5 Michael Fassbender Movies You Need To See

Praise be unto him, the most glorious Michael Fassbender.

1. 12 Years a Slave (2013)

This movie is phenomenal and I couldn't make this list in good conscience without including it. Fassbender plays an emotionally unstable, wildly racist slaveowner named Edwin Epps, who lusts after Patsy (Lupita Nyong'o), his most productive slave. Though he doesn't appear until later in the movie, Fassie delivers another astounding performance as a supporting actor.

2. Shame (2011)

Two words: Fassie weiner. OK, that's not the whole appeal of this movie, though it is a fascinating curiosity early on. The real draw of this movie is the internal emotional conflict of Brandon (Fass.), who has to come to terms with some unmentioned family trauma when his sister, Sissy (Carey Mulligan), shows up unannounced to his pad. His boss is scummy, his sister is as emotionally unstable as he is, and his addiction is unrelenting and uncontrollable.

3. Eden Lake (2008)

This film is absolutely brutal. Why are kids always such little shitheads in movies? Maybe it's just what I've seen lately. Anyway, they play a devilish role in this movie, too, and I don't recommend watching it unless you are a seasoned gore/horror fan. I'll try to be brief in my synopsis: shit goes down. Fassie, as usual, delivers a marvelous performance, even if it's just to act like he's in agonizing pain.

4. Hunger (2008)

Fassbender plays Bobby Sands, an Irish Republican Army volunteer who leads numerous strikes in an attempt to regain political status. This role saw Fassbender at his most emaciated, which proved difficult to watch. One of the best scenes in this movie is between Sands and Father Dominic Moran (Liam Cunningham), who sit at a table in prison, smoking cigarettes and talking about the morality of Sands' planned hunger strike.

5. Fish Tank (2009)

I'm extremely biased because this is my favorite movie. Fassie plays the mysterious and compelling Connor, who comes into Mia's (Katie Jarvis) life just as everything seems to be falling apart. Granted, it had been rapidly deteriorating until this point. But he offers encouragement and stability and proves to be an all-around good guy, somewhat. He's also dating Mia's mother, played by Kierston Wareing. See this movie immediately.

Dammit, now I want to watch it again...