When you mention the name Michael Shannon, lovers of good movies & TV shows and his fans would instantly remember him for some of his best movies like Nocturnal Animals, Bugs, Take Shelter, and Man of Steel.
However, the American actor has been in more than 70 movies since his debut back in the early 90s. He received 2 Academy Awards nominations for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ and a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination in 2014. In the same year, he also earned a Golden Globe Award nomination. The actor also has Theatre stints as he initially began his acting career on Broadway. His many fans may however remember him from roles in his most notable appearances and we will be discussing those momentarily.
Here’s a List of Michael Shannon’s Best Movies and TV Series So Far
12. The Complete Unknown
Shannon played Tom in this 2016 mystery romance movie. He is a happily married man in the movie until an old flame resurfaces on the same day he planned his wife’s birthday surprise party.
This woman then stirs up emotions from the past as she and Tom try to reconcile but this only opens up secrets they tried to bury years ago.
This movie was rated 52% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer and 25% on Popcornmeter. Despite its low rating, it is one movie believed to be highly underrated as Michael poured so much talent into interpreting the role of Tom.
11. Waco
This TV series was released in 2018 and has a sequel – Waco: Aftermath, which was released in 2023.
This story follows FBI Agent Gary Noesner played by Michael whose task is to settle a standoff between the local police and a religious extremist group led by a polygamist named David Koresh.
Due to his empathetic personality, Agent Gary found it difficult to settle the issue because he was unsure of who to blame and who to side with. But, he needs to do something soon before the standoff takes a more violent form.
On Rotten Tomatoes, Waco scored 70% Tomatometer and 76% on Popcornmeter on averages.
10. 8 Mile
8 Mile was released in November 2002 and it follows the story of rap legend, Eminem and his rise to stardom.
Michael Shannon played the role of Greg Buehl, Eminem’s mother’s lover. His contribution to the movie helped depict Eminem’s state at that time, in real life, and how the relationship affected the rapper.
Collider rated this movie the 10th on the list of Shannon’s rewatchable movies.
9. Bug
This movie has been rated highly by many who have seen it and it is no surprise it is making this list. In fact, it would be a great disservice to Michael Shannon if this doesn’t make any similar list.
This movie is a remake of a play of the same title and it follows the story of a disturbed veteran who has an obsession with bugs and an intense mental disorder. He believes a conspiracy is controlling his obsession with bugs. Due to his ill health, he kidnaps a woman in a bid to convince her of his belief.
Michael played the role of Peter Evans, the military veteran.
Bugs have a Tomatometer rating of 62% and a Popcornmeter rating of 34%.
8. Revolutionary Road
This 2008 movie won the American actor an Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’. He plays John Givings, the mentally unstable son of April and Frank.
The couple, Frank and April, are disenfranchised by the American dream and John engages them in an argument that stole the show of the movie, making it one of the most interesting scenes in the entire film.
Revolutionary Road scores 67% on Tomatometer ratings and 71% on Popcornmeter ratings.
7. Take Shelter
This movie released in 2011 showed Shannon in a different light from the villain we mostly know him to be in movies.
Playing the role of Curtis LaForche in this movie, he shows a rather compassionate husband and father whose apocalyptic vision of a coming storm puts him in a desperate place.
Although his friends and neighbors doubted his postulation, his fear for the safety of his family puts him in a vulnerable state.
This movie was rated 92% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and 81% on Popcornmeter.
6. 99 Homes
This film is said to still maintain its relevance in society since its release and I agree. Shannon played the role of Rick Carver, a heartless real estate agent who convinced a good man to evict the occupants of his house.
This 2014 movie shows the disparity in American capitalism and how easily systems can become corrupt inspired by the greed of some select few.
For his outstanding role in this movie, Michael received a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.
The movie’s rating on Rotten Tomatoes is 92% Tomatometer and 78% Popcornmeter.
READ ALSO: 10 Best Hood Movies Everyone Should See
5. Nocturnal Animals
Michael Shannon’s performance as Detective Bobby Andes, another villain, earned him an Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’.
In this 2016 ‘story within a story’ movie, Detective Bobby interprets the role of a man who helped the traumatized man, Tony Hastings take revenge on the men who raped his wife and daughter.
For Detective Bobby, he didn’t care what the cost was going to be, his mind was set on a mission and he was ready to see it through.
This movie has a 74% Tomatometer and 74% Popcornmeter ratings on Rotten Tomato.
4. Midnight Special
Still, in 2016, the Bugs actor was seen in another spell-binding movie titled Midnight Special. Here, he played the role of a loving father of a boy whose nonverbal communication and telekinesis superpowers attracted the attention of a government analyst.
His role was devastating as he never saw his son as a threat, rather he believed him to be innocent and that his powers could be used for different purposes.
On Rotten Tomatoes, this movie has a Tomatometer of 83% and a Popcornmeter of 67%.
3. Elvis & Nixon
In this 2016-released movie, Shannon played one of the most comical roles ever as he played the role of eccentric Elvis Presley during his iconic meeting with President Richard Nixon.
This version of what could have happened when a superstar meets the president considered the most corrupt in the history of the United States puts Shannon’s versatility in the limelight. His performance was fascinating and entertaining.
Elvis & Nixon was rated 76% on Tomatometer and 57% on Popcornmeter by Rotten Tomatoes.
2. The Shape of Water
The actor played yet another monstrous role in this 2017 movie which is regarded as Guillermo de Toro’s highest-grossing film ever.
Richard Strickland played by Shannon, was a heartless government official who cared the least about how he treated those under him. He showed no mercy or respect for those in his facility and further portrayed a real version of how cruel humans can be especially to beings considered ‘monsters’ and ‘aliens’.
This film tells of a love between an amphibious creature and a mute woman who works at Strickland’s facility and everything that could go wrong with a ruthless official at the helm of affairs.
On Rotten Tomatoes, this movie scores 92% on Tomatometer and 73% on Popcornmeter.
1. Knives Out
This is unanimously the best of Michael Shannon’s films and roles so far. In this 2019-released movie, the American actor played the role of Walk Thrombey, a suspect in a murder mystery.
This was another excuse for the actor to show his witty side yet again as his character was humorous and intimidating.
In the movie, he is presented as the cold yet funny husband and father who carries an air of arrogance and coldness.
Rotten Tomatoes rates this movie a 97% on Tomatometer and 92% on Popcormeter.
Michael Shannon’s Movie Complete List
- Groundhog Day – 1993
- Chain Reaction – 1996
- Chicago Cab – 1997
- Jesus’ Son – 1995
- The Ride – 1995
- The Photographer – 2000
- Tigerland – 2000
- Cecil B. Demented – 2000
- Mullitt – 2000
- Pearl Harbor – 2001
- New Port South – 2001
- Vanilla Sky – 2001
- High Crimes – 2002
- 8 Mile – 2002
- Kangaroo Jack – 2003
- Bad Boys II – 2003
- Grand Theft Parsons – 2003
- Water – 2004
- Dead Birds – 2004
- Zamboni Man – 2004
- The Woodsman – 2004
- Bug – 2006
- World Trade Center – 2006
- Let’s Go to Prison – 2006
- Marvelous – 2006
- Shotgun Stories – 2007
- Blackbird – 2007
- Lucky You – 2007
- Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead – 2007
- Revolutionary Road – 2008
- The Missing Person – 2009
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans – 2009
- The Greatest – 2009
- My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? – 2009
- The Runaways – 2010
- Herbert White – 2010
- 13 – 2010
- Jonah Hex – 2010
- Take Shelter – 2011
- The Broken Tower – 2011
- Machine Gun Preacher – 2011
- Mud – 2012
- Premium Rush – 2012
- The Iceman – 2012
- Man of Steel – 2013
- The Harvest – 2013
- Young Ones – 2014
- They Came Together – 2014
- She’s Funny That Way – 2014
- 99 Homes – 2014
- Freeheld – 2015
- The Night Before – 2015
- Complete Unknown – 2016
- Frank & Lola – 2016
- Midnight Special – 2016
- Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – 2016
- Wolves – 2016
- Poor Boy – 2016
- Elvis & Nixon – 2016
- Loving – 2016
- Salt and Fire – 2016
- Nocturnal Animals – 2016
- The Shape of Water – 2017
- The Current War – 2017
- Pottersville – 2017
- 12 Strong – 2018
- What They Had – 2018
- State Like Sheep – 2018
- Knives Out – 2019
- The Quarry – 2020
- Echo Boomers – 2020
- Heart of Champions – 2021
- Night’s End – 2022
- Abandoned – 2022
- Bullet Train – 2022
- Amsterdam – 2022
- A Little White Lie – 2022
- Eric Laure – 2023
- The Flash – 2023
- The Bikeriders – 2023
- A Different Man – 2024
- The End – 2025
Shannon’s TV Shows
- Overexposed – 1992
- Angel Street – 1992
- Early Edition – 1998-1999
- Turks – 1999
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – 2005
- Delocated – 2009
- Boardwalk Empire – 2010-2014
- At Home with Amy Sedaris – 2017-2020
- Waco – 2018
- Fahrenheit 451 – 2018
- The Little Drummer Girl – 2018
- Our Cartoon President – 2018
- Room 104 – 2018
- Nine Perfect Strangers – 2021
- Little Demon – 2021
- George & Tammy – 2022-2023
- Waco: The Aftermath – 2023
Michael Shannon’s Theatre Works
- Loving Little Egypt – 1991
- Fun and Nobody – 1992
- Killer Joe – 1993-1994
- Victims of Duty – 1995
- Bug – 1996
- Killer Joe – 1998
- The Killer – 1999
- The Idiot – 1999
- Bug -2001
- Finer Noble Gases – 2002
- Bug – 2004-2005
- Gagarin Way – 2005
- The Pillowman – 2006
- The Hunger and Thirst – 2006
- Grace – 2006
- Lady – 2007
- The Little Flower of East Orange – 2008
- The Metal Children – 2008
- Lady -2008
- Mistakes Were Made – 2009
- Our Town – 2010
- Mistakes Were Made – 2010-2011
- Uncle Vanya – 2012
- Grace – 2012-2013
- Simpatico – 2013
- The Killer – 2014
- Pilgrim’s Progress – 2015
- Long Day’s Journey into Night – 2016
- Simpatico – 2017
- Traitor – 2018
- Victims of Duty – 2018
- Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune – 2019
- Des Moines – 2022-2023
- Waiting for Godot – 2023
- Turret – 2024
