middle of the inquiry, Nicholson portrays a commanding officer. Aaron Sorkin's writing is snappy and incisive, and the film is an engaging drama. Cruise is a fantastic protagonist, but Nicholson is terrifying in his character. The interactions between the two actors are enthralling.

Detailed information:

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Release date: December 9, 1992

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104257

As Good as It Gets is a romantic comedy-drama film directed by James L. Brooks and co-written by Mark Andrus, released in 1997. Jack Nicholson portrays a misanthropic, homophobic, and obsessive-compulsive author, Helen Hunt portrays a single mother with a chronically ill kid, and Greg Kinnear portrays a gay artist in the film. On December 25, 1997, the picture was released in theaters and was a box office success, collecting $314.1 million on a $50 million budget.

Nicholson's versatility was once again demonstrated when he won his third Academy Award for his portrayal in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets. Nicholson portrays a closed-off and grumpy writer who is forced to look after a neighbor's dog while simultaneously developing an unexpected bond with a lonely waitress (Helen Hunt). Once again, Nicholson has the chance to portray a bad kid, but this time with a lot more nuance. He may be harsh and vulgar, yet he can also be lovely and nice. It's a nice and amusing story with some fantastic performances.

Detailed information:

Directed by: James L. Brooks

Release date: December 25, 1997

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119822

Michelangelo Antonioni directed the drama neo-noir art film The Passenger in 1975. The film is about an Anglo-American journalist, David Locke (Jack Nicholson), who assumes the identity of a dead businessman while working on a documentary in Chad, unaware that he is impersonating an arms dealer with ties to the rebels in the current civil war. It was written by Antonioni, Mark Peploe, and Peter Wollen.

While many of Nicholson's films have become classics, some of his best-loved flicks may still be waiting for their audience. The Passenger is an excellent example of one of his films that deserves to be seen. Nicholson plays a war journalist who is fed up with not being able to find a story to write about. He takes a chance by impersonating a deceased arms dealer and is progressively drawn into this new society. In the gripping and suspenseful drama wonderfully filmed by Michelangelo Antonioni, Nicholson provides another outstanding performance.

Detailed information:

Directed by: Michelangelo Antonioni

Release date: 28 February 1975

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073580

Batman is a superhero film from 1989 that is based on the DC Comics character of the same name. It is the first part of Warner Bros.' first Batman picture series, produced by Jon Peters and Peter Guber. Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl, Pat Hingle, Billy Dee Williams, Michael Gough, and Jack Palance feature in Tim Burton's picture. The film shows the fight between the titular character and the Joker at the start of the title character's war on crime.

By the time Batman was on the scene, comic book movies were still a major question mark in Hollywood. However, the announcement that an actor of Nicholson's level would play the Joker piqued spectators' interest in the Caped Crusader's big-screen adventure. The Tim Burton picture brought Batman to life in a colorful and gothic journey. Michael Keaton played a good hero, but Jack Nicholson as the terrifying, humorous, and thrilling villain stole the show. And it appears like he had a great time playing the legendary part.

Detailed information:

Directed by: Tim Burton

Release date: June 19, 1989

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096895

The Last Detail is a 1973 American comedy-drama film directed by Hal Ashby and based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Darryl Ponicsan. It was written by Robert Towne and directed by Hal Ashby. Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James, and Carol Kane feature in the picture. It revolves around two career sailors who are tasked with transporting a young emotionally withdrawn recruit from their Virginia base to a military jail in Maine.

With his hilarious performance in The Last Detail, Nicholson continues to illustrate that he was more interested in off-beat characters than traditional leading man parts. Another fantastic road movie starring Nicholson and Otis Young as two Navy personnel entrusted with transporting a young soldier to jail. They resolve to show the young man a nice time along the road. In this part, Nicholson maintained his defiant, wild guy attitude. The film itself is a delightful adventure with some melancholy moments thrown in for good measure.

Detailed information:

Directed by: Hal Ashby

Release date: December 12, 1973

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070290

Five Easy Pieces is a 1970 American drama film directed by Bob Rafelson and starring Jack Nicholson, Karen Black, Susan Anspach, Lois Smith, and Ralph Waite, and written by Carole Eastman (as Adrien Joyce) and Rafelson. Bobby Dupea, a grumpy oil rig worker whose rootless blue-collar living belies his affluent childhood as a piano prodigy, is the protagonist of the film. When Bobby discovers that his father is dying, he rushes to Washington to see him, accompanied by his sleazy girlfriend.

Nicholson's early film career consisted primarily of B-movies, as he struggled to get into meaningful pictures. However, as his career progressed, he was able to demonstrate his enormous talent in a powerful performance in Five Easy Pieces. The road movie starred Nicholson as a blue-collar worker who had left his privileged life years before. He travels back to his hometown with his fiancée to see his ailing father. Nicholson has never been more vulnerable while yet displaying the dangerous side that has made him so appealing.

Detailed information:

Directed by: Bob Rafelson

Release date: September 12, 1970

Link to watch: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065724