5 Best Mark Wahlberg Movies Ranked Ahead of By Any Means

Mark Wahlberg’s career has spanned decades across several genres. The acting star first began his career in entertainment as a rapper, but soon found his way to Hollywood. After ditching the “Marky Mark” moniker, Wahlberg soon became a bona fide superstar of an actor.

After appearing in his first role in 1994, Wahlberg has gone on to star in a litany of high-profile movies, and earned several award nominations, including two Academy Award, three Golden Globes, and nine Primetime Emmy nominations.

His next movie, 2026’s By Any Means, sees him starring alongside Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and is out in theaters now. In celebration of the movie, we’re taking a look at Wahlberg’s career, and highlighting five of his best roles.

5 best Mark Wahlberg movies ranked

5) The Other Guys

This might be an odd pick to some, but if you’ve never seen The Other Guys, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Wahlberg and Will Ferrell star in the movie as Detectives Terry Hoitz and Allen Gamble, respectively, two detectives who are find themselves at the center of an unraveling mystery, and try to prove that they can make it as real detectives.

While Wahlberg’s comedic chops have been on display throughout his career, he really gets to flex them here. Acting opposite Ferrell, especially in the late 2000s and 2010s, was no small feat for any actor, but Wahlberg is brilliant in doing so. The pair are a hilarious duo, due in part to the wildly different personalities they display, with Wahlberg’s bewildered, strait-laced cop clashing with Ferrell’s calmer approach.

The Other Guys is filled with a ton of hilarious moments, cameos, and more that would be too funny to spoil here, so make sure to check it out if you haven’t.

4) Fear

One of Wahlberg’s earliest roles, Fear follows the story of the Walker family, whose life is thrown into turmoil when Nicole begins dating David McCall, a mysterious man who is actually a sociopath. Wahlberg plays McCall here, and does an absolutely phenomenal job.

It’s not often we get to see Wahlberg playing a role like this, and it’s a shame, honestly, as he really does a great job embodying the calm and eerie nature of McCall.

The most famous scene in Fear, undoubtedly, is Wahlberg’s iconic chest-pounding scene. However, the movie is filled with great moments, and is what helped catapult Wahlberg from a potential “what if” in the acting world to a bona fide main player.

3) Three Kings

The first movie that Wahlberg and director David O. Russell worked on, Three Kings follows the story of a group of American soldiers going on a gold heist during the 1991 uprisings in Iraq amidst the First Gulf War. It’s a wild premise for a movie, but is carried by its group of stars, with Ice Cube, a younger George Clooney, and Wahlberg all taking up part of the crew.

While Wahlberg may not be the main star here, he certainly is the standout. He plays Sergeant Troy Barlow, an office worker who finds himself thrust into the situation. Like many of the movies on this list, it’s a film that allows Wahlberg to act alongside some other excellent stars, and really shine in his role.

2) Boogie Nights

Any list of Wahlberg’s greatest roles that didn’t include Boogie Nights would feel silly, and rightfully so. Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 comedy-drama not only launched him onto the scene as a directing superstar, but also helped Wahlberg go from star actor to absolute superstar. The movie follows the story of a nightclub dishwasher (Wahlberg), who becomes a popular star in pornographic movies, and follows his career throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Wahlberg’s Eddie Adams, or Dirk Diggler as he’s also known, may be one of his most memorable roles. Like most movies on here again, he is surrounded by some stellar talent, but really shines despite it. Despite being thrown into the chaotic world of porn in the 1970s, Wahlberg still plays Adams as wide-eyed and innocent, which only strengthens the movie as we watch where his…blessings, take him.

1) The Departed

Going into a movie like The Departed, it’s easy to see Wahlberg as kind of the odd man out here. He’s in a movie absolutely brimming with mega stars, in the form of Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and more. Wahlberg not only holds his own, though, but manages to steal several of the scenes he’s in opposite these legends.

In Martin Scorsese’s classic 2006 crime thriller (a shadow remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Internal Affairs), Wahlberg plays the role of Staff Sergeant Sean Dignam, a man who helps recruit DiCaprio’s character, Billy Costigan, into going undercover for the Boston Police Department in an effort to try and infiltrate Irish mob boss Frank Costello’s organization.

Wahlberg perfectly captures the role of Dignam here. Like many of his best roles, Wahlberg’s ability to show a more aggressive approach to justice is on full display here. Not only does he go to any length to get it, but he acts as the book end to the movie, getting his own version of justice in one of the film’s most memorable moments.

Source: Comingsoon.net