10 Best Ryan Reynolds Movies That Aren’t Comedy

Most actors have a preferred genre and, for Ryan Reynolds, it’s comedy. The Deadpool star has earned a reputation for playing wisecracking characters, hence he is often placed in the same compartment as Seth Rogen and Will Ferrell. Even sci-fi and action filmmakers try their best not to cast the A-lister in movies that don’t contain many jokes and slapstick moments.

However, Ryan Reynolds isn’t just about jokes and goofiness. The actor has a few dramas, biopics, and thrillers in his resume, which give us a peak into different angles of the actor’s skill set. These roles prove that Reynolds doesn’t always play Reynolds in every movie as commonly implied. He can cause audiences to shed a tear too, or make them flutter with anxiety.

Need to see more powerful monologues instead of quips? Watch the following Ryan Reynolds movies.

10 ‘The Nines’ (2007)

The Nines is split into three chapters, centering around three men (all portrayed by Ryan Reynolds) as they try to figure out the oddities in their lives. “The Prisoner,” is about an actor under house arrest. “Reality Television” charts the chaotic production of a sitcom, and “Knowing,” follows a video-game designer stranded in the forest.

A Well-Constructed Low-Budget Flick

Lensed in shimmering shades of brown, green, and blue, The Nines is an alluring entry in Ryan Reynolds’s resume. Even though it was shot in under a month, with a budget of less than a million, the film doesn’t look cheap. The actors are recycled in the three stories, and each of them fascinates when thrown into new ground. Still, it’s Reynolds who impresses the most by channeling every emotion imaginable.

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9 ‘The Captive’ (2014)

In The Captive, the kidnapping of young Cassandra sends shockwaves through a small town. The authorities suspect her father, Matthew (Ryan Reynolds). Rather than surrender, Matthew becomes a vigilante in search of his daughter. Eight years later, clues emerge, showing who the real culprit is.

Chasing the Truth

Don’t miss this intelligent, brooding thriller where Reynolds winks at the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences. No major awards were handed to the actor and you’ll wonder why. Filmed with crisp, documentary-like realism, The Captive blocks audiences from leaving by maintaining heightened tension. And the movie’s slow-burn nature only makes things more unsettling when the major twist happens.

8 ‘Woman in Gold’ (2015)

Woman in Gold tells the true story of Maria Altmann, a Jewish woman, who sued the government of Austria to reclaim an iconic painting of her aunt, which had been taken from her relatives by the Nazis in Vienna before World War II. Ryan Reynolds portrays her lawyer, Randol ‘Randy’ Schoenberg.

An Obvious Oscar-Bait, yet Still Enjoyable

Director Simon Curtis’ exquisite, quietly affecting examination of an oppressed victim’s travails didn’t necessarily result in one of the best Holocaust movies, but this remains a great achievement of world cinema. The biopic is minimalist in design, with Reynold’s supremely self-possessed performance eliciting our sympathy and delicately attuning us to his character’s professional struggles. Overall, Curtis handles the story brilliantly, his assured pacing and permanent sense of melancholy permeating the proceedings.

7 ‘Buried’ (2010)

Buried follows Iraq-based American civilian truck driver Paul Conroy (Reynolds), who briefly loses consciousness after being ambushed by terrorists. Upon waking up, he finds himself buried alive in a wooden coffin, with only a flask, lighter, flashlight, knife, glowstick, pencil, pencil, and a mobile phone.

Claustrophobia… Turned Up a Notch

Tons of films set in Iraq were released in the 2000s and 2010s. Most of them were the same, but Buried avoided the soldiers and gave us something Hitchcockian. The film mainly impresses because of sight and suspense. The camera angles have some form of arithmetic precision, while the lighting remains a tease in what is supposed to be a sun-soaked country. Most importantly, Reynolds makes us believe he is worried… really worried.

6 ‘Safe House’ (2012)

Safe House follows Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds), a low-level CIA officer posted in Cape Town, South Africa. Weston’s current assignment involves “housekeeping” a safe house where the CIA is interrogating Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), a veteran agent accused of turning on the agency. Things soon get complicated when mercenaries attack the agency.

Reynolds Doesn’t Get Upstaged by Washington

The film wags a finger at the decadence of the world of espionage, turning the tale of an assumed traitor into an arch condemnation of the flawed practices of the CIA and MI6. There’s a lot to munch on, but who better to pull off the role of frustrated agent than Reynolds? Just watch how his eyes dance. Washington might be the better actor, but Reynolds never allows him to outshine him.

5 ‘Fireflies in the Garden’ (2008)

Fireflies in the Garden, Michael (Ryan Reynolds), a popular novelist, pays a visit to his family in the Midwest, only to learn that his mother, Lisa (Julia Roberts), recently died in a tragic accident. His father, Charles (Willem Dafoe), isn’t coping so well, and neither is his sister, Ryne (Shannon Lucio). Soon, cracks start forming in the family.

Will this Family Ever Get Along?

This no-holds-barred condemnation of family shenanigans is a major treat. Reynolds and Dafoe are excellent, never overplaying their characters’ vexation, and the supporting cast is first-class. Unappreciated upon premiering, Fireflies in the Garden deserves a second chance as it’s undoubtedly one of the best movies about dysfunctional families. You’ll also love the music, composed by Javier Navarrete and Jane Antonia Cornish.

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4 ‘The Amityville Horror’ (2005)

The Amityville Horror rides on the annoying trope of a family gladly moving into a home where everything seems off. But it has several laudable elements. Here, George Lutz (Ryan Reynolds) and his wife, Kathy (Melissa George), move into a beautiful new house in the small town of Amityville, N.Y., only to learn that it is haunted.

A Decent Adaptation of a Perfect Book

Based on Jay Anson’s best-selling novel of the same name, this horror outing finds filmmaker Andrew Douglas at his twisted best. Reynolds is perfect as the regretful father set to ignite; Melissa George triggers pity playing Kathy; and you can’t Philip Baker Hall’s shiver-inducing turn as Father Callaway. The script could have been better, but you won’t regret dedicating 89 minutes to it.

3 ‘Criminal’ (2016)

Ryan Reynolds doesn’t last too long in Criminal, but his character’s arc sets the ball rolling. Early in the film, CIA agent Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) dies while heading to a secret location to meet a hacker who has access to missiles. Officials turn to an experimental neurosurgeon who can transfer memories from one brain to another, and so death-row inmate Jerico Stewart (Kevin Costner), becomes the guinea pig.

A High Stakes Affair Boosted by a Strong Cast

This was Israeli director Ariel Vromen’s second blockbuster movie, and it’s arguably his best. Brimming with tension, uncertainty, and clever dialogue, the script also provided an outstanding showcase for the supporting cast, which included Gal Gadot, Tommy Lee Jones, and Scott Adkins. Talk about a star-studded affair — not a single one of these talented faces hits a false note.

2 ‘Life’ (2017)

Life introduces us to three competent astronauts (Ryan Reynolds), Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson) who come across evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. All that is left is to conduct a few more investigations, and then celebrate, but this is Hollywood. Not everything goes as planned, but the mission will be anything but dull.

An ‘Alien’ Ripoff That Fascinates

This gripping ensemble film (scripted by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) gets the usual “superior aesthetics” treatment, with unequaled direction by Daniel Espinosa and uniformly superb work from the talented stars. Gyllenhaal and Ferguson have some chemistry, but Reynolds isn’t left out. His character benefits from well-written dialogue, reminding us that the actor can do more than deliver memorable one-liners.

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1 ‘Ordinary Magic’ (1992)

Young Jeffrey/Ganesh (Ryan Reynolds) from Ordinary Magic is used to a certain kind of expatriate life. Bearded, tough-talking radicals roam his father’s apartment at odd hours, and the old man remains more consumed with political activism in India than parenting. When he dies, Ganesh is sent back to Canada and struggles to adjust.

Signs of a Future Star

Director Giles Walker has long been a chronicler of stories about life’s difficulties. Here, he brings out the best of Reynolds in the Deadpool star’s debut role. Despite only being a teen, Reynolds ably carries the principal role, lending Ganesh/Jeffrey a Stoic self-esteem that forces us to root for him. You are likely to enjoy this picture more than the novel it is based on.

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