Skip to main content
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Alan Ritchson as 81 in War Machine
Sci-Fi Movies Alan Ritchson says Reacher was the most physically demanding role he'd ever played before signing on to War Machine
Hero Fiennes Tiffin as Sherlock Holmes during the new show, Young Sherlock.
Streaming Services 6 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Prime, Disney Plus, and more (March 6-8)
Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Crime Movies Cillian Murphy says Netflix's Peaky Blinders movie is the "natural conclusion" for Tommy Shelby
Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as Agnes and William Shakespeare in Hamnet
Streaming Services 6 of the best new shows and movies streaming this week on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, and more (March 2–March 8)
Barry Keoghan as Duke Shelby walking in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Crime Movies Netflix's new Peaky Blinders movie debuts to rave reviews and a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
(L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
Netflix The 25 best shows on Netflix to watch right now
Reacher season 2
Action Shows Reacher season 4 release date speculation, cast, plot, and everything we know so far about the Prime Video show's return
Glen Powell as Becket in How to Make a Killing
Comedy Movies How to Make a Killing is Glen Powell's latest mid-budget movie, and I hope he never stops making them
Ralph Fiennes as Dr. Kelson in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Horror Movies 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple review: "The wildest and weirdest entry into the franchise yet"
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
Amazon Prime Video The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now
Walton Goggins as the Ghoul in Fallout season 2
TV The 25 best shows on Amazon Prime Video to watch right now
David Lynch as Gordon Cole and Laura Dern as Diane in Twin Peaks: The Return.
Streaming Services The 25 best shows on Paramount Plus to watch right now
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

Worst To Best: Ray Winstone

Features
By Joshua Winning published 11 September 2012

From gobby gangster to big softie

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

The Devils Tomb (2009)

The Movie: Winstone teams up with Cuba Gooding Jr and Ron Perlman for a film that doesn’t deserve their sort of name power, as a group of elite soldiers uncover an ancient evil in an underground lab.

Winstone Grit: Winstone gives a game performance, clearly feeding off the enthusiasm of his co-stars. Shame the film’s not up to much.

Elfie Hopkins (2012)

The Movie: Winstone teams up with his daughter, Jaime, for the first time. She’s an aspiring teen detective, he’s the manic-looking Butcher Bryn. The film isn’t good. At all.

Winstone Grit: Barely recognisable with a slug-like moustache and in full-on butchers garb, Winstone’s got a twinkle in his eye, but what’s the script doing?

The Magic Roundabout (2005)

The Movie: A CGI reprise of the classic TV series which sadly fails to capture much of the show’s intrinsic charm. Winstone heads up the UK voice cast (bogglingly, there’s a separate US voice cast).

Winstone Grit: Not much room for grit in this sickly-sweet kiddie offering, though Soldier Sam at least gets a gun.

You may like
  • (L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip. The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
  • Aaron Taylor Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later 28 Years Later star Alfie Williams is 2025's newcomer of the year, as the star talks about the "life-changing" role
  • Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry in The Gray Man. The 25 best Netflix thrillers to watch right now

Fools Gold (2008)

The Movie: Winstone’s in the background as the spotlight spares Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey few blushes in their post- How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days reteam.

Winstone Grit: Winstone has a go at an accent (is it Texan or Australian?), but fails entirely to conceal his cockney burr. Still, he’s the grittiest thing in this shiny turd.

The Hot Potato (2011)

The Movie: Sixties-set drama ominously based on ‘true events’. The hot potato itself is a lump of Uranium (well, it’s better than ‘Unobtainium’, right?), which is found by two chancers who attempt to sell it in Europe.

Winstone Grit: He’s clearly having a grand old time, not least because he gets to share a smooch with the lovely Louise Redknapp. Who needs grit when you’ve got girls?

Darkness Falls (1999)

The Movie: Not the Emma Caulfield tooth-fairy horror, but a forgettable thriller from director Gerry Lively, in which John Barrett (Winstone) attempts to find out what caused the car crash that put his wife in a coma.

Winstone Grit: He may be wielding a gun, but Winstone shows he has a soft side here, letting a little fragility shine through as he goes about busting blocks. Good work.

44 Inch Chest (2009)

The Movie: When Colin (Winstone) discovers that his wife’s been unfaithful, he recruits some friends to help him kidnap her lover. This isn’t going to end well…

Winstone Grit: Winstone shines as the film’s tortured anti-hero, alternately vengeful and wounded. Shame the movie isn’t quite as good as he is.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Final Cut (1998)

The Movie: An odd reality-aping drama in which Jude Law plays Jude, whose secret video recordings are watched Ray (Winstone) and Sadie (Frost) after his death.

Winstone Grit: Winstone has fun playing a heightened version of himself, not least in a scene that has him swearing ‘til he’s almost purple in the face. Diamond.

Five Seconds To Spare (2000)

The Movie: Winstone stars opposite Andy Serkis and Max Beesley in this Brit drama, in which a young musician new to the streets of London witnesses a savage murder.

Winstone Grit:
As the quintessential Londoner, Winstone brings charisma and guts to a film that is lacking in other areas. Proof that Winstone’s frequently the best thing about the films he’s in.

London Boulevard (2010)

The Movie: The directorial debut of William Monahan, with Keira Knightley as a retired actress who hires Colin Farrell’s ex-con as a bodyguard. Meanwhile, gangster Gant (Winstone) wants the con to work for him.

Winstone Grit:
The film’s a mess, but Winstone’s terrifying as the uncompromising Gant. You wouldn’t want to meet this guy on a dark night.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Current page: Page 1

Next Page Page 2
Joshua Winning
Social Links Navigation

Josh Winning has worn a lot of hats over the years. Contributing Editor at Total Film, writer for SFX, and senior film writer at the Radio Times. Josh has also penned a novel about mysteries and monsters, is the co-host of a movie podcast, and has a library of pretty phenomenal stories from visiting some of the biggest TV and film sets in the world. He would also like you to know that he "lives for cat videos..." Don't we all, Josh. Don't we all.  

Read more
(L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip.
The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
 
 
Aaron Taylor Johnson and Alfie Williams in 28 Years Later
28 Years Later star Alfie Williams is 2025's newcomer of the year, as the star talks about the "life-changing" role
 
 
Ryan Gosling as Court Gentry in The Gray Man.
The 25 best Netflix thrillers to watch right now
 
 
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
 
 
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
 
 
David Jonsson, Cooper Hoffman, Ben Wang, and Tut Nyuot in The Long Walk
The Long Walk is one of the best Stephen King adaptations of all time – and the saddest movie of 2025
 
 
Latest in Movies
A Na'vi draws a bow in Avatar: Fire and Ash
James Cameron says Avatar 4 is still "very likely", despite Fire and Ash making $870 million less than The Way of Water
 
 
Mario riding Yoshi through space with Luigi and Peach flying along beside him
Super Mario Galaxy Movie reveals Donald Glover as the voice of Yoshi and more new casting in a star-spanning trailer
 
 
Arnold Schwarzenegger in Predator
Arnold Schwarzenegger says he'll be in the next Predator movie and a Conan the Barbarian sequel
 
 
Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Elijah Wood says he "wouldn't want anybody else to play Frodo", and now we're thinking he's in The Hunt for Gollum
 
 
The new GamesRadar+ logo on a dark background adorned with crosses in orange and grey
The next generation of GamesRadar+ is here
 
 
Hayden Christensen in Revenge of  the Sith
Star Wars fans are debating an iconic Revenge of the Sith scene that's now one of the saga's biggest 'what if' moments
 
 
Latest in Features
Underside of Alienware 16 Area-51 gaming laptop with glass viewing window and RGB fans
We could get a shock when 2026 gaming laptop prices are unveiled, here's what you need to know about buying this year
 
 
In Hitman World of Assassination, Agent 47 sits at the departure gate in an airport during the loading screen
After weeks spent locked into Hitman's Freelancer mode, I realize there's one vital thing 007 First Light needs to learn
 
 
Mario gadgets, accessories, and games on a blue background
The ultimate Mario Day starter pack, kit up for the plumber's big day
 
 
Glen Powell as Becket in How to Make a Killing
How to Make a Killing is Glen Powell's latest mid-budget movie, and I hope he never stops making them
 
 
Jensen Huang next to AI robot on stage at GTC 2024
Nvidia's CEO says "we created the modern video game industry," but all its push into AI upscaling has done is destroy good game optimization
 
 
Cillian Murphy as Tommy Shelby walking in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man
Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man ending explained: does Tommy Shelby die and will there be a new season?
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Battlefield 6
    1
    "The fundamentals of FPS should drive our decision": Battlefield 6 designers say developers have a "responsibility" to make games intuitive
  2. 2
    "The first track spoils the whole game": Clair Obscur Expedition 33 devs confirm they were filling your ears with spoilers the entire time
  3. 3
    The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reveals Donald Glover as the voice of Yoshi and more new casting in a star-spanning trailer that sends the entire Mushroom Kingdom to another planet
  4. 4
    Reacher star Alan Ritchson says season 4 is coming this year: "It's by far the best season we've had yet"
  5. 5
    Clair Obscur Expedition 33 took inspiration from a surprising anime - Soul Eater creator's Fire Force: "Because it was a JRPG, we tried to find a mix"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...