Ralph Ineson Ranked

Welcome to "Ranked", a weekly series where I rank a franchise or filmography from worst to best and hand out assorted related superlatives. This week, I'm profiling the work of Ralph Ineson-whose latest project "The First Omen" releases in theaters tonight. 

Ralph Ineson's Filmography Ranked:

14.The Hurricane Heist (C)

13.The Green Knight (C)

12.First Knight (C+)

11.To Catch a Killer (B-)

10.Robin Hood (B-)

9.The Pope's Exorcist (B-)

8.The Creator (B-)

7.Ready Player One (B-)

6.The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (B)

5.Gunpowder Milkshake (B)

4.The Witch (B)

3.The Northman (B+)

2.Kingsman: The Secret Service (A-)

1.Guardians of the Galaxy (A)

Top Dog: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

As we approach the 10-year anniversary of Guardians of the Galaxy, it's crazy to consider just how massive its impact has been. Not only was James Gunn able to turn himself into the most impactful filmmaker in the superhero genre and jumpstart Chris Pratt's evolution from scene-stealing sitcom star to reliable blockbuster anchor, Guardians made heartfelt, humor-filled stories of misfits with checkered pasts full of unshakeable grief who find family for the first time in each other a formula that has been pretty widely copied with varying degrees of success. Other superhero movies have made more money and spawned more celebrated villains, action sequences, etc., but almost nothing in the genre can match the impact Guardians made with its character-driven approach in a space that often puts little-to-no value on such a thing.     

Bottom Feeder: The Hurrican Heist (2018)

The brief run Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios had as a theatrical movie distributor was awesome because their business model mostly consisted of buying random indie productions that could pass off as blockbusters from prior decades. Nothing exemplifies this philosophy better than a little movie called The Hurricane Heist. Watching several British character actors (Toby Kebbell, Ineson, the late Ben Cross) team up with a pair of performers best known for being the 10th billed member of the primary cast on a long-running ensemble television series (Maggie Grace, Ryan Kwanten) for a disaster heist movie that alternates between being a fun bad and legitimately bad movie is certainly something that I won't forget. And in this age of increasingly disposable media consumption, any form of memorability is valuable.       

Most Underrated: Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

Quietly arriving on Netflix in July 2021 after having its planned theatrical release via STX (RIP) disrupted by the pandemic, Gunpowder Milkshake is a fun assassin action comedy that deserved better. The high energy fight scenes are full of refreshingly unique ideas/settings (A big bowling alley brawl! Hammer fights! Karen Gillan fighting goons in an office chair with paralyzed arms!), the noirish cinematography from Michael Seresin is gorgeous and Paul Giamatti crushes his first opportunity to step back into the cartoonish action movie villain arena since his legendary turn in Shoot 'Em Up.   

Most Overrated: The Green Knight (2021)

This is a tricky one to critique since it's a film that is really well-made, ambitious and awesome to look at. However, The Green Knight never quite comes together as its not atmospheric or hypnotic enough to work as a fever dream nor mystical or grand enough to work as a more straightforward piece of Arthurian folklore.