For the past nearly 40 years, the best Josh Brolin movies have been those that have allowed the second-generation actor to show off his dynamic and versatile acting skills, charm, and all-around likability. No matter if he’s playing a teenage heartthrob in The Goonies, the Mad Titan himself in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or an everyman who find himself in the wrong place at the wrong time in No Country For Old Men, Brolin continues to be one of the most exciting names in show business. Below is a rather extensive list of more than a dozen offerings. And yes, that includes all you need to know about how to watch Dune streaming.
The Goonies (1985)
A group of young friends attempt one last-ditch effort to save their community from becoming a golf course by seeking out the long lost pirate treasure supposedly hidden deep in a cave off the coast of Oregon.
Richard Donner’s The Goonies is one of the most quintessential ‘80s movies and helped launch the careers of everyone from Sean Astin to Josh Brolin who play brothers Mikey and Brand Walsh. With comedy, drama, and swashbuckling adventure (plus all those booby traps), the 1985 classic continues to entertain audiences of all generations.
Stream The Goonies on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy The Goonies on Amazon.
Buy The Goonies on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
- Take a look at the infamous Goonies octopus scene and why it was cut.
No Country For Old Men (2007)
Llewelyn Moss’ (Josh Brolin) is forever changed when he stumbles across a drug deal gone wrong in the West Texas desert and finds a satchel containing more money than he could have ever imagined. However, with that cold hard cash comes an even colder hitman named Anton Chigurh who will stop at nothing to retrieve the missing money.
There are a few moments in Coen Brothers’ 2007 adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s sprawling thriller No Country for Old Men where you learn a lot about Llewelyn Moss and past without him saying more than a few words, and that’s all thanks to Josh Brolin’s show and not tell approach.
Stream No Country For Old Men on Pluto.
Rent/Buy No Country For Old Men on Amazon.
Buy No Country For Old Men on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) / Avengers: Endgame (2019)
After more than a half-decade of end credit scenes, cameos, and other teases, the world finally got to see the arrival of the Mad Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) in Avengers: Infinity War as he carries out the final steps in his plan to “bring balance” to the universe. Then in Avengers: Endgame Marvel fans got to experience the fallout of his principled yet destructive actions.
With tremendous writing by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, direction by Anthony and Joe Russo, and acting by Josh Brolin, it was easy to see how Thanos justified his actions to carry out what was essentially mass murder on a galactic scale.
Stream Avengers: Infinity War on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Avengers: Infinity War on Amazon.
Buy Avengers: Infinity War on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Stream Avengers: Endgame on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Avengers: Endgame on Amazon.
Buy Avengers: Endgame on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Dune (2021)
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune tells the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he travels to the formidable planet known as Arrakis, home of the universe’s most power and sought after resource, to see to it that his family lives on for generations to come.
The Dune cast is one of the most impressive put together in quite some time, and hiding in plain sight is Josh Brolin’s Gurney Halleck, the poet and warrior who serves as the House Atreides weapons master and protagonist Paul Atreides’ trusted mentor. Plus, it’s another great movie starring both Brolin and his No Country For Old Men co-star Javier Bardem.
Inherent Vice (2014)
Private detective Larry “Doc” Sportello’s (Joaquin Phoenix) simple and relatively calm life in a Los Angeles County beachside community is thrown a series of road-bumps when a former lover, Shasta Fay (Katherine Waterston) comes back into his life with a strange request before disappearing, leaving the P.I. alone to get to the bottom of a multi-layered psychedelic misadventure
Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2014 adaptation of the classic Thomas Pynchon novel Inherent Vice is full of great, well-written and well-acted characters, and Josh Brolin’s Detective Christian F. “Bigfoot” Bjornsen is near the top of that list. One of the more complicated figures in the neo-noir film, you never really know where Bigfoot stands on most things, which makes him all the more interesting of a character.
Stream Inherent Vice on Kanopy.
Rent/Buy Inherent Vice on Amazon.
Buy Inherent Vice on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Sicario (2015)
FBI Agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) finds herself working for a joint task force between her agency and the CIA to take out some of the biggest players in cross-border drug trade, an experience that will leave her asking the question if it is noble to stop criminals if the means you use to carry out that mission aren’t any better.
Sicario, which was written by Taylor Sheridan and directed by Denis Villeneuve, features a handful of characters who live in a world in which they no longer subscribe to the concept of morality and have an almost absolute view of justice. This is best shown through the philosophies and actions of CIA officer Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and the mysterious Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro).
Rent/Buy Sicario on Amazon.
Buy Sicario on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Milk (2008)
Gus Van Sant’s 2008 biographical drama Milk tells the story of quick ascent of gay rights activist Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) as he rises through the ranks to become America’s first openly gay elected official in 1970s San Francisco.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Milk is the working relationship shared by the liberal Harvey Milk and conservative supervisor Dan White (Josh Brolin), one that experiences several ups and downs throughout their time together in public office, one that takes a tragic turn.
Stream Milk on Showtime.
Rent/Buy Milk on Amazon.
Buy Milk on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
W. (2008)
W. is the final chapter in Oliver Stone's unofficial U.S. Presidents trilogy, one the explores a few of the most pivotal moments in the life of George W. Bush (Josh Brolin), both in the world of politics and his own personal life.
Although W. isn’t the best of Oliver Stone’s presidential dramas (that one goes to JFK), Josh Brolin’s depiction of “Dubya” is one of the most interesting character studies of Stone’s career. At times it’s hard to tell if Stone and Brolin are lampooning the 43rd President of the United States or treating him as another victim of his administration, which adds a level of mystique to what could have been a rather straightforward presidential biopic.
Stream W. on Tubi.
Rent/Buy W. on Amazon.
Buy W. on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
True Grit (2010)
After her father is murdered in cold blood, 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) makes it her mission to find his killer, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin) and give him a taste of his own medicine. With the help of Deputy U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), the young and tough orphan sets off into the Indian Territory to hunt him down.
The Coen Brothers’ True Grit is mostly remembered for Hailee Steinfeld’s breakout performance, and rightfully so, but the supporting cast of characters is just as noteworthy. Josh Brolin brings an unsavoriness and downright evilness with his portrayal of Tom Chaney and makes for one of the best villains in modern western movies.
Stream True Grit on Cinemax.
Rent/Buy True Grit on Amazon.
Buy True Grit on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Deadpool 2 (2018)
Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) meets his match with another Marvel character who can travel through space and time, Cable (Josh Brolin) who has traveled back in time to kill Russell Collins (Julian Dennison), an orphaned mutant who has the potential to become one of the most sinister villains in comic book movie history.
Similar to its predecessor, Deadpool 2 offers a great mix of raucous (and dirty) humor and comic book action while also adding another layer of emotional depth, specifically with Josh Brolin’s character. The reasons behind his descent into darkness and desire to kill what appears to be a misunderstood kid remains one of the best backstories in recent memory.
Rent/Buy Deadpool 2 on Amazon.
Buy Deadpool 2 on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), the head of physical production at Capitol Pictures is used to fixing small problems caused by the studio’s various stars, but what he’s about to experience is like nothing that has come before. When Capital Pictures’ biggest star, Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is kidnapped during the production of his latest film, Mannix finds himself in a race against time to save the actor, the film, and the studio.
The Coen Brothers’ Hail, Caesar! is one of the most bonkers movies in recent memory (even by the filmmaking duo’s standards) with pretty much every character being crazed and frenzied save for Josh Brolin’s Eddie Mannix. But even the cool-as-a-cucumber fixer has his limits.
Stream Hail, Caesar! on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Hail, Caesar! on Amazon.
Buy Hail, Caesar! on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Flirting With Disaster (1996)
Upon the birth of his child, Mel Colpin (Ben Stiller) refuses to name his son until he can uncover the identities of his own parents who gave him up for adoption decades earlier. What follows is a cross-country trip with his wife, Nancy Colpin (Patricia Arquette), an adoption agent named Tina Kalb (Tea Leoni), and a pair of ATF agents, Tony Kent (Josh Brolin) and Paul Harmon (Richard Jenkins), who are partners in more ways that one.
David O. Russell’s Flirting with Disaster is one farce after another as the confused and conflicted Mel Colpin tries to get a better understanding of his past, one stop, and one crazy character at a time. Two of these characters — Tony Kent and Paul Harmon — create for even more awkwardness and zany situations in this hilarious character-driven story.
Stream Flirting With Disaster on Paramount+.
Rent/Buy Flirting With Disaster on Amazon.
Buy Flirting With Disaster on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
Only The Brave (2017)
Joseph Kosinski’s Only the Brave centers on the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of experienced Arizona firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice while fighting a wildfire in June 2013.
Only the Brave is a movie that is driven by heroics and intense firefighting action sequences but also one that is held together by the characters (based on real people) who stick together through thick and thin. Josh Brolin’s Eric Marsh isn’t perfect (as seen multiple times throughout the movie), but heroes are rarely without their own flaws.
Rent/Buy Only The Brave on Amazon.
Buy Only The Brave on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.
This is just a fraction of the great Josh Brolin movies that have been released over the years, and if it’s safe to say that more will be on the way in no time at all. If you want to see where to find Brolin and the rest of the Dune cast in action, check out CinemaBlend’s updated schedule of 2021 new movie releases.
