10 Essential Joaquin Phoenix Movies, Ranked

Joaquin Phoenix's career has been built on emotional extremes and physical transformations. Whether he’s playing a brooding loner, a crumbling addict, or a volatile visionary, there’s always something unpredictable coursing through his performances. He seems drawn to characters in flux—people with fractured identities, impossible desires, or deep spiritual wounds. He doesn't just act—he disappears, combusts, and reforms.