12 Best Movies To Watch After Elvis

Elvis acted in 31 different movies. While the common consensus is that each was worse than the last, this isn't entirely true. His earliest films show off his natural charisma, to say nothing of their outstanding musical performances. Elvis' fourth film (and his final movie before joining the army), "King Creole," is arguably his best; Elvis himself reportedly regarded it as his finest performance.

Directed by Michael Curtiz of "Casablanca" fame, "King Creole" sees Elvis play Danny Fisher, a high school dropout who tries to walk the straight-and-narrow, but finds himself seduced by the glitz and glamour of New Orleans' criminal underbelly, all while trying to make it as a nightclub singer. The stellar supporting cast includes Carolyn Jones, Walter Matthau, Vic Morrow, and Dolores Hart, but Elvis is more than capable of carrying the movie on his own; he is perfectly cast as an adolescent delinquent trying to find his way in a world that doesn't understand him.

In addition to the acting, "King Creole" features some of Elvis' greatest musical recordings. The music is almost entirely diegetic, so the tunes all appear naturally since the film is largely set at the King Creole nightclub. The songs, like "Dixieland Rock," "New Orleans," and "Hard Headed Woman" make great use of a brass section that feels ripped straight out of a Louisiana bayou. All told, "King Creole" marks the finest moment of Elvis' cinematic career.