10 Best Judi Dench Movies, Ranked

Judi Dench is a true veteran with a career spanning seven decades and countless genres. She got her start on stage in the late ’50s, quickly becoming a prominent figure in the Royal Shakespeare Company. However, Dench only became a frequent film performer in the late 1980s. Nevertheless, she quickly turned in a string of acclaimed performances in everything from indie dramas like A Room with a View to action blockbusters like GoldenEye.

Dench specializes in Shakespeare, biopics, and realistic dramas, although she’s also experimented with musicals, fantasy films, and satire. Dench has explained her busy work life, even into her late eighties, and willingness to take on unusual roles by saying, “I have an irrational fear of boredom.” The thespian says she tries to learn something every day, a fact that provides a glimpse into her acting method. After all, she says she learned much of her craft by watching other performers from the wings. These are Judi Dench’s best movies, acclaimed gems and testaments to her once-in-a-generation gifts.

10 ‘A Room With a View’ (1985)

Directed by James Ivory

“A young girl, transfigured by Italy! And why shouldn’t she be transfigured?” A Room with a View is one of three movies James Ivory adapted from E.M. Forster novels, the others being Maurice and Howards End. Thematically, the three are triplets, dealing with individuals who don’t fit into repressive Edwardian England. Here, Helena Bonham Carter makes her feature debut as the young Lucy Honeychurch, who becomes entangled in a web of love and social expectations while traveling in France.

Dench is Eleanor Lavish, an eccentric novelist who befriends Lucy. Dench is delightfully vivacious, embodying Miss Lavish’s zest for life and disdain for societal conventions. Not to mention, she practically sings Forster’s dialogue. Her portrayal adds a layer of comic relief and sharp wit to the narrative while influencing Lucy’s journey toward self-discovery. Through Dench’s vibrant performance, Miss Lavish becomes a memorable catalyst for change, encouraging Lucy to question her repressed Victorian upbringing and pursue genuine happiness.

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9 ‘Iris’ (2001)

Directed by Richard Eyre

“There is only one freedom of any importance: freedom of the mind.” Irisis a celebrated biopic about British novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch, focusing on her career and her battle with Alzheimer’s disease. The film juxtaposes Iris’s early years (in which she’s played by Kate Winslet) with her later life (Dench). The narrative interweaves past and present, delving into Iris’s relationship with her husband, John Bayley (Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent).

Iris
is a compelling tribute to the late intellectual and a showcase for every actor involved.

The film lacks a strong plot, serving instead as a platform for the performances. Fortunately, Winslet and Dench are more than up to the task. The latter is tender and raw here; her turn is a masterclass in conveying vulnerability and strength. Broadbent is similarly impressive as a husband growing hopeless and frustrated in the face of his wife’s deterioration. Dench’s work earned her an Oscar nod, while Broadbent won gold for his. Although a little somber at times, Iris is a compelling tribute to the late intellectual and a showcase for every actor involved.

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8 ‘Casino Royale’ (2006)

Directed by Martin Campbell

“I report to the Prime Minister and even he’s smart enough not to ask me what we do.” One of Dench’s most iconic roles is her appearance as M in the James Bond series. She was the first and thus far only woman to play the cool, calm head of MI6. Her take on the character was partly modeled on Stella Rimington, the real-life head of MI5 in the mid-’90s. Although Dench first appeared in GoldenEye opposite Pierce Brosnan, she and Daniel Craig had terrific chemistry, bringing out the best in each character.

In Casino Royale, Dench’s M navigates the challenges of overseeing Bond’s unorthodox methods. After all, her clinical approach (she’s referred to as “the Evil Queen of Numbers”) clashes with 007’s more impulsive style. Nevertheless, her interactions with Bond reveal layers of complexity in her character, balancing stern disapproval with subtle hints of trust and mentorship. Dench adds depth, nuance, and dignity to the narrative, grounding the high-octane action with a sense of gravitas and emotional weight.

7 ‘Chocolat’ (2000)

Directed by Lasse Hallström

“What’s the décor, early Mexican brothel?” Juliette Binoche leads Chocolat, a whimsical drama about Vianne Rocher, a woman who opens a chocolate shop in a French village during Lent, tempting the villagers with her delectable creations and slowly winning over their hearts. Dench plays Armande Voizin, a feisty and rebellious woman estranged from her daughter and denied access to her beloved grandson. She, too, refuses to be cowed by social expectations.

Armande becomes Vianne’s earliest ally, eventually turning into a symbol of resistance to the village’s stifling norms. It’s only a supporting part, but Dench makes her memorable and entertaining, a real crowd-pleaser. In a lesser actor’s hands, the character might have come across as more of a plot device than a real person. Instead, Dench turns her into a great distillation of the movie’s themes, chiefly the tension between self-denial and indulgence. Consequently, the Academy rewarded Dench with yet another Oscar nomination.

6 ‘Notes on a Scandal’ (2006)

Directed by Richard Eyre

“People languish for years with partners who are clearly from another planet.” Notes on a Scandal revolves around the tumultuous relationship between two women: Barbara Covett (Dench), a stern and solitary history teacher, and Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett), the art teacher to whom she is attracted. The plot thickens when Barbara discovers Sheba’s illicit affair with a teenage student and decides to use this secret to forge an intense, manipulative bond with her.

Despite its relatively brief runtime of 92 minutes, Notes on a Scandal delves deep into the murky depths of the women’s psyches, creating a tense and immersive experience. Dench and Blanchett are fantastic, as one would expect, perhaps challenging each other to up their game. Dench, in particular, delivers a tour de force performance, infusing Barbara with a chilling blend of bitterness, longing, and cunning. Her ability to convey the character’s complex inner life, marked by unfulfilled desires and calculated schemes, is both unsettling and mesmerizing. Notes on a Scandal is a modern psycho-biddy pleasure, a twisted love tale elevated by a pair of outstanding performances.

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5 ‘Belfast’ (2021)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

“Women can smash your face in, too, mister.” Belfast is Kenneth Branagh‘s deeply personal drama about life in Northern Ireland during the turbulent 1960s. It centers on young Buddy (Jude Hill), whose idyllic childhood is disrupted by the onset of the Troubles, a period of intense sectarian conflict. A near-unrecognizable Dench portrays Granny, Buddy’s wise and loving grandmother, who provides a comforting anchor for the family amid the chaos.

Dench and Branagh make for a formidable pairing. Belfast was Branagh’s fourth time directing the actress, while Dench has directed him twice onstage. Both are great admirers of Shakespeare, after all, which may explain their bond. When initially offered the role of Branagh’s grandmother, Dench responded, “Good grief, I’m not old enough!” but ultimately, she came around. She has said that she felt a great deal of responsibility in telling this story well, in light of its political and emotional weight.

4 ‘Henry V’ (1989)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh

“He’s not in hell; he’s in Arthur’s bosom.” Speaking of Branagh/Dench collaborations, their first film together (after Dench directed Branagh in a stage version of Much Ado About Nothing) was also Branagh’s directorial debut. Henry V sees him taking on the lead role of the young English king during the Hundred Years’ War. Dench is Mistress Quickly, the innkeeper and widow of Sir John Falstaff.

Dench’s performance is another spark in Branagh’s energetic
Henry V
, arguably the director’s best Shakespeare adaptation.

It’s not a major part, but it does hand Dench some entertaining, lighthearted lines, which she delivers with evident delight. Her fondness for the Bard is no secret; she has appeared in several filmed adaptations of Shakespeare’s work, along with countless stage versions, and even wrote a book about the playwright. No matter the size of her role, Dench always brings energy, enthusiasm, and effort to all of her Shakespearean work. Indeed, she has said that one of her acting mottoes is “Never settle.” Her performance is another spark in Branagh’s energetic Henry V, arguably the director’s best Shakespeare adaptation.

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3 ‘Skyfall’ (2012)

Directed by Sam Mendes

“One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will.” Although Casino Royale may be the better Bond film overall, Skyfall, Dench’s seventh and final film as M, gives her character increased prominence. She has more dialogue, more screen time, and more emotional moments, especially as her ability to lead MI6 is repeatedly called into question.

Dench’s work is complemented by the darker storytelling from Sam Mendes and the breathtaking visuals courtesy of Roger Deakins. As a result, Skyfall is a gorgeous swan song for Dench’s M. She’s almost a co-lead in this one, the most unlikely, mature, and affecting Bond Girl that 007 ever had, facing individual challenges and undergoing a full story arc. Most of all, it’s fun to watch her out in the real world rather than just behind a desk. “It’s extremely nice to get a go in the field, as it were, and get a bit of the action. It made me feel very grown-up,” Dench said of the movie.

2 ‘Shakespeare in Love’ (1998)

Directed by John Madden

“Playwrights teach us nothing about love. They make it pretty, they make it comical, or they make it lust, but they cannot make it true.” Dench has been nominated for eight Oscars, winning for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love. The film reimagines the creative genesis of Romeo and Juliet, inventing a love story between Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes) and the noblewoman Viola de Lesseps (Gwyneth Paltrow).

The Queen is a regular theater attendee, and her authoritative presence provides many turning points in the narrative. Playing to Dench’s strengths, the movie cleverly integrates numerous lines from Shakespeare’s plays into its dialogue. These lines often serve as humorous outbursts, twisting the original poetic language into literal commentary. Plot devices from the plays also crop up, including mistaken identities, sword fights, the suspicion of adultery, and an alleged ghost. The casting of Shakespearean veteran Dench is thus also a little meta, in the best way. Although it infamously won Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan, Shakespeare in Love is a worthy, romantic, and endlessly enjoyable picture, a classic tale of love and its inherent link to art that has aged beautifully in most respects.

1 ‘Philomena’ (2013)

Directed by Stephen Frears

“After I had the sex, I thought anything that feels so lovely must be wrong.” In the 2013 comedy Philomena, Dench is the titular Philomena Lee, an Irish woman who embarks on a quest to find her long-lost son with the help of jaded journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan, who also wrote the screenplay). It ranks among Dench’s most powerful performances: nuanced, funny, vulnerable, and unbowed. The character remains tough and kind despite all she’s been through.

Philomena is touching and entertaining, held together by a steady stream of jokes, brisk storytelling, and a stirring score by Alexandre Desplat (The Grand Budapest Hotel). Few movies so successfully combine a detective story with a character study and political commentary. Much of the fun stems from the banter and friendship between Philomena and Martin. Dench and Coogan have easy chemistry, making for a surprisingly charming duo. The script gives Dench much to work with, yet she still elevates the material, giving the character a dignity that she may have lacked on paper.

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