Every Russo Brothers’ Movies, Ranked

Joe and Anthony Russo (collectively known as the Russo brothers) have become two of the most successful filmmakers in Hollywood, thanks primarily to their work on the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). However, it wasn’t with big-budget superhero action movies that the brothers got their start. They were mainly comedy directors before they moved into the blockbuster genre after working on TV shows like Arrested Development, Community, and Happy Endings. They even won an Emmy for their work on Arrested Development.

However, after a few smaller comedy movies, they skyrocketed to fame thanks to their entry into the MCU. They started with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, considered one of the best MCU movies to date, before directing Avengers: Endgame, which is the second-highest-grossing movie of all time. Their work outside the MCU has been hit or miss, but the brothers remain in-demand filmmakers. They have also produced several movies, but only their directed works are included here.

9

You, Me And Dupree (2006)

A Romantic Comedy With An Annoying Roommate

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You, Me and Dupree

PG-13

Comedy

Romance

Release Date

July 13, 2006

Runtime

108 minutes

Director

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Cast

  • Headshot Of Owen Wilson In The 2006 MTV Movie Awards

    Owen Wilson

  • Headshot Of Kate Hudson

    Kate Hudson

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Matt Dillon

  • Headshot Of Michael Douglas In The 7th Canneseries International Festival

    Michael Douglas

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While the Russo brothers’ debut film, Welcome to Collinwood, was a quirky comedy that brought memories of Arrested Development to mind, their second was a broad comedy with more of a mainstream comic sensibility. As a result, it didn’t work out nearly as well as their previous film. You, Me and Dupree is a fairly rote comedy, where a couple (Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon) face a challenge that could potentially derail their impending nuptials, in this case, the titular Dupree (Owen Wilson).

Critics found You, Me and Dupree to be pretty old hat, as even Dupree himself was no more than a light version of more strongly written characters in the genre.

Owen Wilson is at his most annoying in this movie as the roommate driving the couple out of their minds, while a distrusting father-in-law (Michael Douglas) isn’t making things any easier. Critics found You, Me and Dupree to be pretty old hat, as even Dupree himself was no more than a light version of more strongly written characters in the genre. The film received mostly poor reviews, and while it had a decent box office, it was one of Hudson’s lesser rom-coms of that era and one of Wilson’s lesser comedy efforts.

8

The Electric State (2025)

A Sci-Fi Movie Based On Simon Stalenhag’s Novel

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The Electric State

Adventure

Sci-Fi

ScreenRant logo

4/10

2/10

Release Date

March 14, 2025

Director

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Writers

Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Millie Bobby Brown In The Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

    Millie Bobby Brown

    Michelle

  • Headshot Of Chris Pratt In The European Gala Event of Marvel Studios' 'Guardians of the Galaxy. Vol 3'

    Chris Pratt

    Keats

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The Electric State is the Russo brothers’ 2025 movie release for Netflix. Based on the science fiction novel by Simon Stalenhag, the film takes place in a dystopian future where robots exist and have since become hunted and lost their rights. In the middle of this dystopian landscape, a young orphan woman named Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) wants to find her brother when a robot indicates he might still be alive. She teams up with Chris Pratt’s Keats to head into dangerous lands in search of her family.

An edited image of Milly Bobby Brown in The Electric State with the Netflix logo and money in the background.

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The book itself received rave reviews. It is structured as a series of paragraphs accompanied by large artwork, which left the Russo brothers plenty of room to work with when adapting it into a film. The result was a big-budget sci-fi action movie that left most critics disappointed. Most complaints indicated that while there were many great things on the screen to look at, the story itself remains formulaic, taking away the inventiveness of the source material.

7

The Gray Man (2022)

A CIA Agent Goes On The Run When He Learns Secrets About His Superior

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The Gray Man

Not Yet Rated

Thriller

Action

ScreenRant logo

7/10

10/10

Release Date

July 15, 2022

Runtime

122 minutes

Director

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Writers

Joe Russo, Stephen McFeely, Christopher Markus

Cast

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  • Headshot aOf Ana De Armas In The 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

    Ana De Armas

  • Headshot Of Alfre Woodard In The Netflix`s LA World Premiere Of `The Gray Man`.

    Alfre Woodard

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Although the reviews haven’t been the best of the Russos’ career, The Gray Man still remains a fun and quotable spy movie with stellar performances from Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, and Ana de Armas. The story follows Gosling’s CIA agent Avent (Sierra Six), who learns some corrupt secrets about his superior and ends up on the run when a target is put on his head and a former CIA agent-turned-mercenary, Lloyd Hansen (Evans), takes the job to hunt down and eliminate him.

The main issue critics have taken with the film has been its rigid adherence to the spy movie formula, which is a lot of fun when combined with bone-crunching action. However, this was also a problem for many critics, who feel that the movie could have been so much more — especially when Captain America: The Winter Soldier did the job so well. Instead, The Gray Man felt like it was just hitting all the beats and never strayed from the more generic aspects of the genre.

6

Cherry (2021)

A Former Soldier With PTSD Robs Banks To Help Fund His Addiction

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Cherry

R

Drama

Crime

Biography

ScreenRant logo

6/10

Release Date

February 26, 2021

Runtime

142 Minutes

Director

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Writers

Angela Russo-Otstot, Jessica Goldberg, Nico Walker

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Tom Holland In The 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards

    Tom Holland

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Jamie Brewer

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The Russos have made a habit of re-teaming with MCU stars for solo action ventures. The brothers produced 21 Bridges (2019) with Chadwick Boseman and Extraction (2020) with Chris Hemsworth before directing Tom Holland in Cherry (2021). The movie stars Holland as Cherry, and it follows him from his days as a college student to his two-year stint in the Army, which leaves him suffering from PTSD. When he returns home, he and his wife Emily have become addicts, and he starts robbing banks to support their habit.

Apple TV+’s Cherry mostly went under the radar, and its reviews didn’t help.

Like all the Russo brothers’ films after Welcome to Collinwood and You, Me, and Dupree, Cherry is visually stunning. However, critics felt the film’s characters were underwritten, flat, and even wooden, effectively wasting the substantial talent of the cast. However, at the same time, it received praise for its cinematography and editing, with awards nominations for both.

5

Welcome To Collinwood (2002)

A Comedy Caper Remake Of Big Deal On Madonna Street

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Welcome to Collinwood

R

Comedy

Crime

Release Date

October 4, 2002

Runtime

86 minutes

Director

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Writers

Anthony Russo

Producers

Ben Cosgrove, Brian Oliver, Casey La Scala, George Clooney, Hendrik Hey, Hunt Lowry

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Isaiah Washington

    Isaiah Washington

    Leon

  • Headshot Of William H. Macy

    William H. Macy

    Riley

  • Headshot Of Sam Rockwell

    Sam Rockwell

    Pero

  • Cast Placeholder Image

    Michael Jeter

    Toto

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The Russo brothers’ debut feature film is very similar in tone to some of the sitcoms in which they’ve dipped their toes, and it ends up being an atmosphere that works better in 22-minute spurts than an 86-minute jog. Even still, it’s a heist film with a cast as good as Ocean’s Eleven, including a bit part for Danny Ocean himself: George Clooney. The rest of the cast is spectacular, with William H. Macy, Sam Rockwell, Luis Guzman, Pateicia Clarkson, Jennifer Esposito, and Gabrielle Union.

The plot sees a group of small-time thieves from Collinwood in Cleveland attempt to rob a jeweler’s apartment safe. One issue many critics took issue with was the film’s cartoonish vibe and overacting from the majority of the cast. But that was also what was asked of them, and critics like Nev Pierce of BBC called Welcome to Collinwoodintermittently hilarious — if you’ve a taste for the quirky.” For a debut film, it was easy to see the brothers’ comic timing from projects like Arrested Development brought to the big screen.

4

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

All The MCU Teams Up To Battle Thanos

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Avengers: Infinity War

PG-13

Adventure

Action

Science Fiction

ScreenRant logo

6/10

81

9.2/10

Release Date

April 27, 2018

Runtime

149 minutes

Director

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Writers

Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Producers

Chris Castaldi, James Gunn, Jon Favreau, Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso, Alan Fine

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Robert Downey Jr. In The 10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

    Robert Downey Jr.

    Tony Stark / Iron Man

  • Headshot Of Chris Evans

    Chris Evans

    Steve Rogers / Captain America

Prequel(s)

The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron

Franchise(s)

MCU

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In terms of scope, Avengers: Infinity War is the Russo brothers’ greatest achievement. It’s also one of the best movies in which the antagonist wins, a gut-wrenching epic with real stakes. The film brings together most of the characters from the past MCU movies as they have to team up to battle a world-threatening force known as Thanos. However, what no one could have expected was that he had the power to take down Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, and he wiped out half the Earth’s population.

The one thing holding this movie back compared to other Russo movies was that it was only the first half of a story, and the ending was still to come.

With all the characters merging from the different wings of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War could have quickly become an overtly-convoluted, unsatisfying mess. But they pulled off a hat trick, making a film just as impressive as Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, if not more so. However, the one thing holding this movie back compared to other Russo movies was that it was only the first half of a story, and the ending was still to come.

3

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Captain America Vs. Iron Man

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Captain America: Civil War

PG-13

Adventure

Action

Science Fiction

Superhero

ScreenRant logo

8/10

22

8.5/10

Release Date

May 6, 2016

Runtime

147 minutes

Director

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Writers

Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Producers

Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Patricia Whitcher, Stan Lee, Victoria Alonso, Alan Fine

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Chris Evans

    Chris Evans

    Steve Rogers / Captain America

  • Headshot Of Robert Downey Jr. In The 10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

    Robert Downey Jr.

    Tony Stark / Iron Man

Prequel(s)

Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: The First Avenger

Franchise(s)

Marvel

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While not the most rewatchable MCU Phase Three movie, Captain America: Civil War is still a successful sequel to Captain America: The Winter Soldier and an integral chapter in setting up the MCU’s future. The film has the U.S. government declare that all superheroes have to register and become government employees, answering to them before going into action. Iron Man is for the registration, while Captain America is against it, and soon, the heroes are all going to war against each other.

It shares a common thread with the other three Russo brothers’ Marvel projects in that it has legitimate stakes (both external and within the group) that other installments in the Universe often lack, to their detriment. Critics praised Civil War for many of the same reasons they gave high marks to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The film is more layered than the average MCU adventure and features developments for its characters that feel organic to their nature should they be placed in a conflict where their enemy is their friend.

2

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Hydra Takes Over S.H.I.E.L.D. & The U.S. Government

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier

PG-13

Adventure

Action

Sci-Fi

Superhero

ScreenRant logo

8/10

16

8.8/10

Release Date

April 4, 2014

Runtime

136 Minutes

Director

Joe Russo, Anthony Russo

Writers

Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

Prequel(s)

Captain America: The First Avenger

Cast

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  • Headshot Of Chris Evans

    Chris Evans

    Steve Rogers / Captain America

  • Samuel L. Jackson headshot

    Samuel L. Jackson

    Nick Fury

Sequel(s)

Captain America: Civil War, Captain America: Brave New World

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier is, bar none, the most intelligent of the MCU’s Phase Two movies and perhaps even of the entire franchise. Every ounce of The Winter Soldier is politically salient, but as relevant as it is to the real world, it’s even more vital to the future of the overarching MCU. When a mind-controlled Bucky returns as the Winter Soldier and tries to kill Nick Fury, Captain America soon learns that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been compromised.

An image of the Russo Brothers over blurred posters of Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier quickly rose to the top as one of the best MCU films released up to that point, and it remains in the upper echelon of the MCU in the years since. The Russo brothers’ first MCU adventure is whip-smart and contains some of the Universe’s most impressive fight choreography. It is also more than a superhero movie, and remains a high-quality espionage thriller, regardless of it being an MCU movie, and it matches up well in that genre as well.

1

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

The End Of The First Major MCU Saga

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Avengers: Endgame

PG-13

Adventure

Action

Sci-Fi

Superhero

ScreenRant logo

9/10

184

9.3/10

Release Date

April 26, 2019

Runtime

181 Minutes

Director

Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Writers

Keith Giffen, Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, Don Heck, Jim Starlin, Joe Simon, Steve Englehart, Jack Kirby, Steve Gan, Bill Mantlo, Stephen McFeely, Christopher Markus

Cast

See All

  • Headshot Of Robert Downey Jr. In The 10th Annual Breakthrough Prize Ceremony

    Robert Downey Jr.

    Tony Stark / Iron Man

  • Headshot Of Chris Evans

    Chris Evans

    Steve Rogers / Captain America

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Avengers: Endgame was almost universally seen as a substantial achievement under the Russo brothers’ belts. Although it runs longer than Infinity War and has less action, it still feels shorter. The movie also gave fans what they were looking for on several fronts, The movie brought together almost every single hero ever introduced in the MCU, gave them all special moments, and had more people cheering in theaters during moments like “Avengers, assemble,” and “I knew it!” than any other movie — superhero or otherwise.

But it was much more than fan service and even more than an effective, well-crafted film. Avengers: Endgame is a masterclass of combining film franchises into one massive puzzle, and the fact that the Russo brothers could make it entertaining, cohesive, and rewatchable is nothing short of a miracle. It remains the second highest-grossing movie ever made, sitting behind only Avatar.