79 Billy Wilder Movies, Ranked Best to Worst

Norma Desmond, a faded silent film star living a reclusive life, is desperate to make a comeback and hires small-time screenwriter Joe to improve the script she is preparing. She convinces him to move into her Sunset Boulevard mansion, but erupts into a violent rage after he falls for young script reader Betty.

Timid insurance worker C.C. Baxter attempts to rise up the corporate ladder by lending his apartment to company executives to use for their extramarital affairs. However, he is torn from the inside when he realizes that the personnel director, who recently granted his promotion, brought to his apartment the elevator girl he is attracted to.

In this film adaptation of James M. Cain.1935 novel, a manipulative Phyllis Dietrichson convinces an insurance agent Walter Neff to murder her husband in order to claim his accidental insurance policy. The plan is successful but trouble begins when Neff’s boss Barton Keyes decides to get to the bottom of the matter and investigates the case himself.

Chicago musicians Joe and Jerry accidentally witness a mafia murder and disguise as women to enlist into an all-female band to get out of town quickly. However, complications arise after Joe poses as a millionaire to impress the band's vocalist and ukulele player Sugar, while Jerry draws the attention of an actual millionaire who won't take refusal kindly.

Barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts has decided to defend Leonard Vole, accused of murdering his benefactor, believing him to be innocent although strong circumstantial evidences point towards his client. He is surprised when Leonard’s wife, who has earlier provided an alibi, testifies against him. Robarts does not know that this is the first in the series of many surprises that is awaiting him. 

Ace in the Hole is a drama film which tells the story of a former big-city reporter named Chuck Tatum, who is now working in a small newspaper in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He wants to make it big but is unable to find much important news. Things get interesting when he exploits a story of a man trapped in a cave to rekindle his career.  

During WWII, two American airmen trying to escape German POW camp at Stalag 17, are caught and killed. The remaining prisoners think they have a traitor amidst them and they suspect Sergeant Sefton to be an informer as he often traded with the guards for small privileges. When Sefton receives rough treatment from fellow prisoners, he decides to find the real culprit.

When opera star Frieda and lyrist Bruno are not making love they are quarreling. To solve the problem, they separately decide to try the jealousy angle. While Bruno pair up with the music teacher’s young daughter Sieglinde, Frieda latches onto Karl, an aspiring songwriter and also Sieglinde’s fiancée. The plan succeeds until the young couple realizes that they are being used. 

This American drama film revolves around the life of a chronic alcoholic who misses his train and decides to go on a four-day drinking bout. However, it may be his last.

This American political comedy film is about an executive working for Coca Cola who is also given the task of taking care of his boss’s daughter, who is a socialite. When she falls for a German communist having anti capitalistic views, he is tasked with preventing her from getting married to him.

A Russian woman is sent to Paris on official purpose. She soon comes across a man who has all the qualities that she dislikes; however, she can’t help herself being attracted to him.

Eve Peabody, an unemployed American showgirl, arrives in Paris and with friendly taxi-driver Tibor Czerny searches for work in nightclubs. Realizing their mutual attraction Eve flees to enter a concert as Hungarian Baroness. Wealthy man Georges Flammarion enlists her help to break his wife’s affair with a playboy; but Tibor, who refuses to give up his quest for love, also lands there.

An academic makes up his mind to learn about the evolving American slang to finish working on a comprehensive encyclopedia and chances upon a nightclub performer. She agrees to teach him slang vocabulary in exchange for a place to stay.

Sabrina, the young daughter of the family’s chauffeur, is in love with the master’s playboy son, David. David on his part continues to consider her a child until she returns home after a two year stint in Paris. By then, he is engaged to be married and the wedding is important for the family business. Then there is also Linus, David’s older brother. 

After all his efforts to raise money for a cathedral fails, a Bishop Henry Brougham finds himself quite depressed. However, his life takes an interesting turn, after he is visited by Dudley, who claims to be an angel. Henry is a bit annoyed, but his wife takes kindly to Dudley.

Susan Applegate is a working woman in New York, who is desperate to go to her home in Iowa. However, problem is that she lacks the railway fare. Therefore, she disguises herself as a child so that she can get the ticket at a cheaper rate. She ends up in the compartment of an army Major named Philip. Believing that she is a frightened child, he decides to let her stay in his compartment until they reach his stop. Things get complicated and hilarious when his fiancée Pamela boards the train, and upon seeing Susan, she accuses Philip of having an affair.

Two men and two women head to beach, to enjoy their Sunday. The two men develop a strong bond, and it seems that they enjoy their own company more than the women's.

Nestor Patou is an honest cop who is transferred to a more urban neighborhood in Paris. He finds a street full of prostitutes working at a hotel and proceeds to raid the place. However, soon it becomes apparent that his superior is aware of the happenings at the hotel, but tolerates it due to bribes and services. He frames Nestor for bribery and fires him from the job.  

The Fortune Cookie is a black comedy film which tells the story of Harry Hinkle, a cameraman who gets injured by a football player Luther Jackson. Although his injuries are mild, his cunning brother-in-law William convinces him to pretend that he has been paralyzed, so that they can receive a significant sum of money from the insurance company.

Hildy Johnson is a successful reporter working for a newspaper in Chicago. However, he decides to leave his career behind and get married to a woman named Peggy. However, when his editor finds out, he decides to go to great lengths to make Hildy continue working in his newspaper.

In 1947, a US congressional committee is appointed in post-World War II Berlin, to inspect the American troops stationed in the city, as an unidentified American officer is protecting Erika von Schlütow, who is suspected of being the former mistress of a high ranking Nazi official. Phoebe Frost of the congressional committee assigns Captain John Pringle to assist her in the investigation, unaware that he is Erika’ s current lover. Pringle however tries to distract Phoebe, by romancing her, and she eventually falls for his charms.

Five Graves to Cairo is a war thriller film which tells the story of John, a lone survivor of the British army, after a battle in Egypt. He assumes a false identity and passes himself off as a waiter at a remote desert hotel. However, things get complicated when he is mistaken for a German spy.

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife is a romantic comedy film which tells the story of Michael Brandon, an American multi-millionaire who marries Nicole, the daughter of a broken French Marquis. Upon learning that she is his eighth wife, Nicole decides that she doesn’t want to end up like the other women. Therefore, she tries to come up with a strategy to ‘tame’ her husband.

In the 18th century, the Bounty sets sail to Tahiti from Britain, under the command of Captain William Bligh. His mission involves retrieving a shipload of breadfruit saplings, and transporting them to Jamaica, as the government hopes it will prove to be a cheap source of food for slaves.

Love in the Afternoon is a romantic crime comedy film which tells the story of a naive girl who meet and falls for the charms of an ageing playboy, who is also attracted to her. At the same time, her father, who is a detective has been hired to catch the playboy red-handed with the wife of his client.

The Seven Year Itch is a romantic comedy film, which tells the story of a married man, whose family goes away for the summer. However, in the meantime, he feels attracted to his beautiful neighbor.

A famous detective and his sidekick investigate the disappearance of the husband of a Russian ballerina. The case causes them to uncover a host of strange occurrences including secret naval experiments.

A successful businessman goes to Italy to claim the body of his recently deceased father, only to discover that his father had a long-time mistress.

Henry is a student who needs to defend himself after being falsely accused of creating trouble at school.

This romantic comedy crime film revolves around a young and beautiful singer, who suffers from kleptomania. However, things take a turn when she finds the thrill of love.

Arise, My Love is a 1940 romantic comedy that tells the story of a dashing pilot and a vivacious reporter who begin to have romantic and dramatic adventures in Europe during the beginning of the Second World War. 

Bob Sommers writes tunes for the well-known composer Oliver Courtney, while Cherry Lane ghost-writes lyrics for him. But Bob and Cherry are unaware about each other. When they meet and realize the facts, they grow close and decide to compose their own songs, but music industry assumes they are copying Courtney. Perceiving the situation, Courtney declares that he has not created those songs.   

Orville Spooner is a pianist who sends his beautiful wife Zelda away for the night since he has invited a famed singer named Dino for the night, hoping that he can impress him and sell him a song.

A newspaper publisher lets his star reporter stay in his guest house so that he can write his article in peace. However, his teen daughter is annoyed at this, since she promised the guest house to a troop of Boy Scouts rehearsing a musical. However, soon she finds herself falling for the reporter.  

Recently paroled con artist dapper Danny Ocean, the man who believes in action, rolls out another plan. Following three rules: Not to steal from the ones who don't deserve it, play the game like you have nothing to lose and not to hurt anyone, he orchestrates the most avant-garde heist in history. Will he succeed?

Although her parents want her to get married to an old prince, a rebellious princess decides to take a stand for herself because she is in love with a common man. But she is unsure if the man will accept her once he learns about her identity.

When Henri Pasquier's wealthy father refuses to support his playboy lifestyle, he inadvertently joins a picaresque gang of car thieves and starts living with two gang members, child-like Jean-la-Cravate and his sister Jeannette. Very soon, Henri teams up with Jeannette to accomplish quite a few daring thefts. Will he thus be sucked into a life of crime?

Sabrina Fairchild, the Larabee family chauffeur's daughter, loves David, the younger Larrabee son. Linus, his older brother, has business interests in David's marriage to a billionaire. In a bid to save it, Linus diverts Sabrina's affections to himself and ends up falling in love with her.

In this spy spoof, a retired James Bond is persuaded to rejoin the secret service to counter shadowy organization SMERSH, allegedly responsible for murdering secret agents. Sir James devises a plan to assemble a group of agents, all named James Bond 007, to confuse SMERSH. Each new Bond is assigned a specific role. Now Sir James must nab the brain behind SMERSH.