We salute the film work of the mighty Rutger Hauer, counting down his greatest movie roles.

Of course that includes Blade Runner.

Rutger Hauer has had an odd career.

He made his name in arty European cinema, yet is best known for his genre work.

Hes been in a hell of a lot of crap, yet hes never less than incredibly watchable.

Hes stereotyped for playing bad guys, yet but he has done so much more than just that.

Rutger Hauer has also made a lot of movies.

Some of them are amazing.

Some of them are terrible, but worth watching because hes in them.

Here are 25 films, some great, some not, that demonstrate the genius of Hauer.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer

So yeah, its the film version that no one talks about.

And compared to one of the most acclaimed TV shows of all time, its pretty laughable.

And Hauer is clearly having a ball as the campy head vampire.

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Bleeders

Hauer has sadly been in a lot of awful straight to video crap since the early 90s.

But his performance in trashy monsters-on-an-island horrorBleedersstands out.

Even if it does get out-acted by a dog.

Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind

George Clooneys directorial debut- written by Charlie Kaufman is a strange little film.

Sam Rockwell plays Chuck Barris, best known as the host of 70s game showThe Gong Show.

But according to Barris autobiography, he was also a CIA assassin.

And who better to pop up as a German-American agent in East Berlin than Rutger Hauer?

In a lot of ways, its the quintessential great later-day Rutger Hauer performance.

It does however feature Rutger Hauer as womanising mobster with a pencil moustache.

As you might expect, hes pretty great, even if the film isnt.

Hauer had the smaller role as the cannibal Cardinal, and he doesnt disappoint.

At least until he gets offed by Marv (Powers Boothe played the Senator).

Wanted: Dead Or Alive

Wanted: Dead Or Aliveis not a great movie.

But itisa glimpse into an alternate 80s where Rutger Hauer was a major action star like Stallone or Arnie.

Batman Begins

Christopher Nolans Batman trilogy secretly casts a lot of heroes of the straight-to-DVD world.

But its Hauer, inBatman Begins, who makes the biggest impression.

The Salute Of The Jugger

Theres always something ever so slightly weird about Hauer.

And thats something that can elevate weird little b-movies to something memorable.

Like this odd future-sports/Mad Maxhybrid.

Nighthawks

A lot of this list is trying to show Hauers variety as an actor.

Hes not just always just the bad guy.

Fatherland

Despite being Dutch, Hauer seems to play Nazis quite a lot.

Sadly the film is only available on VHS.

Which is a shame, because its another straight heroic role for Hauer.

When you think of Rutger Hauer, you tend to think of playing bad guys and weirdos.

But here hes a proper action hero.

Verhoeven always gave Hauer great parts, and its a shame they havent made a film together since.

The Hitcher

Hauer can be a hammy actor.

And youd think that a film where he plays a crazy hitchhiker would give ample opportunity to go full-ham.

But he plays it cool.

He smiles, he smirks, he drips with swag.

He is totally unstoppable, and hes utterly terrifying.

Surviving The Game

You want a great Rutger Hauer villain role?

Get this brilliant, forgotten early 90s riff onThe Most Dangerous Gamein your life.

And who is in this hunting party?

Based on that CV, its not surprising that theres an undercurrent of race and class going on.

Blind Fury

Blind Furyhas an odd set-up.

Essentially, its a contemporary US remake of the JapaneseZatoichimovies, about the titular blind samurai.

This is the movie that should have made Rutger Hauer a true action star.

But Hauers central role is what elevates Hobo With A Shotgun from the Sharknados and Machetes of the world.

Its easily his greatest late-period role.

Hauer would receive a Golden Globe for his efforts.

Blade Runner

Was number one going to be anything else?

Probably more charismatic than even Harrison Ford (and thats kind of the point).

And theres far much more too him than just an evil plan.

He is a person (well, not a human) who just wants to live.

And when we die, they die.

And in a film about what it means to be human and alive, Hauer seems the most alive.