6 Best Ernest Borgnine Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 17, 2026

Ernest Borgnine brought gruff, everyman warmth to American film, equally convincing as a lonely butcher looking for love or a brutal outlaw. Marty is the first, The Wild Bunch the second, with an ageing gang planning one last robbery. The Poseidon Adventure fights for survival in a capsized liner, The Vikings clashes half-brothers over a kingdom, Escape from New York walls off Manhattan, and From Here to Eternity rounds out the list.

Escape from New York (1981)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A convicted criminal is sent into a walled-off, lawless Manhattan to rescue the kidnapped president.

Directed by John Carpenter · 1h 39m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 82% Metacritic 70

The survivors of a capsized ocean liner climb upward through the wreckage looking for a way out.

Directed by Ronald Neame · 1h 57m · Rated PG

Won 1 Oscar5 wins & 13 nominations

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Wild Bunch (1969)

TMDB ★ 7.8

An ageing gang of outlaws plans one last robbery as the Old West gives way to modern civilisation.

Directed by Sam Peckinpah · 2h 25m · Rated R

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Vikings (1958)

TMDB ★ 7.0

Rival Viking half-brothers, unaware of their shared blood, clash over a kingdom and the same woman.

Directed by Richard Fleischer · 1h 55m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Marty (1955)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A lonely, unassuming butcher unexpectedly finds love with a plain schoolteacher at a local dance.

Directed by Delbert Mann · 1h 30m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · 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

From Here to Eternity (1953)

TMDB ★ 7.6

Soldiers stationed in Hawaii deal with love and rivalry in the tense months before Pearl Harbor.

Directed by Fred Zinnemann · 1h 58m · Rated NR

Where to watch

▶ 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.

6 Best Ernest Borgnine Movies

Escape from New York (1981)

The Poseidon Adventure (1972)

The Wild Bunch (1969)

The Vikings (1958)

Marty (1955)

From Here to Eternity (1953)

You might also like

8 Best Movies of 1981

8 Best Movies of 1972

6 Best Oscar Best Picture Winners of the 1950s

6 Best Disaster at Sea Movies

6 Best Cruise Ship Movies of All Time

19 Best Disaster Movies of All Time