This ranking is based on an algorithm that combines various factors, including the votes of our users and search trends on the internet.

List of Tom Waits Movies: Ranked Best To Worst

1. Down by Law (1986)
15
3
Down by Law
R
15
3

Two men, Jack and Zack, are arrested and placed in the same cell in prison. They realize they have both been framed and arrested for crimes they have not committed. Meanwhile, their cellmate Bob, who is an Italian tourist was arrested for an accidental murder. Bob comes up with a plan to escape, and it doesn’t take long for them to succeed.

Role:
Zack
Starring:
Roberto Benigni, Ellen Barkin, John Lurie, Nicoletta Braschi
Directed By:
Jim Jarmusch
3. Coffee and Cigarettes III (1993)
8
3
Coffee and Cigarettes III
8
3
Role:
Tom
Starring:
Iggy Pop,
Directed By:
Jim Jarmusch
4. Dracula (1992)
22
7
Dracula
R
22
7

In the 15th century, Vlad Dracula returns from a war to find that his wife has committed suicide. In the 19th century, he returns as the client of solicitor Jonathan Harker, whose fiancé Mina, he believes is the reincarnation of his wife. Dracula captures Jonathan and wreaks havoc, especially on Mina’s friend Lucy. Now Lucy’s friends and a vampire killer, Van Helsing, decide to end his terror.

Directed By:
5. Wristcutters: A Love Story (2006)
12
4
Wristcutters: A Love Story
R
12
4

Wristcutters: A Love Story is a dark black comedy road movie, which tells the story of Zia, who kills himself after a breakup. He wakes up in the afterlife reserved for people who committed suicide. After learning that his girlfriend also killed herself, Zia embarks on a road trip to find her, while also picking up a feisty hitchhiker. 

Starring:
Will Arnett, Nick Offerman, Leslie Bibb, Abraham Benrubi, Patrick Fugit, Mark Boone Junior
Directed By:
Goran Dukic
6. Seven Psychopaths (2012)
24
9
Seven Psychopaths
R
24
9

The dark comedy revolves around struggling writer Marty Faranan. Things take a violent turn when his two best friends Billy and Hans kidnap violent gangster Charlie Costello’s pet Shih Tzu. Marty’s experiences, following that not only provide him the plot for his screenplay Seven Psychopaths but leave him a changed man.  

Directed By:
7. The Outsiders (1983)
12
5
The Outsiders
PG
12
5

In an Oklahoma town during the mid-1960s, two rival teen gangs, working-class ‘Greasers’ and well-to-do ‘Socials’ are frequently at loggerheads with each other. One night, Socs gang attacks two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, who fight back, killing a Socs member in the scuffle. As they hide in an abandoned church, this incidence leads to a chain of grim events involving all the Greasers.

Directed By:
9. Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
11
5
Coffee and Cigarettes
R
11
5

An anthology film that has 11 short stories which revolve around coffee and cigarettes as theme. The vignettes cover wide range of topics including Tesla Coil, nicotine as insecticide, 1920’s Paris, medical and musical careers and more. Black-and-while tile motifs are symbolically incorporated in each segment as every discussion involves two who though differ over the topic, still continue with cordial talk.

Directed By:
Jim Jarmusch
10. The Book of Eli (2010)
25
12
The Book of Eli
R
25
12

The post-apocalyptic movie centers on Eli, a blind nomadic warrior who is instructed by a voice to deliver the last copy of the New King James Bible to a sanctuary. Traveling across a wasteland, of what was formerly the USA, he demonstrates mythical fighting skills against the warlord Carnegie and his army who wants the book for himself. 

Directed By:
Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes
11. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
15
7
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
PG-13
15
7

A fantastical morality tale, set in the present-day, THE MOVIE It tells the story of Dr. Parnassus and his 'Imaginarium', a traveling show where members of the audience get opportunity to choose between light and joy or darkness and gloom. An inveterate gambler, thousands of years ago Dr. Parnassus made a bet with the devil, Mr. Nick, in which he won immortality. Centuries later, on meeting his one true love, Dr. Parnassus made another deal with the devil, trading his immortality for youth, on condition that when his daughter reached her 16th birthday, she would become the property of Mr Nick.

Starring:
Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Peter Stormare, Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Gwendoline Christie, Lily Cole
Directed By:
12. At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991)
7
3
At Play in the Fields of the Lord
R
7
3
Role:
Wolf
Starring:
Tom Berenger, Kathy Bates, Daryl Hannah, Aidan Quinn, John Lithgow
Directed By:
Hector Babenco
13. Old Man and the Gun (2018)
9
4
Old Man and the Gun
PG-13
9
4

Old Man and the Gun is a biographical crime drama comedy film which tells the story of Forrest Tucker, an infamous criminal and escape artist, who is able to break out of San Quentin State Prison, living all authorities confused. He soon embarks on a crime spree, which puts a detective hot on his trail.

Starring:
Robert Redford, Elisabeth Moss, Danny Glover, Casey Affleck, Sissy Spacek, John David Washington, Danny Glover
Directed By:
David Lowery
14. Ironweed (1987)
7
3
Ironweed
R
7
3

Francis Phelan is a retired baseball player who had deserted his family decades ago after he had accidentally caused the death of his infant son, by dropping him to the ground. He visits his hometown after several years, and seeks out his lover Helen Archer, who is now working as a vocalist on the radio.

Starring:
Nathan Lane, Carroll Baker, Meryl Streep, Jack Nicholson, Diane Venora, Michael O'Keefe
Directed By:
Hector Babenco
15. The Cotton Club (1984)
7
4
The Cotton Club
R
7
4

Starting from a musician, and the gorgeous girlfriend of a well-known gangster, the lives of various characters intersect at Cotton Club.

Starring:
Richard Gere, Bob Hoskins, Jennifer Grey, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, Sofia Coppola, Nicolas Cage
Directed By:
16. Mystery Men (1999)
9
6
Mystery Men
PG-13
9
6

This superhero satire features a group of aspiring superheroes of Champion City who often fail due to their incompetence. But when super-villain Casanova Frankenstein captures the city’s real superhero Captain Amazing, the amateur superheroes have to join their forces, and pull together their peculiar powers such as shoveling, flying bowling balls, fork-hurling and such expertise, to save the city and its superhero.

Starring:
Ben Stiller, William H. Macy, Michael Bay, Corbin Bleu, Kel Mitchell, Hank Azaria, Eddie Izzard
Directed By:
Kinka Usher
17. Domino (2005)
8
6
Domino
R
8
6

Loosely based the life of Domino Harvey, the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey, the film depicts how the former model becomes a bounty hunter and finds employment with a bail bondsman who also runs an armored car business,. Complications arise when her boss sets up a $10 million robbery to meet the medical expense of his mistress’s granddaughter.   

Starring:
Keira Knightley, Brian Austin Green, Lucy Liu, Jacqueline Bisset, Mickey Rourke, Christopher Walken, Edgar Ramírez
Directed By:
18. Queens Logic (1991)
5
3
Queens Logic
R
5
3
Starring:
Kevin Bacon, John Malkovich, Megan Mullally, Jamie Lee Curtis, Joe Mantegna, Ken Olin
Directed By:
Steve Rash
19. Paradise Alley (1978)
5
4
Paradise Alley
PG
5
4
Starring:
Sylvester Stallone, Armand Assante, Lee Canalito, Frank McRae
Directed By:
20. The Dead Don't Die (2019)
9
6
The Dead Don't Die
R
9
6

The Dead Don’t Die is a comedy horror film which takes us to a peaceful town named Centerville, where things suddenly change, when the dead start rising from their graves. Now, since the townspeople have never experienced a zombie apocalypse in their lives, they are at a loss what to do.

Role:
Hermit Bob
Starring:
Selena Gomez, Austin Butler, Rosie Perez, Tilda Swinton, Adam Driver, Danny Glover, Steve Buscemi
Directed By:
Jim Jarmusch
21. Candy Mountain (1987)
6
3
Candy Mountain
R
6
3
Starring:
Laurie Metcalf, Jim Jarmusch, Kevin J. O'Connor, Robert Joy, Eric Mitchell
Directed By:
Robert Frank, Rudy Wurlitzer
22. Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale (1989)
5
3
Bearskin: An Urban Fairytale
5
3
Role:
Silva
Starring:
Bill Paterson, Charlotte Coleman, Damon Lowry, Júlia Britton
Directed By:
Ann Guedes, Eduardo Guedes
23. Cold Feet (1989)
3
3
Cold Feet
R
3
3
Role:
Kenny
Starring:
Bill Pullman, Jeff Bridges, Sally Kirkland, Rip Torn, Keith Carradine
Directed By:
Robert Dornhelm

TV Shows

Citizen
10
1
Citizen
10
1
Starring:
Amanda Plummer, Augusto Aguilera, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Ralph Michael Brekan
Greasy Lake (1988)
12
7
Greasy Lake
12
7
Role:
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Starring:
James Spader, Eric Stoltz, Tegan West, Cisco Pike
Directed By:
Damian Harris

Narrator/Dubbing

Mystery Train (1989)
22
7
Mystery Train
R
22
7

Mystery Train is a comedy crime film which tells us multiple different stories occurring in a hotel in Memphis, Tennessee. The stories revolve around a Japanese couple, three amateur robbers, the hotel’s eccentric night clerk and Elvis Presley’s spirit.

Role:
Radio DJ (segment "Lost in Space") (voice)
Starring:
Steve Buscemi, Masatoshi Nagase, Yûki Kudô, Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Directed By:
Jim Jarmusch
The Laughing Heart (2012)
8
3
The Laughing Heart
8
3
Role:
Narrator
Directed By:
Travis Carr
Greasy Lake (1988)
12
7
Greasy Lake
12
7
Role:
Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Starring:
James Spader, Eric Stoltz, Tegan West, Cisco Pike
Directed By:
Damian Harris
Twixt (2011)
6
7
Twixt
R
6
7

Twixt is a mystery horror film which tells the story of a struggling horror writer who is visiting a small town. He soon gets involved a murder mystery involving a young girl, who is going to be responsible for his upcoming story.

Role:
Narrator (voice)
Starring:
Elle Fanning, Val Edward Kilmer, Bruce Dern, Alden Ehrenreich, Ben Chaplin, Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley
Directed By:

Animation Movies

The Simpsons
19
3
The Simpsons
TV-14
19
3
Starring:
Liam Neeson, Adam West, Carmen Electra, Katey Sagal, Benedict Cumberbatch, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman
Directed By:
The Monster of Nix (2011)
5
3
The Monster of Nix
5
3
Role:
Virgil (voice)
Starring:
Terry Gilliam, Olivia Bouyssou, Joe Eshuis, Charles Hubbell
Directed By:
Rosto

Special Appearance/Cameo

The Fisher King (1991)
26
9
The Fisher King
R
26
9

Insensitive comments by shock jock Jack Lucas forces an unstable caller into committing a mass-murder suicide. Severely depressed after the incident Jack meets a homeless man Parry, who is searching for the Holy Grail. When Jack realizes Parry is actually the husband of one of the murderer’s victims, he decides to help Parry. 

Role:
Disabled Veteran (uncredited)
Starring:
Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Amanda Plummer, David Hyde Pierce, Lara Harris
Directed By:
Until the End of the World (1991)
8
4
Until the End of the World
R
8
4

Until the End of the World is a science fiction action drama film which tells the story of Dr Farber, who has managed to create a device that allows the blind to see. This allows him to find the cure for his wife’s blindness. However, they are soon pursued by government forces.  

Role:
Singer in Bar (uncredited)
Starring:
Sam Neill, Lois Chiles, Max von Sydow, Jeanne Moreau
Directed By:
The Stone Boy (1984)
6
3
The Stone Boy
PG
6
3

On a Montana farm, 12-year-old Arnold Hillerman’s gun fires accidently after getting stuck in the fence, killing his 17-year-old brother Eugene. When his parents receive the news, they are traumatized and angered, while his grandfather is more understanding. But Arnold is extremely distressed and is unable to communicate or express his feelings. How does the Hillerman family cope with the tragedy? 

Role:
Petrified Man at Carnival (uncredited)
Starring:
Dean Cain, Linda Hamilton, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Jason Presson
Directed By:
Christopher Cain
One from the Heart (1981)
8
4
One from the Heart
R
8
4

One from the Heart is a romantic drama musical film which tells the story of Hank and Frannie, who have been in a live-in relationship for five years. However, they eventually break up on the fifth anniversary of their relationship, as they both meet a more interesting partner, with whom they both plan to celebrate the 4th of July.   

Role:
Trumpet Player (uncredited)
Starring:
Teri Garr, Nastassja Kinski, Harry Dean Stanton, Rebecca De Mornay, Lainie Kazan, Frederic Forrest
Directed By:
Wolfen (1981)
7
4
Wolfen
R
7
4

Wolften is a horror thriller film which revolves around a cop in New York City, who is assigned to solve a bizarre set of murders, which resemble animal attacks. He continues his investigation, until he discovers something about an old legend regarding wolf spirits.

Role:
Drunken Bar Owner (uncredited)
Starring:
Albert Finney, Corey Burton, Edward James Olmos, Tom Noonan, Diane Venora, Gregory Hines
Directed By:
John D. Hancock, Rupert Hitzig, Michael Wadleigh
The Two Jakes (1990)
8
5
The Two Jakes
R
8
5

A businessman in Los Angeles named Julius Berman hires a private detective named JJ Gittes to help him, after he suspects his wife of adultery. Eventually, Berman kills the lover of his wife, Mark, who is also his partner in a real estate development company. When Gittes finds out about this, he convinces his old acquaintance LAPD Captain Lou Escobar that he should not be charged as an accomplice with the murder.

Role:
Plainclothes Policeman (uncredited)
Starring:
David Keith, Harvey Keitel, Eli Wallach, Faye Dunaway, Jack Nicholson, Meg Tilly, Madeleine Stowe
Directed By:

Tom Waits Awards

Golden Globe Awards
Winner Short Cuts (1993) 1994
Grammy Awards
Winner Best Contemporary Folk Album 2000
Winner Best Alternative Music Album 1993
ASCAP Film And Television Music Awards
The Wire Top TV Series 2004