6 Best Tony Curtis Movies

By Vlad Zakh · January 14, 2026

Tony Curtis moved easily between matinee-idol charm and much darker character work, and his best performances undercut his good looks in interesting ways. Some Like It Hot disguises two musicians as women, Sweet Smell of Success has a press agent manipulated into destroying a young man, The Defiant Ones chains two escaped convicts together, and Spartacus joins the slave uprising. Trapeze and Houdini round out the list.

Spartacus (1960)

TMDB ★ 7.9

An enslaved gladiator leads a massive slave rebellion against the might of the Roman Republic.

Directed by Stanley Kubrick · 3h 17m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: MGM Plus · Rent or 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

The Defiant Ones (1958)

TMDB ★ 7.7

Cara Williams appears as two escaped convicts, one Black and one white, chained together, have to overcome their hatred to survive.

Directed by Stanley Kramer · 1h 36m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · Rent or buy: Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

TMDB ★ 8.0

A ruthless newspaper columnist and a desperate press agent scheme to destroy a young musician.

Directed by Alexander Mackendrick · 1h 37m

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, 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

Trapeze (1956)

TMDB ★ 6.7

An ambitious young acrobat comes between two rival circus performers and their shared act.

Directed by Carol Reed · 1h 45m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Houdini (1953)

TMDB ★ 6.7

The legendary escape artist's dangerous stunts and obsession with the afterlife define his extraordinary career.

Directed by George Marshall · 1h 46m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus · 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.

6 Best Tony Curtis Movies

Spartacus (1960)

Some Like It Hot (1959)

The Defiant Ones (1958)

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)

Trapeze (1956)

Houdini (1953)

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