6 Best Paul Muni Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 20, 2026

Paul Muni was celebrated as one of the great transformative actors of early Hollywood, famous for disappearing into demanding real-life and dramatic roles. The Story of Louis Pasteur and The Life of Emile Zola are the biographical highlights, Juarez defends a Mexican republic against a puppet emperor, The Last Angry Man follows a Brooklyn doctor, and I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang and Scarface round out the list.

The Last Angry Man (1959)

TMDB ★ 7.0

Paul Muni plays an ageing, dedicated doctor in a poor Brooklyn neighbourhood who becomes the subject of a television show.

Directed by Daniel Mann · 1h 40m

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Juarez (1939)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A Mexican president fights to defend his republic against a European-backed puppet emperor.

Directed by William Dieterle · 2h 05m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

TMDB ★ 7.2

Gale Sondergaard appears as the famed French author risks everything to expose a grave miscarriage of justice.

Directed by William Dieterle · 1h 56m · Rated G

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936)

TMDB ★ 7.3

Frank Reicher features in this biopic about a determined scientist who battles medical scepticism to prove his revolutionary theories.

Directed by William Dieterle · 1h 26m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

TMDB ★ 7.8

A war veteran wrongly imprisoned on a brutal chain gang makes a desperate escape.

Directed by Mervyn LeRoy · 1h 32m · Rated NR

Where to watch

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

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Scarface (1932)

TMDB ★ 7.7

A ruthless, ambitious gangster claws his way to the top of Prohibition-era Chicago's criminal world.

Directed by Howard Hawks · 1h 33m

Where to watch

Stream: Brew · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Brew, 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.

6 Best Paul Muni Movies

The Last Angry Man (1959)

Juarez (1939)

The Life of Emile Zola (1937)

The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936)

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)

Scarface (1932)

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