7 Best Billy Wilder Movies

By Vlad Zakh · February 4, 2026

Billy Wilder moved effortlessly between razor-sharp comedy and searing noir, and his cynical wit made him one of Hollywood’s most consistently brilliant writer-directors. The Apartment has a lonely office worker lending out his flat to philandering executives to climb the ladder, Some Like It Hot sends two musicians who witnessed a mob hit into an all-female band in disguise, One, Two, Three races a Coca-Cola executive through divided Berlin, and Sabrina returns a chauffeur’s daughter from Paris to two wealthy brothers. Ace in the Hole, Sunset Boulevard and Double Indemnity round out the list.

One, Two, Three (1961)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A Coca-Cola executive in divided Berlin scrambles to hide his boss's daughter's marriage to a communist.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 1h 49m · Rated NR

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Apartment (1960)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 94% Metacritic 94

An ambitious insurance clerk lends out his flat to philandering executives in exchange for promotions.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 2h 06m

Won 5 Oscars26 wins & 8 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: YouTube TV · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Some Like It Hot (1959)

IMDb ★ 8.2 RT 95% Metacritic 98

Two musicians disguise themselves as women to escape the mob after witnessing a gangland killing.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 2h 03m

Won 1 Oscar11 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, YouTube TV, MGM Plus · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sabrina (1954)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A chauffeur's daughter returns from Paris transformed, catching the eye of both sons of her father's wealthy employer.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 1h 54m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Ace in the Hole (1951)

TMDB ★ 8.1

A cynical reporter deliberately drags out a man's rescue from a cave-in to maximise the story.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 1h 52m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Brew, FlixFling, IndieFlix, IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Brew, Google Play Movies, YouTube · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Brew, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

IMDb ★ 8.4 RT 98% Metacritic 94

A struggling screenwriter becomes entangled with a faded, delusional silent-film star clinging to the past.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 1h 50m · Rated NR

Won 3 Oscars21 wins & 20 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Kanopy, MGM Plus · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Double Indemnity (1944)

IMDb ★ 8.3 RT 97% Metacritic 95

An insurance salesman is drawn into a scheme to murder a client's husband for the payout.

Directed by Billy Wilder · 1h 47m · Rated NR

Nominated for 7 Oscars5 wins & 9 nominations

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

7 Best Billy Wilder Movies

One, Two, Three (1961)

The Apartment (1960)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

Sabrina (1954)

Ace in the Hole (1951)

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Double Indemnity (1944)

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